JP2013034158A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus which can easily photograph a photographer oneself in a panoramic image.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging section; a rotation mechanism; a rotation control section; a face detecting section; a photographing range setting section; a position information setting section; a panoramic photographing reception section; a photographing start position setting section; a panoramic photographing control section; and a panoramic image generating section. The imaging section generates an image. The rotation mechanism rotates an apparatus body. The rotation control section controls the rotation mechanism. The face detecting section detects a face from a moving image. The photographing range setting section sets a photographing range. The position information setting section sets position information of the face. The panoramic photographing reception section receives an instruction input of the start of panoramic photographing. The photographing start position setting section sets the apparatus body in the photographing start position in response to the face and the position of the photographer in the moving image, position information and the photographing range. The panoramic photographing control section performs panoramic photographing from the photographing start position. The panoramic image generating section generates a panoramic image from a plurality of images.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an imaging apparatus that generates a panoramic image based on an image obtained by continuously shooting a subject by panning or the like is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-284321

  However, in the above-described conventional imaging apparatus, since the subject is continuously shot by the photographer's panning operation or the like, it is difficult to photograph the photographer himself in the panoramic image.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can easily capture a photographer himself / herself on a panoramic image.

  An imaging apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an imaging unit, a rotation mechanism, a rotation control unit, a face detection unit, a shooting range setting unit, a position information setting unit, a panorama shooting reception unit, and a shooting start position setting. A panorama shooting control unit, and a panorama image generation unit. The imaging unit captures an image of the subject formed by the photographing optical system and generates an image. The rotation mechanism rotates the apparatus main body in order to perform panoramic shooting by continuous shooting. The rotation control unit controls the rotation mechanism. The face detection unit detects a face from a moving image for composition confirmation generated in time series by the imaging unit. The shooting range setting unit sets a shooting range for panoramic shooting. The position information setting unit sets position information of the photographer's face to be captured in the panoramic image. The panorama shooting reception unit receives an instruction input for starting panorama shooting. The shooting start position setting unit, when the panorama shooting reception unit receives an instruction input, the position of the photographer's face in the moving image detected by the face detection unit according to the control of the rotation control unit, position information, and shooting Based on the range, the rotation control unit controls the rotation mechanism to set the apparatus main body at the photographing start position. The panorama shooting control unit performs panorama shooting from the shooting start position by the rotation control unit controlling the rotation mechanism. The panorama image generation unit generates a panorama image from a plurality of images obtained by panorama shooting.

  In the imaging device according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, when the panoramic photographing accepting unit accepts an instruction input, the rotation control unit performs the preliminary operation so that the face detecting unit takes a photographer in the central region in the moving image. The rotation mechanism is controlled so as to detect the face.

  According to a third aspect, in the second aspect, when the panorama shooting reception unit receives an instruction input, the face detection unit rotates when the photographer's face is detected in the central area in the moving image. The control unit does not perform a preliminary operation.

  In a fourth aspect based on any one of the first to third aspects, the position information includes a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the panoramic image.

  In a fifth aspect based on any one of the first to fourth aspects, the shooting range setting unit sets a shooting range based on a user input, and the position information setting unit sets the position information based on the user input. Set.

  According to a sixth invention, in any one of the first to fifth inventions, the panorama shooting accepting unit includes a self-timer that starts panorama shooting after a set time specified in advance from the shooting start operation, and a wireless panorama. An instruction input is accepted by either one of the remote control operation for starting shooting.

  According to a seventh invention, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, further comprising a selection unit. The selection unit selects one of a first panorama mode in which panorama shooting is performed from the shooting start position with the photographer as a subject, and a second panorama mode in which panorama shooting is performed by recognizing the vertical and horizontal movement directions of the apparatus body. select.

  The imaging apparatus of the present invention can easily photograph the photographer himself / herself on a panoramic image.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the electronic camera 1 of the present embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the state with which the electronic camera 1 was mounted | worn with the tripod. Block diagram showing a configuration example of the rotation mechanism 25 Flow chart showing an example of shooting processing in self-portrait panorama mode The figure which shows an example of the menu screen of panoramic photography The figure explaining face detection processing The figure explaining the setting of a photography start position and the processing of panoramic photography The figure explaining an example of the production | generation process of a panoramic image The figure explaining the 1st modification The figure explaining the panoramic image image | photographed by the 1st modification. The figure explaining the 2nd modification The figure explaining an example of the production | generation process of a panoramic image

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the electronic camera 1 which is an embodiment of the imaging apparatus of the present invention will be described as an example. The electronic camera 1 has functions of two types of panorama modes including a first panorama mode (hereinafter referred to as “selfie panorama mode”) and a second panorama mode (hereinafter referred to as “normal panorama mode”). ing. Therefore, the photographer can select two types of panoramic photography according to the application.

  In the self-portrait panorama mode, panoramic photography can be performed with the photographer himself as a subject with the electronic camera 1 attached to a tripod or the like. The self-portrait panorama mode is characterized in that in panorama shooting, it is possible to set whether to photograph the photographer himself / herself at a designated position.

  Further, in the normal panorama mode, panoramic photography can be performed by recognizing the vertical and horizontal movement directions of the main body of the electronic camera 1. In the normal panorama mode, a plurality of continuously shot images are synthesized according to the moving direction of the main body of the electronic camera 1 to generate one panoramic image. Note that the normal panorama mode is already a well-known technique, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an electronic camera 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic camera 1 includes a photographing optical system 10, a lens driving unit 11, an image sensor 12, an AFE 13, an image processing unit 14, a first memory 15, a second memory 16, and a display. A monitor 17, a recording interface unit (hereinafter referred to as "recording I / F unit") 18, an operation button 19, a release button 20, a power button 21, a self-timer button 22, an infrared receiving unit 23, an acceleration A sensor 24, a rotation mechanism 25, an apparatus main body support base 26, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 27, and a bus 28 are provided.

  Here, the image processing unit 14, the first memory 15, the second memory 16, the display monitor 17, the recording I / F unit 18, and the CPU 27 are connected via a bus 28. Further, the lens driving unit 11, the image pickup device 12, the operation button 19, the release button 20, the power button 21, the self-timer button 22, the infrared receiving unit 23, the acceleration sensor 24, and the rotation mechanism 25 are connected to the CPU 27, respectively.

  The photographing optical system 10 includes a plurality of lens groups including a zoom lens and a focus lens. The lens driving unit 11 adjusts the lens positions of the zoom lens and the focus lens in the photographic optical system 10 in the optical axis direction in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 27. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 1 shows the photographing optical system 10 as a single lens.

  The image sensor 12 captures an image of a subject formed by the photographing optical system 10 and generates an analog image signal (image). The analog image signal output from the image sensor 12 is input to the AFE 13. On the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 12, three types of color filters of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are arranged in a Bayer array, for example. Further, the charge accumulation time of the image sensor 12 and the reading of the image signal are controlled by a timing generator (not shown). The imaging element 12 is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) type image sensor. Note that the output of the image sensor 12 is connected to the AFE 13. However, in the case of a CMOS type image sensor, in the type having a function of performing analog signal processing such as A / D conversion, the AFE 13 is unnecessary, and the output of the image sensor 12 is directly connected to the image processing unit 14. Will be. Here, the imaging optical system 10 and the imaging element 12 constitute an imaging unit.

  The AFE 13 is an analog front end circuit that performs analog signal processing. The AFE 13 performs gain adjustment of the image signal and A / D conversion. The output of the AFE 13 is connected to the image processing unit 14. The image processing unit 14 performs various types of image processing (for example, color interpolation processing, contour enhancement processing, white balance, etc.) as necessary.

  The first memory 15 has a RAM (Random Access Memory) function, and is, for example, a buffer memory that temporarily records image data in a pre-process and post-process of image processing by the image processing unit 14.

  The second memory 16 is a rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory. The second memory 16 stores a program for controlling the electronic camera 1 in advance. In accordance with this program, the CPU 27 executes a process of a flowchart shown in FIG. 4 (hereinafter referred to as “flow process”) as an example.

  The display monitor 17 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display medium. The display monitor 17 displays various images, an operation menu of the electronic camera 1 and the like according to instructions from the CPU 27. A touch panel is arranged on the display monitor 17. The touch panel detects the position of a fingertip or the like that has touched the surface of the touch panel. Then, the touch panel receives an operation from the photographer by outputting the detected position to the CPU 27.

  The recording I / F unit 18 is formed with a connector (not shown) for connecting a detachable recording medium 30. The recording I / F unit 18 accesses the recording medium 30 connected to the connector and performs image recording processing. The recording medium 30 is, for example, a non-volatile memory card. FIG. 1 shows the recording medium 30 after being connected to the connector.

  The operation buttons 19 are, for example, a telephoto zoom button for changing the focal length of the photographing optical system 10 to the telephoto side, a wide-angle zoom button for changing the focal length of the photographing optical system 10 to the wide-angle side, and the operation of the electronic camera 1 A cross button or the like for selecting or executing menu setting conditions (not shown). The operation button 19 selects either the self-portrait panorama mode or the normal panorama mode according to a user input.

  The release button 20 is a two-stage button that receives an instruction input for a half-press operation and an instruction input for a full-press operation. The power button 21 is a button for starting up the power of the electronic camera 1 by an operation of the photographer.

  The self-timer button 22 is a button for starting panorama shooting after a preset time has elapsed from the shooting start operation.

  The infrared receiving unit 23 receives a signal indicating the start of panoramic shooting in infrared by a remote control operation from the photographer. The acceleration sensor 24 is a sensor that measures acceleration in a three-dimensional direction (X axis, Y axis, and Z axis directions orthogonal to each other). When the normal panorama mode is set, the CPU 27 recognizes the vertical or horizontal movement direction of the main body of the electronic camera 1 based on the measurement result of the acceleration sensor 24. Thereby, the CPU 27 can perform panoramic shooting in the normal panorama mode.

  The rotation mechanism 25 rotates the apparatus main body of the electronic camera 1 in order to perform panoramic shooting by continuous shooting (details will be described later).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the electronic camera 1 is mounted on a tripod. As shown in FIG. 2, in the electronic camera 1, the apparatus main body 1 a is connected to the apparatus main body support 26 via a power transmission unit 25 d described later. Here, in FIG. 2, the power transmission part 25d (refer FIG. 3) is typically drawn. The apparatus main body 1a is rotatable in the horizontal direction around the rotation axis shown in FIG. A photographing optical system 10 is provided in front of the housing of the electronic camera 1. A release button 20 is provided on the top surface of the casing of the electronic camera 1.

  In the present embodiment, a tripod 41 as a support leg for supporting the electronic camera 1 is attached to the apparatus main body support base 26 on the lower surface of the electronic camera 1 via the camera platform 40 as necessary. Here, the pan head 40 and the apparatus main body support base 26 are connected by screwing. The support leg is not limited to a tripod, and may be a monopod.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1 again, the CPU 27 is a processor that performs various operations and controls the electronic camera 1. The CPU 27 controls each part of the electronic camera 1 by executing a program stored in advance in the second memory 16. The CPU 27 has a timer function for measuring time. Further, the CPU 27 includes a rotation control unit 27a, a face detection unit 27b, a shooting range setting unit 27c, a position information setting unit 27d, a panorama shooting receiving unit 27e, a shooting start position setting unit 27f, and a panorama shooting control unit. 27g and also functions as a panoramic image generator 27h.

  The rotation control unit 27 a controls the rotation of the rotation mechanism 25. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the rotation mechanism 25. The rotation mechanism 25 includes a control circuit 25a, a motor 25b, an encoder 25c, and a power transmission unit 25d in order to rotate the apparatus main body 1a of the electronic camera 1. Here, the rotation control unit 27a comprehensively controls the control circuit 25a.

  The control circuit 25a is a circuit that controls the motor 25b, the encoder 25c, and the power transmission unit 25d. The control circuit 25a transmits and receives a command including a control signal for operating the rotation mechanism 25 to and from the rotation control unit 27a.

  The control circuit 25a controls the rotation of the motor 25b by receiving a command from the rotation control unit 27a. The rotation of the motor 25b is transmitted to the apparatus main body support 26 that is pivotally supported via a power transmission unit 25d such as a gear. Thereby, the rotation mechanism 25 can rotate the apparatus main body 1a in the horizontal direction. Here, the encoder 25c detects the rotation angle of the motor 25b and outputs the rotation angle information to the control circuit 25a. For example, the control circuit 25a acquires rotation angle information output from the encoder 25c during panoramic photography. The control circuit 25a transmits a release start signal for instructing shooting to the panorama shooting control unit 27g every time the apparatus body 1a rotates by a predetermined angle.

  The face detection unit 27b detects a face from an image for composition confirmation (hereinafter referred to as “through image”) generated in time series by the image sensor 12 according to the control of the rotation control unit 27a. For example, the face detection unit 27b extracts a skin color area as a face area based on the luminance distribution of the image signal of the through image. Alternatively, the face detection unit 27b extracts a face region by a feature point extraction process described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-16573. Examples of the feature points include eyebrow, eye, nose, lip end points, and the like. Thereby, the face detection unit 27b can recognize the photographer as the subject as a person. Then, the face detection unit 27b specifies the position information of the face area.

  The shooting range setting unit 27c sets a shooting range for panoramic shooting. Specifically, shooting angle information indicating the shooting range of panoramic shooting is set. For example, the shooting range setting unit 27c sets the shooting angle information to 180 degrees as an initial value. Note that the shooting angle information may be set by user input from the photographer.

  The position information setting unit 27d sets position information of the photographer's face to be captured in the panoramic image. As an example, the position information preferably includes a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the panoramic image. Thereby, in this embodiment, it becomes possible to easily photograph the photographer in the center in the longitudinal direction of the panoramic image.

  The panorama shooting receiving unit 27e receives an instruction input for starting panorama shooting. Specifically, an instruction input for starting panoramic photography is accepted via the self-timer button 22. Alternatively, an instruction input for starting panoramic photography is accepted via the infrared receiver 23. Therefore, the photographer can select an instruction input for starting panoramic image shooting from a plurality of means.

  The shooting start position setting unit 27f, when the panorama shooting receiving unit 27e receives an instruction input, the face in the through image detected by the face detecting unit 27b according to the control of the rotation control unit 27a, position information, and a shooting range. Based on the above, the rotation control unit 27a controls the rotation mechanism 25 to set the apparatus main body 1a to the photographing start position. The panorama shooting control unit 27g performs panorama shooting from the shooting start position by the rotation control unit 27a controlling the rotation mechanism 25. The panorama image generation unit 27h generates one panorama image from a plurality of images obtained by panorama shooting.

  Next, an example of the photographing process in the self-taking panorama mode in the electronic camera 1 will be described. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the electronic camera 1 is attached to a tripod 41 via a pan head 40 as shown in FIG. In addition, it is assumed that the adjustment of the tilt direction in panoramic shooting has already been performed by the photographer adjusting the height of the tripod 41. The photographer has a remote control (not shown) that can instruct panoramic photography using infrared rays. That is, in the self-portrait panorama mode, first, the photographer sets, for example, a shooting range and position information. Subsequently, the photographer stands in front of the electronic camera 1 and then inputs an instruction to start panorama shooting by operating the remote controller. Thereby, the electronic camera 1 performs panoramic photography.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the photographing process in the self-portrait panorama mode. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a panoramic shooting menu screen. Here, after the power button 21 of the electronic camera 1 is turned on, when a panoramic shooting selection input is made via the operation button 19, the CPU 27 displays the panoramic shooting menu screen shown in FIG. 5 on the display monitor 17. Let Note that at this time, the display monitor 17 does not display “shooting range setting” and “self-portrait position setting (position information setting)”. Subsequently, when the photographer selects the self-portrait panorama mode, the CPU 27 causes the display monitor 17 to display “setting of shooting range” and “setting of position of selfie”. And CPU27 starts the process of the flow shown in FIG.

  Step S101: The shooting range setting unit 27c of the CPU 27 performs shooting range setting processing in accordance with user input. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the photographer can easily input the shooting range (shooting angle information) by looking at the menu screen. For example, when the shooting range is input as 180 degrees by user input, the shooting range setting unit 27c sets the panorama shooting range as 180 degrees. At this time, the imaging range setting unit 27 c temporarily records the setting value of 180 degrees in the first memory 15. And CPU27 transfers to the process of step S102.

  Step S102: The position information setting unit 27d of the CPU 27 performs setting processing of face position information (self-portrait position). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the photographer can easily input the position information of the face by looking at the menu screen. For example, when the shooting range is set to 180 degrees, the CPU 27 displays the panoramic image frame 31 of the 180-degree shooting range. Further, the CPU 27 displays a mark M in the frame 31. The photographer can move the mark M to a predetermined position by tracing the mark M with a finger by a touch panel operation. Here, it is assumed that the photographer has designated the mark M at a position that crosses the center line (arrow in the figure) in the longitudinal direction of the frame 31. In this case, the position information setting unit 27d sets an area in the mark M as the position information of the face to be captured in the panoramic image. At this time, the position information setting unit 27 d temporarily records this position information in the first memory 15. And CPU27 transfers to the process of step S103.

  Here, it is assumed that the photographer moves away from the electronic camera 1 installed by the tripod 41 and moves in front of the electronic camera 1. Then, the photographer inputs an instruction to start panoramic shooting by remote control operation.

  Step S103: The panorama shooting accepting unit 27e of the CPU 27 determines whether or not a panorama shooting instruction is input. Specifically, the panorama shooting accepting unit 27e determines whether or not a panorama shooting start signal indicating an instruction input to start panorama shooting is received via the infrared receiver 23. When the panorama shooting start signal is received (step S103: Yes), the CPU 27 proceeds to the process of step S104. On the other hand, when the panorama shooting start signal has not been received (step S103: No), the CPU 27 repeats the process of step S103 until the panorama shooting start signal is received.

  Step S104: The face detection unit 27b of the CPU 27 performs face detection processing. Specifically, the face detection unit 27b detects a face from the through image according to the control of the rotation control unit 27a. Here, the control of the rotation control unit 27a includes not only control for rotating the apparatus main body 1a but also control for not rotating the apparatus main body 1a.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the face detection process. First, as a preliminary operation, the rotation control unit 27a controls the rotation mechanism 25 so that the face detection unit 27b detects the face of the photographer P in the central region in the through image, and rotates the apparatus main body 1a (see FIG. 6 (a)). Thereby, the positional relationship between the photographer P and the photographing optical system 10 of the electronic camera 1 is a directly facing position (hereinafter referred to as “facing position”). Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6B, the rotation control unit 27 a performs the Y direction of the frame W with respect to the position of the face of the photographer P detected by the face detection unit 27 b (the region within the frame W). The apparatus main body 1a is rotated so that the center line of Y and the center line in the Y direction in the through image (dotted line in the figure) coincide. Thereby, the rotation control unit 27a facilitates the process for imprinting the photographer at the designated position in the panoramic image.

  However, in the present embodiment, when the panorama shooting reception unit 27e receives a panorama shooting start signal, the positional relationship between the photographer P and the shooting optical system 10 of the electronic camera 1 is already in the directly-facing position. There is. Therefore, in this case, the rotation control unit 27a does not perform a preliminary operation. Thereby, the CPU 27 can speed up the process of step S104.

  As a variation of the preliminary operation, the rotation control unit 27a scans a preset angle (for example, 180 degrees) after the panorama shooting reception unit 27e receives a panorama shooting start signal, and performs face detection. Also good. Then, the rotation control unit 27a may rotate the apparatus main body 1a by controlling the rotation mechanism 25 so that the face position becomes the directly-facing position after scanning once.

  When the process of step S104 is completed, the CPU 27 proceeds to the process of step S105.

  Step S105: The shooting start position setting unit 27f of the CPU 27 sets the shooting start position. Specifically, the shooting start position setting unit 27f sets the shooting range set in step S101, the face position information set in step S102, and the face in the through image detected in step S104. Based on the position, the rotation control unit 27a controls the rotation mechanism 25 to set the apparatus main body 1a to the photographing start position.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the shooting start position setting and panorama shooting processing. Here, after the process of step S104 is completed, the positional relationship between the photographer P and the imaging optical system 10 of the electronic camera 1 is a directly-facing position as shown in FIG. In this state, in this embodiment, if panorama shooting is started from a position rotated 90 degrees from the directly-facing position, the photographer P can be reflected in the center of the panorama shot image (shooting range 180 degrees) (FIG. 7). (See (a)).

  Therefore, the rotation control unit 27a controls the rotation mechanism 25 to rotate the apparatus main body 1a clockwise by 90 degrees in the drawing from the state shown in FIG. Then, the apparatus main body 1a is set to the photographing start position (see FIG. 7B). In other words, the rotation control unit 27a is driven to rotate to a position that is 1/2 of the angle set for panoramic shooting (90 degrees when the setting is 180 degrees) from the position determined to be the directly-facing position, and the shooting start position setting is performed. The unit 27f sets the position as a shooting start position for panoramic shooting (main shooting). And CPU27 transfers to the process of step S106.

  Step S106: The panorama shooting control unit 27g of the CPU 27 performs panorama shooting. Specifically, the panorama shooting control unit 27g first calculates the number of images required for panorama shooting based on the set value of the shooting range.

  For example, a case where the photographer himself / herself is desired to be placed at the center in 180-degree panoramic shooting will be described. The panorama shooting control unit 27g continuously shoots a plurality of images based on a panorama image of a set angle (for example, 180 degrees). As an example, when the shooting range of each image in a plurality of images is 18 degrees and the overlapping area of the images (hereinafter referred to as “margin portion”) is 3 degrees, panorama image generation is performed as described in the process of step S107. The unit 27h combines 12 images in order to obtain an image of 180 degrees, and generates one image having a shooting range of 180 degrees. At this time, the panoramic image generation unit 27h performs image processing for sequentially joining the images that are continuously shot and photographed at the marginal portions.

  Here, since the panorama shooting control unit 27g does not rotate the first shooting, the panorama shooting control unit 27g shoots 12 shots corresponding to 180 degrees after the combination if rotated 180 degrees-15 degrees = 165 degrees. As a result. FIG. 7B schematically shows that a panoramic image (shooting range: 180 degrees) is synthesized with 12 images in a shooting range of 15 degrees excluding the marginal portion for easy understanding. .

  Therefore, specific processing will be described below. First, the panorama shooting control unit 27g receives a release start signal from the control circuit 25a of the rotation mechanism 25. Subsequently, the panorama shooting control unit 27g shoots the first image. That is, the panorama shooting control unit 27g drives the image pickup device 12. The AFE 13 performs image signal gain adjustment, A / D conversion, and the like. The image signal output from the AFE 13 is temporarily recorded as image data in the first memory 15. The image processing unit 14 performs image processing such as white balance correction processing on the image data.

  Subsequently, when the rotation control unit 27a rotates the motor 25c by 15 degrees through the control circuit 25a, the encoder 25c detects the rotation angle of the motor 25b and outputs the rotation angle information to the control circuit 25a. The control circuit 25a transmits a release start signal for instructing shooting to the panorama shooting control unit 27g every time the apparatus body 1a rotates by 15 degrees.

  The panorama shooting control unit 27g drives the image sensor 12 to perform shooting each time a release start signal is received. Although the rotation angle of the apparatus main body 1a is 15 degrees, the panorama shooting control unit 27g performs shooting in a shooting range every 18 degrees in consideration of a marginal part (3 degrees). Then, when the photographing of 12 images is completed, the CPU 27 proceeds to the process of step S107.

  Step S107: The panorama image generation unit 27h of the CPU 27 performs a panorama image generation process. Specifically, twelve images recorded in the first memory 15 are read out to generate a panoramic image.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of panorama image generation processing. As described above, the panorama image generation unit 27h sets the marginal part to 3 degrees with respect to the image captured in the imaging range of 18 degrees, so that the final imaging range is from 180 degrees (15 degrees x 12). A single panoramic image is generated.

  Through the processing in step S107 described above, as shown in FIG. 7A, in the present embodiment, a panoramic image in which the photographer P is arranged at the center can be easily obtained. Then, the CPU 27 proceeds to step S108.

  Step S108: The CPU 27 performs a recording process. Specifically, the CPU 27 records panoramic image data on the recording medium 30 via the recording I / F unit 18. Then, the CPU 27 ends the process of the flow shown in FIG.

  As described above, the electronic camera 1 of the present embodiment sets the shooting start position so that the photographer himself can be copied to the designated position in the panoramic image, and then performs panoramic shooting while rotating the apparatus main body 1a. The photographer can be easily imprinted at a designated position in the panoramic image.

(First modification)
Next, a first modification of the above embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, panoramic photography is performed by a panning operation that rotates the apparatus main body 1a in the horizontal direction. In the first modification, panoramic photography may be performed by a tilt operation that rotates the apparatus main body 1a in the vertical direction. Thereby, the electronic camera 1 can perform panoramic photography not only by pan operation but also by tilt operation.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a first modification. As shown in FIG. 9, in the first modification, the camera body 1a is rotated in the vertical direction (tilt direction) by rotating the camera platform 40 clockwise by 90 degrees from the state shown in FIG. Can be done.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a panoramic image shot in the first modification. FIG. 10 illustrates a case where the photographer P is photographed in the self-taking panorama mode with the tower 100 as a background. Here, in the first modification, the rotation control unit 27a is characterized by rotating the apparatus main body 1a in a direction from the ground toward the sky, for example. Thereby, the face detection unit 27b can detect the face (the area indicated by the face frame W in the drawing) faster than the face detection unit 27b rotates in the direction from the sky toward the ground.

(Second modification)
Next, a second modification of the above embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, panoramic photography is performed by a panning operation that rotates the apparatus main body 1a in the horizontal direction. Here, in the second modified example, it may be configured to have both a pan operation and a tilt operation.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a second modification. In FIG. 11, the front view of the housing | casing of the electronic camera 2 is shown. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an imaging apparatus in which an imaging unit having an imaging element and an apparatus main body are rotatably connected is known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-164426). The electronic camera 2 of the second modified example is characterized in that the imaging unit can be rotated by control on the apparatus main body side. That is, the electronic camera 2 of the second modified example further includes a second rotation mechanism that rotates the imaging unit as compared with the electronic camera 1. In the following description of the electronic camera 2, the same components as those in the block diagram of the electronic camera 1 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 11, the electronic camera 2 includes an imaging unit 51, an apparatus main body 1 a, and an apparatus main body support base 26. In the electronic camera 2, the imaging unit 51 includes, for example, the photographing optical system 10 and the imaging element 12 of the electronic camera 1 shown in FIG. In the electronic camera 2, a portion excluding the imaging unit 51 and the apparatus main body support base 26 is the apparatus main body 1 a.

  Specifically, the electronic camera 2 includes an imaging unit 51 that captures an image of a subject from the imaging optical system and generates an image, and a first rotation that rotates the apparatus main body 1a to perform panoramic shooting by continuous shooting. A mechanism 52; a second rotation mechanism 53 that rotates the imaging unit 51 to perform panoramic shooting by continuous shooting; a rotation control unit 27a that controls the first rotation mechanism 52 and the second rotation mechanism 53; A face detection unit 27b for detecting a face from a composition confirmation moving image generated in time series by the unit 51; a shooting range setting unit 27c for setting a shooting range for panoramic shooting; and a photographer's face to be captured in the panoramic image When the position information setting unit 27d for setting the position information, the panorama shooting receiving unit 27e for receiving an instruction input for starting panorama shooting, and the panorama shooting receiving unit 27e receive an instruction input, the face detecting unit 2 Based on the position, position information, and shooting range of the photographer's face in the moving image detected by b according to the control of the rotation control unit 27a, the rotation control unit 27a uses the first rotation mechanism 52 and the second rotation mechanism. The image capturing start position setting unit 27f that sets the apparatus main body 1a to the image capturing start position by controlling at least one of the image forming unit 53 and the rotation control unit 27a includes at least one of the first rotation mechanism 52 and the second rotation mechanism 53. By controlling one of them, a panorama shooting control unit 27g that performs panorama shooting from the shooting start position and a panorama image generation unit 27h that generates a panorama image from a plurality of images obtained by panorama shooting are provided. . In addition, in addition to the 1st rotation mechanism 52 and the 2nd rotation mechanism 53, in FIG. 11, the power transmission parts 54 and 55 are drawn typically. The power transmission units 54 and 55 are the same as the power transmission unit 25d shown in FIG. The first rotating mechanism 52 and the second rotating mechanism 53 are the same as the rotating mechanism 25 shown in FIG.

  As described above, the face detection unit 27b of the electronic camera 2 can perform the face detection process by combining the pan operation and the tilt operation. In addition, the panorama shooting control unit 27g of the electronic camera 2 can easily perform panorama shooting by pan operation or panorama shooting by tilt operation according to user input.

(Supplementary items of the embodiment)
(1) In the above-described embodiment, continuous shooting is taken at a predetermined angle as panoramic shooting. However, panoramic shooting may be performed by the following means to generate a panoramic image.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of panorama image generation processing. In FIG. 12A, the panorama shooting control unit 27g may shoot a shooting range of one shot image wider than 18 degrees, for example. In this case, the panorama image generation unit 27h may generate a panorama image with a margin of 3 degrees after cutting out 18 degrees as a shooting range for every 12 shot images. Thereby, the panorama image generation unit 27h can generate a panorama image similar to that in FIG. 7A, as shown in FIG.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the electronic camera 1 is attached to the tripod 41 via the camera platform 40 as shown in FIG. 2, but it is not necessarily attached to the tripod 41. For example, the electronic camera 1 is placed on a table. You may shoot. The shape of the apparatus main body support 26 may be any shape as long as the apparatus main body 1a can be rotated. For example, the apparatus main body support base 26 may have a circular shape that stably supports the apparatus main body 1a when placed on a table.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the electronic camera 1 is provided with the rotation mechanism 25. However, as another method, for example, an electric camera platform having a similar rotation mechanism on the camera platform side may be employed. In this case, the rotation control unit 27a controls the electric pan head to rotate the electronic camera 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic camera, 12 ... Image sensor, 25 ... Rotation mechanism, 27a ... Rotation control part, 27b ... Face detection part, 27c ... Shooting range setting part, 27d ... Position information setting unit, 27e... Panorama shooting reception unit, 27f... Shooting start position setting unit, 27g .. panorama shooting control unit, 27h.

Claims (7)

An imaging unit that captures an image of a subject formed by the imaging optical system and generates an image;
A rotation mechanism that rotates the main body of the device to perform panoramic shooting by continuous shooting;
A rotation control unit for controlling the rotation mechanism;
A face detection unit for detecting a face from a moving image for composition confirmation generated in time series by the imaging unit;
A shooting range setting unit for setting a shooting range of the panoramic shooting;
A position information setting unit for setting position information of a photographer's face to be imprinted in a panoramic image;
A panorama shooting accepting unit for receiving an instruction input for starting the panorama shooting;
When the panorama shooting accepting unit accepts the instruction input, the face detection unit detects the position of the photographer's face in the moving image detected according to the control of the rotation control unit, the position information, and the shooting A shooting start position setting unit that sets the apparatus main body to a shooting start position by controlling the rotation mechanism based on the range; and
A panorama shooting control unit that performs the panorama shooting from the shooting start position by the rotation control unit controlling the rotation mechanism;
A panoramic image generation unit that generates a panoramic image from a plurality of images obtained by the panoramic shooting;
An imaging apparatus comprising: The imaging device according to claim 1,
When the panorama photographing accepting unit accepts the instruction input, the rotation control unit, as a preliminary operation, allows the face detecting unit to detect the photographer's face in a central region in the moving image. An imaging device characterized by controlling the above. The imaging device according to claim 2,
When the panoramic photographing accepting unit accepts the instruction input, if the face detecting unit detects the photographer's face in a central area in the moving image, the rotation control unit An imaging apparatus characterized by not performing an operation. In the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information includes a central portion in a longitudinal direction of the panoramic image. In the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The shooting range setting unit sets the shooting range based on a user input,
The position information setting unit sets the position information based on a user input. In the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The panorama shooting accepting unit is configured to input the instruction by one of a self-timer that starts the panorama shooting after a preset time from the shooting start operation and a remote control operation that starts the panorama shooting wirelessly. An imaging device characterized by receiving The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
One of a first panorama mode in which panorama shooting is performed from the shooting start position with the photographer as the subject, and a second panorama mode in which panorama shooting is performed while recognizing the vertical and horizontal movement directions of the apparatus main body is performed. An imaging device, further comprising a selection unit for selecting.

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