JP2013229680A - Imaging apparatus, control method of the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent unnecessary information from being displayed in a scene in which subject information is not necessary.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus comprises: imaging means which images a subject and output image data; display means which successively displays image data outputted successively from the imaging means, as a through image in a display area; and display control means which performs control to superimpose and display characters or images on the through image. The display control means displays the characters or images to be displayed within a predetermined range of the display area, in a first display form which allows for viewing the subject displayed within the predetermined range.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device capable of displaying information superimposed on a through image.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in so-called through image display, a technique for displaying various information related to a subject in a superimposed manner on a through image is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for acquiring subject information relating to a subject and displaying the subject information superimposed on the subject position.

JP 2009-17540 A

  However, in the related art disclosed in the above-described patent document, the acquired subject information is displayed superimposed on the through image regardless of whether or not the display position is in the range that the user is paying attention to. . In other words, in the conventional technology as described above, unnecessary information continues to be displayed even in a scene that does not require subject information. For example, when adjusting the focus on the subject, if the subject information of another subject existing near the subject is left superimposed and displayed, the confirmation of the focus adjustment result may be hindered. As described above, the conventional technique cannot appropriately control display of unnecessary subject information.

  In order to solve the above problems, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging unit that images a subject and outputs image data, and a display that sequentially displays image data sequentially output from the imaging unit as a through image in a display area. Means and display control means for controlling to display a character or an image superimposed on the through image, and the display control means displays the character or image displayed within a predetermined range of the display area. Is displayed in a first display form in which a subject displayed within the predetermined range can be visually recognized.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the display of subject information that hinders shooting.

(A) It is a block diagram of the digital camera in 1st Embodiment. (B) (c) It is a general-view figure of the digital camera in 1st Embodiment. (D) It is a block diagram of the server in 1st Embodiment. It is an example of a display of a through picture in a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the imaging direction and angle of view of the digital camera in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the method of dividing the imaging range of the digital camera of 1st Embodiment into three areas. It is an example of a display of a through picture in a 1st embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the digital camera 100 according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process for determining the display switching angle in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process for determining the display switching range in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the digital camera at the time of performing the imaging process in 1st Embodiment. It is a display example of the through image in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the digital camera in 2nd Embodiment. It is a display example of the through image in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the digital camera in 3rd Embodiment. It is a display example of the through image in other embodiments.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using an accompanying drawing.

  The embodiment described below is an example of an implementation means of the present invention, and may be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. Each embodiment can also be combined as appropriate.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a digital camera 100 that is an example of the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. 1B and 1C are schematic views of the digital camera 100. FIG.

  The control unit 101 controls each unit of the digital camera 100 according to an input signal and a program described later. Note that instead of the control unit 101 controlling the entire apparatus, a plurality of hardware may share the processing to control the entire apparatus. The digital camera 100 in this embodiment has a shooting mode and a playback mode. The shooting mode is a mode in which image data can be acquired by the control unit 101 controlling an imaging unit 102 described later. The reproduction mode is a mode in which image data can be browsed using the display unit 106 described later.

  The imaging unit 102 performs an imaging process. The imaging process is a process of converting subject light imaged by a lens included in the imaging unit 102 into an electrical signal, performing noise reduction processing, and outputting digital data as image data. The captured image data is stored in the buffer memory, and then a predetermined calculation is performed by the control unit 101 and recorded on the recording medium 110.

  The non-volatile memory 103 is an electrically erasable / recordable non-volatile memory, and stores a program to be described later executed by the control unit 101.

  The work memory 104 is used as a buffer memory that temporarily holds image data picked up by the image pickup unit 102, an image display memory of the display unit 106, and a work area of the control unit 101.

  The operation unit 105 is used by the user to instruct the operation of the digital camera 100. The operation unit 105 includes, for example, a power button for instructing power ON / OFF of the digital camera 100 and a release switch 105a for performing an imaging process. Furthermore, operation members such as a reproduction button 105b for browsing image data, a cross key 105c for accepting menu operations, and a touch panel 105d are included. The release switch 105a has SW1 and SW2. During the operation of pressing the release switch 105a, a so-called half-pressed state is entered, so that SW1 is turned on. Thus, an instruction for performing an imaging preparation operation such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing is accepted. The operation of the imaging unit 102 during the AF process is an example of a focus adjustment operation. Further, when the operation of pressing the release switch 105a is completed, that is, in a so-called full-press state, SW1 is turned off and SW2 is turned on. Thereby, an instruction for performing an imaging operation is received. Here, the state in which SW1 is ON is an example in which the release switch is in the first state. The state where SW2 is ON is an example of the release switch being in the second state.

  The display unit 106 displays a through image at the time of imaging, displays captured image data, and displays characters for interactive operation. In the present embodiment, the control unit 101 performs control so that the image data sequentially output from the imaging unit 102 is continuously displayed on the display unit 106 while being sequentially updated as a through image. Thereby, the display unit 106 sequentially displays the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 in real time. Note that the display unit 106 does not need to be included in the digital camera 100, and the digital camera 100 may be connected to the display unit 106 and has at least a display control function for controlling the display of the display unit 106.

  The azimuth acquisition unit 107 detects which direction the digital camera 100 is facing and outputs azimuth information. The direction acquisition unit 107 is configured by, for example, an electronic compass. The electronic compass is also called a geomagnetic sensor, a direction sensor, etc., and is a generic name for devices that can detect the earth's geomagnetism. The electronic compass can detect the geomagnetism in two dimensions or three dimensions, and can detect which direction the device of the electronic compass is facing with respect to the geomagnetism. This azimuth information is periodically acquired and recorded in the work memory 104. If the direction information is already recorded in the work memory 104, it is overwritten with the newly acquired direction information. By such processing, the latest memory direction information is always held in the work memory 104. The orientation acquisition unit 107 may use not only an electronic compass but also a motion detection sensor such as a gyro sensor. The azimuth information acquired by the azimuth acquisition unit 107 can be transmitted to an external device via the communication unit 109 described later.

  The position acquisition unit 108 performs a positioning process. The positioning process is a process of receiving a signal from a GPS satellite and acquiring position information indicating the position of the position acquisition unit 108 from the received signal. In the present embodiment, the position information is represented by latitude / longitude coordinates. This position information is periodically acquired and recorded in the work memory 104. If the position information has already been recorded in the work memory 104, it is overwritten with the newly acquired position information. With such processing, the work memory 104 always holds the latest position information. In the present embodiment, an example using GPS is described, but the position acquisition unit 108 is not limited to GPS. For example, it may be a device that acquires position information from an external device such as a mobile phone base station. An acceleration sensor or the like may be used for the positioning process. The position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 108 can be transmitted to an external device via the communication unit 109 described later.

  The communication unit 109 is a connection unit for communicating with an external device. The digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment can exchange data with the server 200 described later via the communication unit 109. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 109 is a wireless communication unit, and the control unit 101 can perform wireless communication with the server 200 via an antenna.

The recording medium 110 can record image data output from the imaging unit 102 and subject information acquired through the communication unit 109. The recording medium 110 may be configured to be detachable from the digital camera 100 or may be built in the digital camera 100. That is, the digital camera 100 only needs to have a means for accessing at least the recording medium 110.
The above is the description of the digital camera 100.

  Next, the configuration of the server 200 that is an example of an external device will be described. FIG. 1B is a block diagram of the server 200.

  The control unit 201 controls each unit of the server 200 according to the input signal or program. Note that instead of the control unit 201 controlling the entire apparatus, the entire apparatus may be controlled by a plurality of pieces of hardware sharing the processing.

  The nonvolatile memory 203 is an electrically erasable / recordable nonvolatile memory, and stores a program executed by the control unit 201.

  The work memory 204 is used as a work area for the control unit 201.

  The communication unit 209 is a connection unit for communicating with an external device. The server 200 in the present embodiment can exchange data with the digital camera 100 via the communication unit 209. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 209 is a wireless communication unit, and the control unit 201 can perform wireless communication with the digital camera 100 via an antenna.

The recording medium 210 can record information acquired via the communication unit 209. The recording medium 210 may be separate from the server 200 or may be included in the server 200 itself. That is, the server 200 only needs to have a means for accessing at least the recording medium 210.
The above is the description of the server 200.

  In the recording medium 210 of the server 200 described above, subject information indicating information about the subject is recorded. Processing for using the subject information by the digital camera 100 will be described. The digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment can transmit information indicating the imaging range of the digital camera 100 to the server 200. The imaging range will be described later. In addition, from the server 200, subject information corresponding to information indicating the imaging range of the digital camera 100 can be received. In the digital camera 100, an icon corresponding to the subject information can be generated and displayed on the display unit 106 by being superimposed on the through image. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, an icon corresponding to the subject information acquired from the server 200 is displayed on the display unit 106 in the shooting mode so as to be superimposed on the corresponding subject position. Thereby, the user of the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment can browse the information regarding the subject in the through image as if the information was actually attached to the subject via the display unit 106. Hereinafter, displaying an icon corresponding to subject information is expressed as displaying subject information. Instead of receiving subject information, an icon of subject information may be received. In this case, it is possible to reduce a load for generating an icon in the digital camera 100. In this embodiment, an example of displaying an icon will be described. For example, a thumbnail of an image obtained by photographing a corresponding subject or character information regarding the corresponding subject may be displayed.

  Next, a specific operation for realizing the above processing will be described. The digital camera 100 acquires information indicating an imaging range to be transmitted to the server 200. Specifically, the imaging position, imaging direction, and field angle information are acquired. As the imaging position and the imaging direction, position information and azimuth information acquired by the position acquisition unit 108 and the azimuth acquisition unit 107 are used. For the view angle information, the start angle and the end angle of the view angle are obtained and used as the view angle information. Here, a method for obtaining the angle-of-view information will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the imaging direction and the angle of view of the digital camera 100. In FIG. 3, an angle 2 </ b> A is an angle of view and indicates a range in which the angle A spreads left and right around the imaging direction 301 of the digital camera 100. A range 302 determined by this angle of view is an imaging range of the digital camera 100. This angle of view can be obtained by the following formula 1 where x is the image circle radius and f is the focal length.
tanA = x / f (1)

In the present embodiment, the range of the angle of view is represented by a start angle and an end angle. The angle of view start angle can be obtained by the following equation 2 where the angle of view start angle is B.
B = (180 ° −2A) / 2 (2)
The end angle of the angle of view can be obtained by the following Expression 3, where C is the end angle of the angle of view.
C = B + 2A = (180 ° -2A) / 2 + 2A (3)
In the example of FIG. 3, the angle is expressed with respect to the center point O, where the position of the point M is 0 ° and the position of the point N is 180 °.

  The above is the description of the method for obtaining the angle of view information.

  As described above, the imaging range of the digital camera 100 is determined by the imaging position, the imaging direction, the angle of view start angle, and the angle of view end angle. In the present embodiment, the imaging range is determined by the server 200. The digital camera 100 transmits to the server 200 the position information indicating the imaging position, the azimuth information indicating the imaging direction, the start angle of the view angle, and the end angle of the view angle together with the subject information request. Upon receiving this, the server 200, based on the position information, the azimuth information, the start angle of the angle of view, and the end angle of the angle of view, shows a fan-shaped imaging range as shown in FIG. Range). In the present embodiment, information relating to the depth of the imaging range (information relating to the distance between point K and point O or between point L and point O) is assumed to use a predetermined value. Then, subject information corresponding to the subject included in the obtained imaging range is acquired. Specifically, the server 200 holds subject information in association with subject position information indicating the position of the corresponding subject, and refers to whether or not the position indicated by the subject position information is included in the imaging range. Thus, subject information corresponding to the subject included in the imaging range is acquired. The acquired subject information is transmitted to the digital camera 100.

  The digital camera 100 that has received the subject information transmitted from the server 200 displays the subject information superimposed on a position corresponding to the display position of the subject on the through image. Note that the display position of the subject information can be calculated by using a direction vector from the position of the digital camera 100 to the subject position information. The current lens direction of the digital camera 100 is defined as the Z axis, the upper direction of the digital camera 100 is defined as the Y axis direction, and the right direction of the digital camera 100 is defined as the X axis direction. The display position of the subject information is obtained by orthogonal projection of the direction vector from the digital camera 100 to the subject information. Note that the subject position information may include height information. When the display position is calculated with reference to the position information including the height information, the display position in the vertical direction of the through image changes according to the value indicated by the height. By this processing, the subject information is displayed near the position of the subject in the through image. FIG. 2 is a display example of a through image on which subject information is displayed. As described above, the user of the digital camera 100 can view a through image as if the information about the subject is pasted on the subject.

  However, when it is desired to focus on a specific subject in order to capture an image of the subject, the subject information may be an obstacle. For example, as the subject that the user is paying attention to, the subject displayed at the position of the distance measuring point can be considered. In this case, there may be a situation in which subject information corresponding to another subject is displayed superimposed on the subject to be focused, and the subject to be noticed cannot be visually recognized. In the case of FIG. 2, the subject treated as the subject that the user is paying attention to is the D building at the position of the distance measuring point 500. The D building, which is the subject that the user is paying attention to, is displayed with the subject information of the F park in front of it being superimposed, and is difficult to view. In such a case, the user may have difficulty in confirming whether the subject is in focus. Therefore, in the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment, when AF processing is performed and the focus is adjusted, the subject information in the vicinity of the distance measuring point on the through image is displayed so as to transmit the through image. By such display control, it is possible to reduce the possibility that subject information overlaps the subject of interest and it is difficult to confirm whether or not the subject is in focus. In other words, at least the subject of interest can be made visible. Hereinafter, processing for displaying subject information in the vicinity of a distance measuring point so as to transmit a through image will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the imaging range of the digital camera 100 is divided into a range determined by the distance measuring direction and a range other than that. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of dividing the imaging range of the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment into three areas. Since this figure has many parts in common with FIG. 3, the explanation will focus on the parts unique to FIG. In FIG. 4, area 2 is a range determined by the distance measuring direction 402, and area 1 and area 3 are other ranges. The distance measuring direction is determined by determining the position of the distance measuring point in the through image display area when the AF process is executed. A procedure for determining the distance measuring direction by determining the position of the distance measuring point will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 shows a specific display example of a through image. In the example of FIG. 5, a frame indicating the position of the distance measuring point is displayed on the right side of the D building. When the digital camera 100 receives an instruction to adjust the focus, the digital camera 100 focuses on the subject appearing in the frame of the distance measuring point frame displayed on the through image. As described above, when the position of the distance measuring point is closer to the right side than the center of the display screen, the distance measuring direction is shifted to the right side from the imaging direction 301 of the digital camera 100 as in the distance measuring direction 402 of FIG. . The amount of deviation indicating the degree of deviation X is indicated by a relative amount (for example,%) uniquely determined according to the position on the through image where the distance measurement point is determined. This deviation amount may be determined in advance according to the position on the through image, or may be calculated according to the position of the distance measuring point each time the distance measuring point moves. By multiplying the angle of view by this amount of deviation, the value α of the deviation angle is obtained. Then, the angle in the distance measuring direction is obtained by adding the deviation angle to the angle in the imaging direction. In the example of FIG. 4, the angle value in the distance measuring direction is 90 ° + α.

  Further, in FIG. 4, an angle β is a display switching angle. This display switching angle indicates an angle that spreads to the left and right with the distance measuring direction 402 as the center. An area on the through image corresponding to the range determined by the display switching angle is an area around the distance measuring point. That is, the subject information corresponding to the subject included in the range determined by the display switching angle is displayed in the vicinity of the distance measuring point, which may prevent the user from confirming the focus. Therefore, the subject information corresponding to the subject included in this range is displayed so that the through image can be visually recognized with high transparency. Note that the display switching angle in this embodiment is determined according to the progress of the AF process. The procedure for determining the display switching angle will be described later.

Each area in FIG. 4 is defined by information corresponding to the start angle of view angle and the end angle of view angle. Hereinafter, information corresponding to the start angle and the end angle of the field angle for each area is referred to as a start angle and an end angle. In FIG. 4, the value of the start angle of area 1 is equal to the value of the start angle of the field angle. That is, the value of the start angle of area 1 is C. The end angle of area 1 is calculated from the shift angle value α and the display switching angle value β. Specifically, it can be obtained by the following equation 4.
End angle of area 1 = (90 ° + α) −β (4)

The start angle of the area 3 is also calculated from the shift angle value α and the display switching angle value β. Specifically, it can be obtained by the following formula 5.
Start angle of area 3 = (90 ° + α) + β (5)

The value of the end angle of area 3 is equal to the end angle of the field angle. That is, the value of the end angle of area 3 is 180 ° -C (C is the value of the start angle of the view angle). The start angle of area 2 is equal to the end angle of area 1. That is, the start angle of the area 2 can be obtained by the following formula 6.
Start angle of area 2 = (90 ° + α) −β (6)

The end angle of area 2 is equal to the start angle of area 3. That is, the end angle of the area 2 can be obtained by the following expression 7.
End angle of area 2 = (90 ° + α) + β (7)

  The subject information in each area can be acquired by transmitting the start angle and end angle of each area to the server 200 together with the position information, the direction information, and the subject information request. The subject information in area 2 is subjected to a transmission process and displayed at a position corresponding to the display position of the subject. On the other hand, the subject information in area 1 and area 3 is displayed at a position corresponding to the display position of the subject without being subjected to the transmission process. For example, in the display example of the through image shown in FIG. 5, the range 501 is a region on the through image corresponding to the range (the range of area 2) defined by the display switching angle in FIG. Here, since D building and F park are subjects located within the range of area 2 in FIG. 4, the corresponding subject information is displayed so as to transmit the through image. The display form for displaying the through image is an example of the first display form. Moreover, the display form which displays so as not to transmit the through image is an example of the second display form. Hereinafter, the range in which the subject information is subjected to the transmission processing and displayed by the above-described processing is referred to as a display switching range.

  Next, the operation of the digital camera 100 that performs the above-described processing will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera 100 when appropriately displaying subject information. Each process shown in this flowchart is realized by the control unit 101 loading a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 103, developing the program in the work memory 104, and controlling each unit of the digital camera 100 according to the program. . The same applies to each process shown in the following flowcharts.

  The processing shown in this flowchart is started when the control unit 101 detects that the photographing mode is set. Further, the process shown in this flowchart is executed in parallel with an imaging process described later.

  First, in step S601, the control unit 101 determines a display switching angle (angle β in FIG. 4). The display switching angle is determined based on the AF state indicating whether or not the AF process is completed. Hereinafter, the process of step S610 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera 100 when determining the display switching angle.

  First, in step S700, the control unit 101 determines whether an AF operation is being performed. If the control unit 101 determines that the AF operation is not in progress, the process proceeds to step S701. In step S701, the control unit 101 sets the display switching angle value β to 0. Thereafter, the process ends, and the process proceeds to step S602 in FIG. On the other hand, when the control unit 101 determines that the AF operation is being performed, the process proceeds to step S702.

  In step S702, the control unit 101 determines whether distance measurement processing is being performed. If the control unit 101 determines that the distance measurement process is being performed, the process proceeds to step S703. In step S703, the control unit 101 determines the display switching angle value β to be β1. On the other hand, when the control unit 101 determines that the distance measurement process is not in progress, the process proceeds to step S704.

  In step S704, the control unit 101 determines whether or not focusing has been achieved. If the control unit 101 determines that focusing has been achieved, the process proceeds to step S705. In step S705, the control unit 101 determines the display switching angle value β to be β2. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines that focusing is not possible, the process proceeds to step S706. In step S706, the control unit 101 determines the display switching angle value β to be β3.

In the present embodiment, the magnitudes of the display switching angle values β1, β2, and β3 are set in advance so as to satisfy the relationship shown in the following Expression 8.
β3> β1 ≧ β2 (8)

  This is because, for example, when the in-focus state cannot be achieved, it is easy to see the next matching point by widening the display switching range. Note that such a relationship between display switching angle values is an example, and for example, all display switching angle values may be the same value.

  When the determination of the display switching angle is completed, the process returns to FIG.

  Next, in step S602, the control unit 101 determines an area for acquiring subject information based on the display switching angle determined in step S601. This process will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera 100 when determining an area for acquiring subject information based on the display switching angle. The process shown in this flowchart is the process of step S602 in FIG.

  First, in step S801, the control unit 101 determines a shift angle according to the position of the distance measuring point. Specifically, as described in the description of FIG. 4, a deviation with respect to the imaging direction is obtained by multiplying the angle of view by a relative amount of deviation determined according to the position of the distance measuring point on the through image. Determine the angle.

  Next, in step S802, the control unit 101 determines the angle of view. This is also the same as described with reference to FIG.

  Next, in step 803, the control unit 101 determines the start angle and end angle of each area based on the display switching angle, the shift angle, and the angle of view determined in step S601 of FIG. Determine the range of each area. If it is determined in step S700 in FIG. 7 that AF is not being performed, the display switching angle is 0 °, and therefore the display switching range does not occur. Therefore, all acquired subject information is displayed without being subjected to the transmission process.

  When the start angle and end angle of each area are determined, the process returns to FIG.

  Next, in step S603, the control unit 101 acquires subject information of each area from an external device based on the start angle and end angle of each area determined in step S602, position information, and direction information.

  Next, in step S604, the control unit 101 performs transmission processing on the subject information within the display switching range among the subject information acquired in step S603. If there is no display switching range, the process of this step is not executed, and the process proceeds to step S605.

  In step S605, the control unit 101 displays subject information at a position corresponding to the display position of the subject shown in the region on the through image corresponding to each area. Here, since the subject information within the display switching range has been subjected to the transmission process in step S604, it is displayed so as to transmit the through image like the subject information of D building and F park in FIG. Also, subject information displayed in other ranges is displayed so as not to transmit through images. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S606.

In step S606, the control unit 101 determines whether it is in the shooting mode. When the control unit 101 determines that the shooting mode has been exited, this process ends. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines that it is in the shooting mode, the process returns to step S601, and the display of the subject information is continuously updated by repeating the process shown in this flowchart.
The above is the description of the operation of the digital camera 100 when appropriately displaying subject information.

  Next, imaging processing will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera 100 when executing the imaging process. The processing shown in this flowchart is started when the control unit 101 detects that the release switch SW1 is turned on. Further, the process shown in this flowchart is executed in parallel with the process shown in the flowcharts of FIGS.

  First, in step S901, the control unit 101 prepares for imaging. Specifically, the control unit 101 performs digital image capture operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing. 100 parts are controlled. The progress status of the AF process executed here is determined as the AF state in the process shown in FIG. Note that the AF state cannot be in-focus with the non-AF state in which distance measurement is not performed, the distance measurement processing state in which distance measurement is being performed, and the in-focus state in which focusing has been achieved. It is divided into unfocused state. The AF state is a non-AF state until SW1 is turned on. This state is a state in which it is determined in step S700 in FIG. 7 that AF is not being executed. The AF state becomes a state of ranging processing in response to the processing of this step being executed. This state is a state in which it is determined in step S702 in FIG. As a result of the distance measurement, when the in-focus state can be achieved, the AF state changes from the in-range state to the in-focus state. This state is a state in which it is determined in step S704 in FIG. On the other hand, if the focus cannot be achieved as a result of the distance measurement, the AF state is changed from the distance measuring state to the in-focus state. This state is a state in which it is determined in step S704 in FIG. Further, when the AF state becomes the in-focus state or the out-of-focus state, the state does not transit to another state until the control unit 101 determines that SW1 is OFF. That is, while SW1 is ON, the display switching angle value β is continuously set in step S705 or step S706 of FIG. For this reason, even if the focusing operation is completed, the subject information around the distance measuring point is continuously subjected to the transmission process. When the control unit 101 determines that SW1 is OFF, the AF state is reset to the non-AF state.

  Next, in step S902, the control unit 101 determines whether SW2 is ON or OFF. When the control unit 101 determines that SW2 is OFF, the process proceeds to step S903.

  In step S903, the control unit 101 determines whether SW1 is ON or OFF. When the control unit 101 determines that SW1 is OFF, this process ends. On the other hand, when the control unit 101 determines that SW1 is ON, the process returns to step S901.

  On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in step S902 that SW2 is ON, the process proceeds to step S904.

In step S <b> 904, the control unit 101 captures an image of a subject using the imaging unit 102 and acquires image data. Thereafter, the process ends.
The above is the description of the imaging process.

  In the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment, the subject information around the distance measuring direction is displayed so as to transmit the through image when performing focusing. This makes it possible to appropriately control the display of subject information that hinders the imaging of the main subject.

[Second Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the subject information within the display switching range is displayed after being subjected to the transmission process regardless of whether the focus is in focus or after focus. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, during in-focus, subject information in the display switching range is subjected to transmission processing, and after focusing, subject information in the display switching range is processed. Among them, the transmission processing of the subject information of the subject that the user is paying attention to is canceled. Thereby, it is possible to check information related to the subject of interest while reducing the possibility that the subject of interest is difficult to visually recognize due to subject information of other subjects.

  Since this embodiment has many parts in common with the first embodiment, the description of the common parts will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on parts specific to this embodiment.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of a display screen after completion of focusing in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the control unit 101 uses not only the display position of the subject but also information on the focus distance in order to determine that the subject on the through image is the subject of interest. Thus, the subject of interest is distinguished from other subjects within the display switching range. In the example of FIG. 10, as in the example of FIG. 2, the subject that the user is paying attention to is D building. Although the D building exists within the display switching range, the corresponding subject information is displayed without being subjected to the transmission process. On the other hand, the F park that is in the display switching range and is a subject not attracting attention is displayed after being subjected to the transmission process in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Note that, prior to the completion of focusing, the subject information within the display switching range is displayed in a state where the transmission process has been performed, as in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, processing for realizing this display will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera 100 when executing the above processing. The processing shown in this flowchart is started when the control unit 101 detects that the photographing mode is set. The process shown in this flowchart is executed in parallel with the above-described imaging process.

  The processing from step S1101 to step S1103 is the same as the processing from step S601 to step S603 in FIG.

  Next, in step S1104, the control unit 101 determines whether AF is being executed. The process in this step is the same as that in step S700 in FIG. If the control unit 101 determines that AF is not being performed, the process proceeds to step S1109. In step S1109, processing similar to that in step S605 in FIG. 6 is executed. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines that AF is being performed, the process proceeds to step S1105.

  In step S1105, the control unit 101 determines whether or not focusing has been achieved. The process in this step is the same as that in step S704 in FIG. If the control unit 101 determines that focusing is not possible, the process proceeds to step S1106. In step S1106, the control unit 101 performs the same process as in step S604. That is, when focusing is not completed, the subject information corresponding to the subject in the display switching range is all subjected to the transmission process and displayed as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines that focusing has been achieved, the process proceeds to step S1107. In step S1107, the subject information of the subject that the user is paying attention to is determined from the subject information acquired in step S1103. Here, a subject that is determined to exist at a focused three-dimensional position in the imaging range obtained from the focal length is treated as a subject that the user is paying attention to.

  Next, in step S1108, the control unit 101 performs transmission processing on subject information within the display switching range other than the subject information of the subject focused on by the user. The processing in this step is executed after it is determined in step S1105 that focusing is complete. That is, when the in-focus state is completed, the transmission process of the subject that the user is paying attention to is not performed. As a result, the transmission process performed before the completion of focusing is cancelled. In consideration of the fact that the user checks the in-focus state after focusing, the transmission process may be canceled after a certain period of time has elapsed after completion of focusing. In this case, for example, in step S1105, it is determined whether or not a fixed time has elapsed after completion of focusing. If it is determined that the fixed time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S1108, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1107.

  The process in step S1109 is the same as the process in step S605 in FIG. In this step, the control unit 101 displays subject information at a position corresponding to the display position of the subject shown in the region on the through image corresponding to each area. Here, the subject information other than the subject information of the subject that the user is paying attention to among the subject information within the display switching range has been subjected to the transmission process in step S1108, and thus is displayed to transmit the through image. The In addition, the subject information of the subject that the user is paying attention to and the subject information outside the display switching range are displayed so as not to pass through the through image. At this time, the subject information of the subject that the user is paying attention to may be displayed in a display form that can be distinguished from other subject information. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, subject information of D building, which is subject information corresponding to the focused position, is displayed in a darker color than subject information that is not subjected to other transmission processing. Thereby, the user can know which subject information is determined as subject information of a subject that the user is paying attention to. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1110.

The processing in step S1110 is the same as that in step S606 in FIG.
The above is the description of the operation of the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the subject information corresponding to the subject that is determined to be the subject that the user is paying attention to is displayed without being subjected to the transmission process even if the subject is a subject within the display switching range. did. Thereby, it is possible to check information related to the subject of interest while reducing the possibility that the subject of interest is difficult to visually recognize due to subject information of other subjects.

[Third Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, the subject information corresponding to the subject determined to be present at the focused position in the imaging range is displayed without being subjected to the transmission process regardless of whether the main subject is a human or not. Was. For example, FIG. 12 shows an example of a through image displayed on the display unit 106 of the digital camera 100 of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is an example of a through image when a person is imaged as a main subject in a shopping street where stores such as A-mart, B-Eleven, C-store, E-son, and F-stop are lined up. In FIG. 12, there is a store C just behind the main subject person, and the distance between the main subject person and the store C is sufficiently close. For this reason, the subject that the user is paying attention to is determined to be the store C. In this way, when focusing on a main subject that does not have subject information such as a human being at a position sufficiently close to a subject having subject information such as a building, another subject that exists in the vicinity of the focused position There is a possibility that the subject is focused on by the user. In this case, the subject information may be displayed superimposed on the main subject. Therefore, in the digital camera 100 of this embodiment, when the main subject is a person, all the subject information in the display switching range is displayed so as to pass through the through image. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the subject information corresponding to the subject determined to be present at the focused position is displayed superimposed on the main subject.

  Since this embodiment has many parts in common with the second embodiment, the description of the common parts will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the parts specific to this embodiment.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera 100 when appropriately displaying subject information in the present embodiment.

  The processing shown in this flowchart is started when the control unit 101 detects that the photographing mode is set. Further, the process shown in this flowchart is executed in parallel with an imaging process described later.

  In steps S1301 to S1307, the control unit 101 performs the same processing as in steps S1101 to S1107 in FIG.

  Next, in step S1308, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the main subject is a person. For this determination process, an existing algorithm can be used.

  If the control unit 101 determines in step S1308 that the main subject is not a person, the process proceeds to step S1309. In step S1309, processing similar to that in step S1108 in FIG. 11 is executed. Thereafter, processing proceeds to step S1310.

  On the other hand, if the control unit 101 determines in step S1308 that the main subject is a person, the process proceeds to step S1306. In step S1306, as in the first embodiment, transmission processing is performed on all subject information in the display switching range. That is, the same processing as step S604 in FIG. 6 is performed. Thereafter, processing proceeds to step S1310.

The processing after step S1310 is the same as the processing after step S1109 in FIG.
The above is the description of the operation of the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment.

  The digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to switch whether or not to perform transmission processing on subject information corresponding to the in-focus position depending on whether or not the main subject is a person. Thereby, when the main subject is a person, it is possible to reduce the possibility that subject information of other subjects is displayed superimposed on the main subject.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the transparency process is executed by the digital camera 100. This may be executed by the server 200. In this case, the digital camera 100 transmits information for performing a transparency process as necessary, together with a request for subject information from the server 200. The server 200 determines whether to transmit subject information that has been subjected to the transparency process or to transmit subject information that has not been subjected to the transparency process, depending on whether or not information for performing the transparency process has been received from the digital camera 100. To do. Thereby, the load of the digital camera 100 can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the subject information in the display switching range is displayed so as to transmit the through image has been described. About this, you may comprise so that a user can arbitrarily set the transmittance | permeability previously. In this case, for example, the user may be able to input the transmittance via the operation unit 105, or may be configured to select from a plurality of predetermined transmittances.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the subject information in the display switching range is displayed so as to transmit the through image is described. However, the display form of the subject information is not limited to this. For example, the subject information in the display switching range may be configured to be hidden instead of being displayed so as to transmit the through image.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example using one distance measuring direction has been described regarding the determination of the display switching range. In this regard, when there are a plurality of distance measuring points, the display switching range may be determined based on a plurality of distance measuring directions. In this case, the display switching range may be determined as a range including all the display switching ranges for each of the plurality of distance measuring points.

  In the above-described embodiment, subject information is acquired from an external device. In this regard, a database of subject information may be held on a recording medium so that subject information can be handled by a digital camera alone.

  In the above-described embodiment, the subject information displayed in the display switching range is subjected to the transmission process, thereby reducing the possibility that the subject information hinders imaging. In this regard, for example, instead of performing the transmission process, the display position may be changed so that the subject information displayed in the display switching range is displayed outside the display switching range. Alternatively, the display position may be changed while performing a transmission process. For example, the display is as shown in FIG.

  In the third embodiment described above, the example in which it is determined whether or not the main subject is a person has been described. However, the same problem may occur when a moving subject such as an animal or a car / train that does not have subject information is used as a main subject. For this reason, the third embodiment described above is configured not only to determine whether or not the main subject is a person, but also to determine whether or not the main subject is a moving object having no subject information. Also good. An existing algorithm can also be used for detection of animals other than humans, cars, trains and the like. When configured in this way, the control unit 101 determines in step S1304 in FIG. 13 whether or not the main subject is a moving object having no subject information. If it is determined that the main subject is not a moving object having no subject information, the process proceeds to step S1305. On the other hand, if it is determined that the main subject is a moving object having no subject information, the process proceeds to step S1307. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the subject information corresponding to the subject that is determined to be present at the focused position is displayed superimposed on the main subject.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the display switching range is set regardless of the distance to the subject of interest has been described. However, if the distance to the subject of interest is short, it is considered that the range in which the subject of interest is displayed in the display area becomes wider accordingly. Therefore, the display switching range may be changed according to the distance obtained by the distance measurement. In this case, the display switching range is changed to be wider as the distance is shorter.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example using a digital camera has been described. This is not limited to digital cameras. For example, a personal computer, a mobile phone, or a so-called tablet device may be used.

  The above-described embodiment can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various recording media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (23)

Imaging means for imaging a subject and outputting image data;
Display means for sequentially displaying image data sequentially output from the imaging means as a through image in a display area;
Display control means for controlling to display characters or images superimposed on the through image, and
The display control means displays a character or an image displayed within a predetermined range of the display area in a first display form in which a subject displayed within the predetermined range can be visually recognized. An imaging device. Position information is associated with the character or image,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit controls the character or image to be displayed at a position in the display area based on the position information. The character or image includes information about the subject,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position information associated with the character or the image indicates the position of the subject. The imaging means can execute a focus adjustment operation for focusing on a subject corresponding to a predetermined position of the display area,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined range is determined based on the predetermined position.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined range is further determined based on the focus adjustment operation.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined range is further determined based on a distance from the imaging apparatus to a subject corresponding to a predetermined position of the display area. An operation means for receiving an instruction for performing the focus adjustment operation by the imaging means by detecting a predetermined operation;
When the operation means does not detect the predetermined operation, the character or image displayed within the predetermined range of the display area is displayed in the second display form,
When the operation means detects the predetermined operation, a character or image displayed within a predetermined range of the display area is displayed in the first display form,
7. The display method according to claim 4, wherein the first display form is a display form in which a region where the through image is displayed is wider in the predetermined range than the second display form. The imaging apparatus of Claim 1. A release switch that receives an instruction to cause the imaging unit to perform the focus adjustment operation when pressed;
When the release switch is not pressed, the character or image displayed within a predetermined range of the display area is displayed in the second display form,
When the release switch is pressed, the character or image displayed within a predetermined range of the display area is displayed in the first display form,
7. The display method according to claim 4, wherein the first display form is a display form in which a region where the through image is displayed is wider in the predetermined range than the second display form. The imaging apparatus of Claim 1.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the character or image displayed outside the predetermined range is displayed in the second display form. A determination unit that determines a character or an image corresponding to the subject focused by the focus adjustment operation by the imaging unit;
The display control means controls to display the character or image determined by the determination means in a display form distinguishable from other characters or images instead of controlling to display the character or image in the first display form. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image pickup apparatus is an image pickup apparatus. Determining means for determining a character or an image corresponding to the subject focused by the focus adjustment operation by the imaging means;
Determination means for determining whether or not the main subject displayed in the display area is a moving object;
When the determination means determines that the main subject is not a moving object, the display control means instead of controlling to display the character or image determined by the determination means in the first display form. Control display to distinguish from other characters or images,
When the determination means determines that the main subject is a moving object, the display control means controls to display the character or image determined by the determination means in the first display form. The imaging device according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the imaging device is characterized in that: A determining means for determining a main subject displayed in the display area;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined range is determined based on a region where the main subject is displayed. The character or image displayed outside the predetermined range is displayed in a second display form,
7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first display form is a display form in which a region where the through image is displayed is wider in the predetermined range than the second display form. The imaging apparatus of Claim 1.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display form includes a display form in which the character or image is displayed in a state in which the through image is transmitted.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the transmittance that transmits the through image is set based on a user operation. Means for acquiring an imaging position indicating a position where the subject is imaged;
Means for acquiring an imaging direction indicating a direction of the imaging device when imaging the subject;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for acquiring the character or image based on the imaging position and the imaging direction. Means for acquiring an imaging position indicating a position where the subject is imaged;
Means for acquiring an imaging direction indicating a direction of the imaging device when imaging the subject;
Transmitting means for transmitting the imaging position and the imaging direction to an external device;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a receiving unit that receives a character or an image determined based on the imaging position and the imaging direction from an external apparatus. Imaging means for imaging a subject and outputting image data;
Display means for sequentially displaying image data sequentially output by the imaging means as a through image in a display area;
Display control means for controlling to display characters or images superimposed on the through image, and
The image pickup apparatus, wherein the display control means does not display the character or image in a predetermined range of the display area. The character or image includes information about the subject,
19. The imaging apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the display control unit controls to display a character or an image corresponding to a subject displayed within the predetermined range in the vicinity of the predetermined range. . An imaging process for imaging a subject and outputting image data;
A display step of sequentially displaying the image data sequentially output in the imaging step as a through image in a display area;
A display control step of controlling to display characters or images superimposed on the through image,
In the display control step, a character or an image displayed in a predetermined range of the display area is displayed in a first display form in which a subject displayed in the predetermined range can be visually recognized. A method for controlling the imaging apparatus. An imaging process for imaging a subject and outputting image data;
A display step of sequentially displaying the image data sequentially output in the imaging step as a through image in a display area;
A display control step of displaying characters or images superimposed on the through image, and
In the display control step, the character or image is not displayed in a predetermined range of the display area.   A computer-readable program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17.   A computer-readable program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the imaging apparatus according to claim 18 or 19.

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