JP2015032105A - Operation device and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation device that is easily operable irrespective of a holding method and a control method for the same.SOLUTION: An operation device comprises: a touch panel that is held by a hand; and a control part that, when the touch panel is held by the hand, controls so as to provide an area of an operation touch part for performing a prescribed operation corresponding to the holding in a specific area corresponding to the holding in an area of the touch panel except for a holding area which is an area of the touch panel having the holding of the hand sensed.

Description

  The present invention relates to an operating device and a control method thereof.

  Conventionally, an unexpected imaging method such as an operation with the left hand may be required for the operation of the imaging apparatus. However, many devices are designed only for typical usage situations. For example, an operation member such as a release button is often arranged at a position that is not suitable for a user to operate with a left hand or the like, for example, on the upper right side of the camera body. In view of this, the imaging apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 displays operation buttons in a region that can be operated with the left hand or the right thumb on the touch panel in accordance with the operation with the left hand or the right hand.

JP 2004-340991 A

  However, depending on the situation, the user may not be able to hold a predetermined grip on an operation device such as an imaging device. For example, when holding an imaging device while being held on a cliff during rock climbing, the user tries to shoot with a gripping method other than the predetermined gripping method being too careful not to drop the imaging device It is possible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an operating device that can be easily operated by a user regardless of the holding method and that can reduce erroneous operations, and a control method thereof.

  Corresponding to the grip in the touch panel area excluding the touch panel that is gripped by a hand and the grip area that is the touch panel area in which the hand is gripped when the touch panel is gripped by the hand. A control unit that controls to provide a region of an operation touch unit for performing a predetermined operation corresponding to the gripping in the specific region.

  It is possible to provide an operating device that can be easily operated by a user regardless of the holding method and that can reduce erroneous operations, and a control method therefor.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus including an operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating details of the imaging apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a usage example of the imaging apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining omnidirectional imaging. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the imaging apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation where the imaging apparatus is held with the left hand. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the determination of the left hand grip. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the details of the determination of the left hand grip. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the effect of the guide light. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of determining the left hand operation. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating determination of a left hand operation. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation where image data synthesis is necessary. FIG. 13A is a diagram in which the image data is tilted in the direction of gravity of the image data. FIG. 13B is a diagram in which two pieces of image data are superimposed. FIG. 13C is a diagram for explaining extra deletion at the center of the composite image data. FIG. 13D is a diagram for explaining extra deletion around the edge of the composite image data. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the composition of the image data.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging device 12 including an operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The imaging device 12 includes a photographing unit 13, a communication unit 1c, an auxiliary light emitting unit 7, a control unit 2, a display unit 3b, a recording unit 4, a touch panel 3a, an operation determination unit 6, and a flash 5. , Posture determination unit 9 and external communication unit 11.

  The imaging unit 13 includes an imaging optical system 1a and an imaging unit 1b. The imaging optical system 1a has a plurality of lenses having a function as a fish-eye lens, and captures light in a visual field region around the entire circumference around the optical axis. The imaging unit 1b converts the light captured by the imaging optical system 1a into an analog signal, and converts the analog signal into a digital signal (referred to as image data). The communication unit 1c sends image data to the main body 10 by wired communication or wireless communication.

  The auxiliary light emitting unit 7 emits guide light. When the subject is included within the angle of view, the guide light is controlled to irradiate a predetermined position within the angle of view. The user can visually recognize that the subject is included in the angle of view by viewing the guide light emitted in the angle of view. For example, the user can visually recognize the angle of view without looking at the display unit 3 by projecting the guide light to the subject in the peripheral area within the angle of view. The guide light is, for example, laser light.

  The control unit 2 includes a face detection unit 2a, an image processing unit 2b, a display control unit 2c, an image composition unit 2e, and an auxiliary light control unit 2f. The face detection unit 2a detects a human face portion from the image data. The image processing unit 2b performs image processing such as white balance correction and gamma correction on the image data. The display control unit 2c causes the display unit 3b to display an image based on the image data image-processed by the image processing unit 2b. The image composition unit 2e corrects and trims the image inclination, and further synthesizes the captured image data with other image data. The auxiliary light control unit 2 f controls the light emission of the auxiliary light emitting unit 7.

  The display unit 3b is an element that displays an image based on image data in accordance with the control of the display control unit 2c, and performs live view display. In live view display, image data captured by the imaging unit 1b is displayed in real time. The display unit 3 includes a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

  The recording unit 4 records image data processed by the control unit 2 and includes a memory card and the like. When pressed with a finger or the like, the touch panel 3a detects the pressed position information and inputs the detected position information to the control unit 2. The operation determination unit 6 includes an operation member such as a release button, and inputs information indicating an operation state of the operation member by the user to the control unit 2. The flash 5 emits light when the subject has low brightness. The posture determination unit 9 detects the posture of the imaging device 12 or a change in the posture. The external communication unit 11 transmits image data to a device external to the imaging device 12. Transmission is performed via wired communication such as USB or wireless communication such as Wi-fi.

The configuration of the imaging device 12 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the imaging apparatus 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the imaging device 12 includes an imaging optical system 1a, an imaging element 101b, an AD conversion circuit 101c, a support unit 101d, a connector 104a, a flexible printed circuit board 104b, a connector 104e, a board 119, an image The processing IC 102a, the display control IC 102b, the display unit 3b, the memory card 4, the battery 109, the power supply circuit 110, the grip unit 125, and the main capacitor 107 are included.
Have

  Specifically, the imaging optical system 1a includes a fisheye lens 120 and a low-pass filter 101e. The fisheye lens 120 captures light over a wide field of view. The low pass filter 101e removes high frequency noise from the light incident from the fisheye lens 120.

  The image sensor 101b converts the light from which noise has been removed by the low-pass filter 101e into an analog signal. The AD conversion circuit 101c converts an analog signal obtained by the image sensor into a digital signal (image data). The board 108 is a printed board for incorporating electronic components such as the image processing IC 102a. The connector 104a connects the board 108 and the flexible printed board 104b to each other.

  The flexible printed circuit board 104b is a flexible circuit board on which wiring for transmitting image data from the AD conversion circuit 101c to the image processing IC 102a and the display control IC 102b is printed. The connector 104e connects the flexible printed circuit board 104b and the circuit board 119 to each other.

  The board 119 is a printed board for incorporating electronic components such as the image processing IC 102a. The image processing IC 102a corresponds to the image processing unit 2b, and performs image processing such as white balance correction and gamma correction on the image data. The display control IC 102b corresponds to the display control unit 2c, and displays the digitally converted image data on the display unit 3b.

  The memory card 4 stores image data. The power supply circuit 110 controls the voltage obtained from the battery and operates the imaging device 12. The grip portion 125 is an auxiliary member formed outside the main body 10 so that the user can stably hold the imaging device. The main capacitor 107 performs charging for causing the flash 5 to emit light. The battery 109 applies a voltage to the power supply circuit 110.

  FIG. 3 shows a usage example of the imaging device 12. FIG. 3A shows a usage example in which the user performs a release operation with the right hand while looking at the display unit 3b, that is, shows normal photographing. FIG. 3B is a use example of wide-angle self-photographing, that is, a user photographing himself / herself while holding the imaging device 12 with his left hand without looking at the display unit 3. FIG. 3C shows a usage example in which omnidirectional imaging is performed by directing the optical axis of the fisheye lens toward the zenith.

  The problem of omnidirectional imaging using the imaging apparatus shown in FIG. 3C will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a diagram in which the user H1 in FIG. 4A shoots a total of three subjects H1 and two subjects H2 other than the user by omnidirectional imaging. When shooting with a fisheye lens, all three subjects fall within the angle of view. FIG. 4B shows the result of photographing in FIG. When the image circle of the imaging optical system 1a is set to be smaller than the imaging range of the imaging device, a circular imaging result as shown in FIG. 4B is obtained. Note that the circular imaging result in FIG. 4B can be processed into a panoramic image shown in FIG. 4C by image processing. In order for three subjects as shown in FIG. 4B to fall within the angle of view, it is desirable that the optical axis of the imaging optical system 1a be directed to the zenith.

  Here, the operation of the imaging apparatus 12 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. When the power of the imaging device 12 is turned on, the control unit 2 determines whether or not the shooting mode is selected by the user (step S100). When it is determined that the shooting mode is selected (YES in step S100), the control unit 2 determines whether the user is holding the imaging device 12 with the left hand (step S103).

  Here, an example of a situation where the imaging apparatus is held with the left hand will be described using an example of shooting during rock climbing shown in FIG. In FIG. 6A, the user holds the imaging apparatus 12 with the right hand while holding the rock surface with the left hand. At that time, the user can easily perform shooting using a release button or the like. On the other hand, in FIG. 6B, the user holds the imaging device 12 with the left hand because the user is holding the rock surface with the right hand. Since the release button of the image pickup apparatus is often arranged at a position where it is difficult to operate with the left hand, it is difficult to take a picture.

  Further, the operation of determining whether or not the imaging device 12 is gripping the left hand (step S103) will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 7 and FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the left-handed gripping determination (step S103), which is a predefined process. First, the control unit 2 determines whether or not the inclination of the imaging device 12 remains horizontal (step S201). That is, when it is determined that the inclination is horizontal, the control unit 2 determines that the user is about to shoot. On the other hand, when it is determined that the inclination is not horizontal, the control unit 2 determines that the user is not shooting. When determining that the inclination of the imaging device 12 remains horizontal (YES in step S201), the control unit 2 starts to detect the touch position of the touch panel 3a (step S202). By the way, when it is determined that the imaging device does not remain horizontal, that is, is tilted (NO in step S201), the control unit 2 does not hold the left hand by the user, that is, in the predefined process shown in FIG. Determine NO. After detecting the touch position of the touch panel 3a (step S202), the control unit 2 is a touch panel 3a shown in FIG. 8A that is considered to be a portion that is touched by the user's left hand when the user grasps the imaging device 12 with the left hand. It is determined whether or not a touch on the triangular touch portion T5 is detected (step S203). In step S203, it is determined whether or not a touch is detected. However, in the determination in step S203, the touch may be determined even if the touch is not strictly detected. For example, in the case of the capacitive or optical touch panel 3a, even if the object (part of the hand or finger here) is not in contact, the touch is made if the distance from the object is within a certain distance. Is detected. In addition, the touch on the triangular touch portion T5 is determined when the user holds the imaging device 12 while holding the intention to view the display on the display portion 3b as shown in FIG. This is because it is easy to grip the end of the imaging device 12. In recent years, the screen of the display unit tends to be enlarged. When the user tries to hold the imaging apparatus 12 having such a large screen display unit, the user holds the periphery of the display unit. At this time, when considering the display on the display unit 3b, it is easily predicted that the user holds the edge of the display unit. Further, even if the user does not consider viewing the display on the display unit 3b, a user who does not want to have a fingerprint or a stain on the center of the display unit may grasp the end of the display unit without gripping the display unit. Therefore, it is easy to determine the user's grip by determining the touch on the triangular touch portion T5. When it is determined that a touch on the triangular touch portion T5 has been detected (YES in step S203), the control unit 2 determines YES in the predefined process of FIG. 7, that is, the imaging device 12 is in the left hand. It is determined that it has been gripped. By the way, when it is determined that there is no touch on the triangular touch portion T5 (NO in step S203), the control unit 2 determines that the user's finger is in a different mode when the user grips the imaging device 12 with the left hand. It is determined whether or not simultaneous touches on the two touch portions T1 on the touch panel 3a shown in FIG. 8B which are considered to be in contact with each other have been detected (step S205). In step S205, it is determined whether or not two touch portions T1 are detected. The reason why the touch on the two touch portions T1 is determined will be described. For example, in the case of gripping with the thumb and little finger (in this case, the index finger, middle finger, ring finger can be used for touch operation because the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger come on the screen) It is difficult to stably hold the imaging device 12. Further, in the case of gripping with the thumb and the middle finger, the user can stably grip the imaging device 12. However, in this case, the user can move only the index. It is difficult to see the screen of the display unit 3b unless the index can be moved. On the other hand, in the case of gripping with the thumb and the ring finger (in this case, the index finger and the middle finger come on the screen of the display unit 3b so that these fingers can be used for the touch operation), the user stably holds the imaging device 12 It can be gripped. Furthermore, in the two-point touch of the index finger and the middle finger, if the two fingers are bent or opened, it is easy to visually recognize the screen of the display unit 3b. The two touch portions T1 are for detecting gripping with such thumb and ring finger. Note that the triangular touch portion T5 detects gripping with the middle finger and the thumb, and in this case, a one-point touch using the index finger is performed. However, since the user is grasping the imaging device 12 shallowly, the user can check the screen of the display unit 3b. When it is determined that simultaneous touches on the two touch portions T1 on the touch panel 3a are detected (YES in step S205), the control unit 2 holds the imaging device 12 with the left hand, that is, FIG. 7 is determined to be YES. On the other hand, when it is determined that simultaneous touches to the two touch portions T1 on the touch panel 3a are not detected (NO in step S205), the control unit 2 does not hold the imaging device 12 with the left hand. That is, NO is determined in the predefined process shown in FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the operation with the left hand grip is described as an example. Note that the technique of the present embodiment can also be applied to the case of right-hand gripping. For example, it is possible to detect right-hand grip that makes it difficult to press the release button if the touch unit is set. The position of such a right-hand grip touch unit is, for example, opposite to the left-hand grip touch unit in the left-right direction. Furthermore, for example, a touch unit corresponding to gripping with a hand or foot of a disabled person may be set. That is, it is possible to set a touch unit corresponding to a specific gripping method preferred by the user and detect such specific gripping from the distribution of touch positions.

  By the way, in FIG. 5, when it is determined NO in the predefined left hand grip determination process (NO in step S103), that is, when it is determined that the right hand is gripped, the control unit 2 sets the left hand grip flag to 0. Set (step S206). After setting the left hand grip flag to 0, the control unit 2 determines whether or not the duration time of the horizontal state of the optical axis is shorter than a predetermined time (step S104). When it is determined that the duration of the horizontal state is not shorter than the predetermined time (NO in step S104), the control unit 2 displays a live view on the display unit 3b and detects the face of the subject (step S105). The control unit 2 determines whether the release button or the touch panel 3a has been operated, that is, whether there has been a release operation (step S106). When determining that the release button or the touch panel 3a is not operated, the control unit 2 returns the process to step S100 by a power operation. When it is determined that the release button or the touch panel 3a is operated (Yes in step S106), the control unit 2 focuses or exposes the touched position on the touch panel 3a or the face detected as a result of face detection. Then, the image data obtained by the shooting is recorded in the recording unit 4. (Step S107). After recording the image data, the control unit 2 determines whether or not the power is turned off by the user (step S108). When it is determined that the power is turned off (Yes in step S108), the control unit 2 ends the process. When it is determined that the power has not been turned off (NO in step S108), the process returns to step S100.

  By the way, when it is determined YES in the predefined process of the left hand grip determination (Yes in step S103), the left hand grip flag is set to 1 (step S204). When the left hand flag is set to 1 or when it is determined that the duration time of the horizontal state is shorter than the predetermined time (Yes in step S104), the control unit 2 displays a live view on the display unit 3b, Further, the face of the subject is detected from the image data (step S114). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not a face is detected from the image data (step S115). When determining that a face has been detected from the image data (Yes in step S115), the auxiliary light control unit 2f causes the auxiliary light emitting unit 7 to emit guide light toward a part of the body of the subject (step S118). ).

  Here, the effect of the guide light will be described with reference to FIG. By viewing the guide light emitted when it is determined that the face portion of the subject has been detected, the user can easily recognize that the subject is within the angle of view without looking at the display portion 3b. For the light used as the guide light, light having directivity is used, for example, laser light is used. The auxiliary light control unit 2f causes the auxiliary light emitting unit 7 to irradiate the guide light to the subject other than the face within the angle of view, so that the guide light is not directly incident on the subject. In FIG. 9A, since the user can see the live view displayed on the display unit 3b, the subject can be easily placed within the angle of view as in the shooting result shown in FIG. 9B. it can. On the other hand, FIG. 9C shows a situation in which it is difficult for the user to check whether the subject is within the angle of view when viewing the live view. In this situation, the guide light informs the user that the subject is within the angle of view in a situation where it is difficult for the user to see the angle of view. For example, the auxiliary light control unit 2f radiates guide light to a part of the subject as indicated by B1 in FIG. 9D (step S118).

  The guide light irradiation position for the purpose of notifying that the subject is within the angle of view is not limited to a part of the body of the subject, and may be a position corresponding to the end of the angle of view. By confirming the guide light emitted to both ends of the angle of view, the user can confirm the angle of view and the position of the user within the angle of view without looking at the display unit 3b. When there are other subjects to be irradiated with guide light such as walls and buildings on the left and right sides of the subject, the control unit 2 causes the object to be irradiated with light to irradiate the guide light.

  When determining that the face detection unit 2a has not detected the face of the subject (NO in step S115), the auxiliary light control unit 2f determines whether the distance between the imaging device 12 and the subject is shorter than a predetermined distance. Is determined (step S116). The predetermined distance is 3 m, for example. When it is determined that the distance between the imaging device 12 and the subject is shorter than the predetermined distance (Yes in step S116), the auxiliary light control unit 2f notifies the user that the subject is not within the angle of view. Illuminate the subject with flashing guide light for the purpose of

  By the way, after the auxiliary light control unit 2f irradiates the subject with guide light on the auxiliary light emitting unit 7 (step S118 or step S117), the control unit 2 captures an image in the gravity direction of the imaging device 12 and a live view. It is determined whether or not the gravity direction of the image data matches (step S119).

  When the gravity direction of the imaging device 12 matches the gravity direction of the image data obtained for the live view (Yes in step S119), the control unit 2 determines the gravity direction of the live view and the gravity direction of the imaging device 12. It is determined whether or not. When the respective gravity directions match (YES in step S119), the control unit 2 temporarily stores the image data (step S120). As will be described later, the temporarily stored image data is used for image synthesis. This temporarily stored image data corresponds to the horizontal image data. On the other hand, when the gravity directions do not match (NO in step S119), the control unit 2 does not perform temporary storage.

  After temporary storage (step S120), the control unit 2 determines whether or not the left hand grip flag is set to 1 (step S122). When it is determined that the left hand grip flag is set to 1, that is, when it is determined that the imaging device 12 is gripped with the left hand (YES in step S122), the control unit 2 performs the left hand operation according to the touch detection position. A determination is made (step S124).

  Here, the determination of the release operation with the left hand (step S124), which is a predefined process, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 10 and FIG. In FIG. 10, the control unit 2 determines whether or not simultaneous touches on two locations on the touch panel 3a are detected (step S211). When it is determined that simultaneous touches on two places on the touch panel 3a are detected (YES in step S211), the control unit 2 detects a two-part simultaneous touch to perform a release operation T7. Is provided at a position different from the touch part T1 (step S212). For example, the position of the touch part T7 is provided at a position closer to the end of the touch panel 3a than the touch part T1. In the present embodiment, the touch part for the operation in the left hand grip is provided in a range where a finger considered to be touching the touch part determined by the determination of the left hand grip reaches. That is, since the touch part is not provided in a range where the finger cannot reach, there are few malfunctions when an area other than the touch part is pressed against the user's intention. On the other hand, when it is determined that touches to two locations on the touch panel 3a are not detected simultaneously (NO in step S211), that is, when it is determined that a touch to one location is detected, FIG. A release touch part T2 that performs a release operation by touching one touch part with a finger of the left hand, and a triangular touch part T6 for performing a predetermined operation by pressing provided at a position different from the touch part T5. Alternatively, a slide portion T3 that performs an enlarged live view operation by sliding the touch panel 3a with a finger or a slide portion T4 that performs an exposure correction operation is provided within a range where the finger of the left hand can contact the touch panel 3a. When each area of the touch part T2, T3, T4, T6, or T7 for operation is provided on the touch panel 3a, an image corresponding to each area is displayed on the display unit 3b so that the user can easily see each area. Also good. For example, an ellipse as shown in FIG. 11 or an image like an arrow is displayed on the display unit 3b. Here, the enlarged live view operation refers to an operation for further displaying a live view of an area obtained by enlarging a part of image data displayed in live view. This operation is also effective in devices other than photographing equipment that require an object to be enlarged. Further, as in exposure correction, a general operation related to visual recognition of a subject, for example, an operation such as focus correction may be performed by touch. Even if the finger of the left hand is operating the triangular touch part T6 of the touch panel 3a, the user can check the image displayed at the center of the display part 3b. That is, the operating device according to the embodiment of the present invention is an intuitive user interface (UI) that effectively uses an area other than the area held by the hand of the touch panel 3a as a display position.

  In addition, the position of the operation touch unit area is such that the touch finger does not overlap the image displayed on the display unit 3b, and the touch unit can be touched naturally by the touch finger. And is determined in consideration. For example, even if a finger for touching overlaps with the image on the display unit 3b, the area of the operation touch unit is such that the user can confirm the image by bending or spreading the finger. May be. In other words, depending on which finger is used to touch the operation touch unit, and further considering the structure of the hand and the movable range of the hand, the region of the operation touch unit where the user's finger can touch naturally The position of changes. Some fingers of the gripped hand are used for gripping, and other fingers are used for operation. When the control unit 1 determines that the imaging apparatus 12 has held a specific grip, the control unit 1 determines which finger is gripped by determining the distribution of touch positions on the touch panel 3a. In the embodiment of the present invention, the region of the operation touch unit when the imaging apparatus is held with the left hand is described. However, the operation touch unit in the present embodiment is not limited to the touch with the left hand, and may correspond to a touch with another body part. For example, when the device is grasped with a pinch, when the control unit 2 determines that there is no finger for operation, a touch unit for operation that considers touching with the user's nose or another limb is newly provided. May be.

  By the way, after step S124, which is a predefined process, is completed, the control unit 2 determines whether or not the touch panel 3a has been touched (step S214). When a touch on the touch part is detected, that is, when it is determined that the touch panel 3a is pressed with a finger or a slide operation as shown in FIG. 11C is performed (YES in step S214), The control unit 2 determines whether or not the operation is a release operation (step S217). When it is determined that the operation is a release operation (YES in step S217), the control unit 2 determines that a release operation has been performed with the user's left hand. On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation is not a release operation (NO in step S217), the control unit 2 performs operations such as zoom and exposure correction according to the pressed touch unit (step S216). By the way, when it determines with there being no touch operations, such as a press and a slide (when it is NO at step S214), the control part 2 determines with the release operation with the user's left hand not being performed. At this time, the process proceeds to determination of whether or not the user selects the power supply OFF (step S108).

  By the way, when the left hand grip flag is not 1 (NO in step S122), when the user is holding the imaging device 12 with the right hand, the control unit 2 determines whether or not the release operation using the release button has been performed. Is determined (step S123). That is, when a release operation is performed (YES in step S124 or YES in step S123), the control unit 2 turns off the guide light irradiated toward the subject and performs photographing (step S126).

  When the guide light is turned off and shooting is performed (step S126), the control unit 2 determines whether or not the image data obtained by temporary storage and the image data obtained by shooting are necessary and can be combined. Is determined (step S127). The situation where composition is necessary is when the gravitational direction at the time of shooting and the gravitational direction of the image data do not match, and the situation where composition is possible is that of the temporarily stored image data group. This includes a situation in which image data determined to be usable for composition is included. The image data determined to be usable for composition is image data similar to image data that needs to be composed, for example, image data taken immediately before or after the image data necessary for composition. When it is determined that it is necessary and possible to combine the temporarily stored image data (step S120) and the image data obtained by shooting (YES in step S127), the control unit 2 displays both images. The data is synthesized (step S128), and the image data obtained by the synthesis is recorded in the recording unit 4 (step S129).

  Details of the composition of the image data will be described with reference to FIGS. 12, 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, and 14. FIG. 12 shows a situation where a user takes a canoe and shoots himself as an example of a situation where image data synthesis is necessary. As shown in FIG. 12A, the user holds the oar with the right hand, and therefore operates the imaging apparatus with the left hand. As shown in FIG. 12B, the ideal shooting result under the situation of FIG. 12A is a shooting result in which the gravity direction at the time of shooting matches the gravity direction of the image data. However, because of the unstable situation as described above, the shooting result may be a shooting result in which the gravity direction at the time of shooting does not match the gravity direction of the image data as shown in FIG. Many. Therefore, the imaging device 12 matches the gravity direction at the time of shooting and the gravity direction of the image data for image data that does not match the gravity direction at the time of shooting and the gravity direction of the image data. The image composition unit 2e is made to perform composition so that it can be acquired as image data.

  In view of this, the imaging device 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention obtains image data in which the gravitational direction at the time of photographing and the gravitational direction of the image data obtained at the time of photographing are the same as the gravitational direction at the time of photographing and the gravity direction of the image data. In order to synthesize image data that coincides with the image data, the image data is synthesized using the image synthesis unit 2e of the imaging device 12.

  Here, the image data combining operation will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, and 14. FIG. When it is determined that composition of image data is necessary and possible (YES in step S107), the controller 2 determines the gravitational direction (G in FIG. 12C) of the image data obtained at the time of photographing. For example, image data in which the gravity direction of the image data shown in FIG. 13A (a) is different from the gravity direction at the time of imaging is taken as shown in FIG. 13A (b). The data is tilted (step S301). Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13B (a), the control unit 2 sets both images so that the degree of coincidence between the tilted captured image data I1 and the temporarily recorded horizontal image data I2 is the highest. By superimposing the data, composite image data I3 shown in FIG. 13B (b) is obtained (step S302). For example, as shown in FIG. 13B, superposition is performed so that the positions of the person portions S of both image data are aligned. After superimposing the image data, the control unit 2 deletes the horizontal image data portion in the portion where the horizontal image data and the captured image data overlap as shown in FIG. 13C (a) (step S303). . For example, as shown in FIG. 13C (b), the horizontal image data in the person part S is deleted, so that only the photographed image data remains in the person part S. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 13D (a), the control unit 2 cuts out the composite image data into a square shape. (Step S304) Thereafter, the process of FIG. 14 is terminated. For example, in FIG. 13D (b), the portion indicated by the broken line is deleted to obtain the final composite image data.

  By the way, when it is determined that the composition is unnecessary or impossible (NO in step S127), the control unit 2 records the image data obtained by photographing as it is in the recording unit 4 (step S130). Thereafter, the control unit 2 moves the process to step S108.

  As described above, the imaging device 12 according to the embodiment of the present invention first determines whether or not the imaging device 12 is held with the left hand. When it determines with having operated with the left hand, the control part 2 makes the touch part corresponding to how to grasp with the left hand to the touch panel 3a. By operating the touch part corresponding to the grip, the user can easily perform the operation with the left hand.

  In addition, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the imaging device as long as it is an operation device that can be operated using a touch panel. For example, it may be applied to various operation devices such as a remote controller that are desired to be operated so as not to be released while being held by the user. Alternatively, it may be applied to an operating device having a grip portion of an operating member of a control box or stationary device used in the field of industrial equipment or medical equipment. Alternatively, it may be applied to an operating device that requires a blind operation, such as an in-vehicle device. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the attitude of the controller device and the face detection result by imaging are described. The posture of the operating device may include the tilt of the lever or the direction of the remote controller in this category. Furthermore, what is detected by imaging is not limited to a face, but may be an object or a device itself that has been moved to a monitor screen in a direction in which a remote control or a control box is directed. There is a possibility that the present invention is effective in a device that is premised on such an operation for confirming the display portion and performing a touch on the display portion. Therefore, the present invention belongs to an operating device.

  Note that each processing method performed by the imaging apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, that is, the processing illustrated in each flowchart is stored as a program that can be executed by the control unit 2. This program is stored in a storage medium of an external storage device such as a memory card (ROM card, RAM card, etc.), magnetic disk (floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), semiconductor memory, etc. The above-described processing can be executed by reading the stored program and controlling the operation by the read program.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a ... Imaging optical system, 1b ... Imaging part, 1c ... Communication part, 2 ... Control part, 2a ... Face detection part, 2b ... Image processing part, 2c ... Display control part, 2e ... Image composition part, 2f ... Auxiliary light control 3a ... touch panel 3b ... display unit 4 ... recording unit 5 ... flash 6 ... operation determination unit 7 ... auxiliary light emitting unit 9 ... posture determination unit 11 ... external communication unit 12 ... imaging device DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101b ... Image pick-up element, 101c ... AD converter circuit, 101d ... Support part, 101e ... Low pass filter, 102a ... Image processing IC, 102b ... Display control IC, 104a ... Connector, 104b ... Flexible printed circuit board, 104e ... Connector, 107 ... Main Capacitor 108 ... Board 109 ... Battery 110 ... Power supply circuit 119 ... Board 120 ... Fisheye lens

Claims (9)

A touch panel that is gripped by hand,
When the touch panel is gripped by the hand, a predetermined area corresponding to the grip is set in a specific area corresponding to the grip in the area of the touch panel excluding the grip area that is the area of the touch panel where the grip of the hand is detected. A control unit that performs control so as to provide an area of the operation touch unit for performing an operation;
An operating device comprising:   The operation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control so that an area of the operation touch unit is provided at a position determined from a position touched by a palm as the specific area.   The operation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines a position of the region of the operation touch unit corresponding to a movable finger determined by the grip region. The operating device includes a display unit that displays an image;
A display control unit for controlling the display unit;
The operation device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays an image showing the operation touch unit on the display unit.   The operation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the touch panel is gripped by the hand when a finger approaches or contacts at least two locations of the touch panel simultaneously. The operating device has a display unit for displaying an image,
When the operation touch unit senses a slide operation, the control unit performs the predetermined operation for changing an enlargement ratio of the image displayed on the display unit according to the slide operation, and changes the enlargement ratio. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed so that the displayed image is displayed on the display unit. The operating device has an image processing unit for correcting exposure of the image,
When the grip operation touch unit detects a slide operation, the control unit causes the image processing unit to perform the predetermined operation, which is a change in the exposure level of the image data, in response to the slide operation. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed such that the image data with the change in the display is displayed on the display unit. The operating device includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires the image data.
The operation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the imaging unit to perform the predetermined operation for photographing when the operation touch unit senses gripping of the hand. In the control method of the operating device having a touch panel that is gripped by a hand and sensed by the hand,
Determining whether the touch panel is gripped by the hand;
In the gripping area that is the touched touch panel area, the area of the touch part for operation for performing a predetermined operation corresponding to the gripping is determined based on the information on the touch position. Providing on the touch panel except,
A method for controlling an operating device comprising:

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