JP2015041907A - Imaging device, imaging method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable appropriate time lapse imaging depending on an imaging target and imaging conditions.SOLUTION: An imaging device 1 comprises a storage part 19, an imaging parameter setting part 54 and an imaging control part 55. The storage part 19 (imaging parameter storage part 71 and last memory part 72) stores a value by a kind of imaging parameter which includes total imaging time including an imaging interval or a time when imaging is not performed in serial intermittent imaging. The imaging parameter setting part 54 reads and sets the values of the imaging parameters stored in the storage part 19 and changes the values of the set imaging parameters. In addition, the imaging parameter setting part 54 updates the values of the imaging parameters stored in the storage part 19 with the set values of the imaging parameters, and controls reading of the values of the imaging parameters or updating of the values of the imaging parameters under a predetermined condition. The imaging control part 55 performs serial intermittent imaging with the values of the imaging parameters set by the imaging parameter setting part 54.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, an imaging method, and a program.

Conventionally, a technique for generating a moving image file by regarding a plurality of still images taken at regular time intervals as one frame is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
Such a file generation technique is often used to efficiently check a large amount of still images obtained by photographing such as a surveillance camera. However, in recent years, such time lapse ( For example, there are cases where a camera is attached to a moving object, such as a person, and a change in the scenery taken from the viewpoint of the moving object is enjoyed. In such time-lapse shooting, since there are many shooting parameters and it is difficult to set appropriate parameters, it may be possible to automatically set a predetermined initial value.

JP 2010-16599 A

  However, a time-lapse moving image shot with the same shooting setting may not obtain a desired shooting result depending on shooting conditions such as a shooting interval and a moving state of a moving body. Therefore, it is desirable that the automatically set shooting parameters can be easily changed as appropriate according to shooting conditions and preferences.

  An object of the present invention is to appropriately perform time-lapse shooting according to a shooting target and a shooting situation.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging device of one embodiment of the present invention includes:
Storage means for storing a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval in continuous intermittent shooting or a total shooting time including a time during which shooting is not performed;
Setting means for reading and setting the value of the imaging parameter stored in the storage means;
Shooting control means for performing continuous intermittent shooting with the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting means;
Changing means for changing the value of the imaging parameter set by the setting means;
Updating means for updating the value of the photographing parameter stored in the storage means with the photographing parameter changed by the changing means;
Control means for controlling reading of the value of the photographing parameter by the setting means or updating of the value of the photographing parameter by the updating means under a predetermined condition;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately perform time-lapse shooting according to a shooting target and a shooting situation.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the hardware of the imaging device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating time-lapse imaging. It is a functional block diagram which shows the functional structure for performing a time lapse imaging | photography process among the functional structures of the imaging device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the specific example of imaging | photography parameter. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of time-lapse imaging processing executed by the imaging apparatus of FIG. 1 having the functional configuration of FIG. 3.

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an imaging apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The imaging device 1 is configured as a digital camera, for example.

  The imaging apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an imaging unit 16, and an input unit 17. An output unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, and a drive 21.

  The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 12 or a program loaded from the storage unit 19 to the RAM 13.

  The RAM 13 appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

  The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are connected to each other via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to the bus 14. An imaging unit 16, an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, and a drive 21 are connected to the input / output interface 15.

  Although not shown, the imaging unit 16 includes an optical lens unit and an image sensor.

The optical lens unit is configured by a lens that collects light, for example, a focus lens or a zoom lens, in order to photograph a subject.
The focus lens is a lens that forms a subject image on the light receiving surface of the image sensor. The zoom lens is a lens that freely changes the focal length within a certain range.
The optical lens unit is also provided with a peripheral circuit for adjusting setting parameters such as focus, exposure, and white balance as necessary.
In the imaging unit 16, by adjusting the optical lens unit, AF (Auto Focus: automatic focus) control and peripheral circuits provided in the optical lens unit allow AE (Auto Exposure: automatic exposure), AWB (Auto White Balance). : Automatic white balance) can be controlled.

The image sensor includes a photoelectric conversion element, AFE (Analog Front End), and the like.
The photoelectric conversion element is composed of, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type photoelectric conversion element or the like. A subject image is incident on the photoelectric conversion element from the optical lens unit. Therefore, the photoelectric conversion element photoelectrically converts (captures) the subject image, accumulates the image signal for a predetermined time, and sequentially supplies the accumulated image signal as an analog signal to the AFE.
The AFE performs various signal processing such as A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion processing on the analog image signal. Through various signal processing, a digital signal is generated and output as an output signal of the imaging unit 16.
Hereinafter, the output signal of the imaging unit 16 is referred to as “captured image data”. Data of the captured image is appropriately supplied to the CPU 11 or an image processing unit (not shown).

The input unit 17 includes various buttons such as a shutter, and inputs various information and instructions according to user instruction operations.
The output unit 18 includes a display, a speaker, and the like, and outputs images and sounds.
The storage unit 19 is composed of a hard disk, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or the like, and stores various image data.
The communication unit 20 controls communication performed with other devices (not shown) via a network including the Internet.

  A removable medium 31 made of a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is appropriately attached to the drive 21. The program read from the removable medium 31 by the drive 21 is installed in the storage unit 19 as necessary. The removable medium 31 can also store various data such as image data stored in the storage unit 19 in the same manner as the storage unit 19.

In such an imaging apparatus 1, time-lapse shooting can be performed with a predetermined setting corresponding to the shooting condition, and a time-lapse moving image can be generated.
“Time-lapse shooting” is to create a video file that is played back at a time shorter than the shooting time by joining multiple images shot at regular time intervals. appear. The moving image generated in this way may be called a time-lapse moving image.
In this embodiment, time-lapse shooting is shooting so that images are acquired intermittently at fixed intervals by shooting, that is, a total shooting time or shooting including a specified shooting interval and a non-shooting time. Intermittent shooting (hereinafter referred to as “interval shooting”) is performed continuously, and the acquired images are connected to generate a time-lapse movie.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining time-lapse shooting.
In the time-lapse shooting of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, interval shooting is performed in which an image with a fixed shooting interval is acquired as an image constituting a time-lapse moving image (hereinafter referred to as “component image”). In time-lapse shooting, a time-lapse moving image is generated by stitching the obtained component images as one moving image. The generated time-lapse moving image is a moving image whose reproduction time is different from the actual shooting time of the original shooting, and has a playback time corresponding to the number of component images that have been joined.

  The time-lapse movie generated in this way is suitable for the shooting target and shooting situation by changing shooting settings such as shooting interval, exposure, white balance, and focus. In addition, the time-lapse moving image can be converted into a monochrome image, or an effect can be exerted on the moving image as if a miniature was shot.

  In the time-lapse shooting according to the present embodiment, the shooting setting is changed according to the effect on the shooting target and the moving image. Although shooting is set by selecting a shooting scene, the user can arbitrarily set the shooting.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing the time-lapse imaging process among the functional configurations of the imaging apparatus 1 as described above.
“Time-lapse shooting processing” refers to a series of processes from determining a shooting scene, performing interval shooting under shooting conditions suitable for the determined shooting scene, and generating a time-lapse movie based on the configuration image acquired by the shooting. It is processing.

  When executing the time-lapse shooting process, the CPU 11 performs a shooting scene selection unit 51, a shooting parameter determination unit 52, a shooting state determination unit 53, a shooting parameter setting unit 54, an imaging control unit 55, and an image acquisition unit. 56, a time-lapse moving image generation unit 57, and an output control unit 58 function.

  An imaging parameter storage unit 71, a last memory unit 72, and an image storage unit 73 are provided in one area of the storage unit 19.

  The shooting parameter storage unit 71 stores shooting parameters. The shooting parameters are table data indicating various parameters related to time-lapse shooting with settings related to interval shooting and settings related to generation of time-lapse moving images. The shooting parameters include those that are associated in advance for each scene and those that are arbitrarily determined by the user.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the shooting parameters stored in the shooting parameter storage unit 71.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the shooting parameters are associated with various parameters for each [shooting scene].

  [Shooting scenes] associated with each other are roughly classified into those according to the shooting target and the situation at the time of shooting, and those that give a certain visual effect to the generated moving image.

  Specifically, the [Scene] is a standard [Standard] that does not specify the shooting target or the situation at the time of shooting and does not add an effect, [Cloud] that the shooting target is a cloud, [Night Scene] ], Shooting at dusk [dusk], shooting object from vehicle or vehicle [vehicle], shooting target or city [cityscape], HDR art effect added [HDR art], with toy camera With [Toy Camera] with the effect of taking a picture, [Monochrome] with a monochrome effect, [Miniature] with an effect of miniature, and [Fish Eye] with the effect of taking a fisheye lens is there.

  The shooting parameters are roughly classified into “shooting parameters related to time” and “shooting parameters related to image quality”. “Time-related shooting parameters” are shooting parameters that have little effect even if they are changed according to preference. “Image quality-related shooting parameters” have the effect of changing the previous shooting to the current shooting. It is a certain shooting parameter.

  The shooting parameter relating to time is a parameter relating to a temporal element, and is a shooting parameter for setting the acquisition timing of the constituent images constituting the time-lapse moving image and the length of the time-lapse moving image.

  Specifically, the shooting parameters related to time are the total actual time including the “shooting interval” indicating the timing of acquiring the component image from the captured image and the time during which shooting is not performed from the start to the end of time-lapse shooting. “Shooting time” is a parameter that can be arbitrarily specified, and is composed of “reproduction time” indicating the length of the time-lapse moving image, which is another parameter uniquely determined from these two parameters.

  If the “shooting interval” is too short, it will appear as a simple (continuous) video, and if it is too long, it will be a simple highlight video that is too jumped. For this reason, when the user manually shoots, it takes a very long time to acquire a shooting interval peculiar to the time lapse or gives up on the way. However, since the imaging apparatus 1 has preset optimal settings for the shooting scene, it is possible to enjoy time lapse efficiently.

  The “shooting time” influences the “playback time” together with the “shooting interval”, and if the “playback time” is too long, it gets bored, and if it is too short, what happens has not been known. In addition, there is an appropriate “reproduction time” according to the shooting scene. In the imaging apparatus 1, the shooting time is preset together with the “shooting interval” so as to match the playback time according to the shooting scene.

The shooting parameter relating to the image quality is a parameter relating to an image quality factor of the time-lapse moving image, and is a shooting parameter for setting control at the time of shooting in the imaging unit 16.
Specifically, the shooting parameters relating to the image quality are “exposure” that is a setting relating to exposure, “white balance” that is a setting relating to white balance, “focus” that is a setting relating to focus, and a setting relating to exposure correction. It is composed of “EV (Exposure Value) shift”.

  Of the shooting parameters related to image quality, the shooting parameters related to “exposure”, “white balance”, and “focus” are selected depending on whether they are fixed or follow-up depending on the shooting scene. .

  For example, if “exposure” is fixed in a twilight scene, the exposure is fixed at the start of shooting. Therefore, after sunset, the exposure is not appropriate and the image is not suitable. Therefore, since the follow-up type can follow the brightness according to the exposure before and after sunset, the neon night scene after sunset can be kept beautiful from the sunset scene before sunset. However, depending on the shooting scene, the fixed type eliminates (stabilizes) the flicker in the image, so the cloud and night scenes are fixed.

  “White balance” is set to a fixed type because, for example, a cloud / night scene that does not need to be adjusted relatively has a fixed type because the fixed type has less flicker (stable). However, in the other scenes, it is made to follow because the color tone looks better when it is made to follow.

  “Focus” is, for example, shooting a sky that is ∞ in a cloud or dusk scene, so it is not desirable for a bird or the like to enter the screen during shooting and focus is fixed, so the focus is fixed at ∞. However, in other scenes, the follower is more focused, so it is followed.

Shooting parameters in such time-lapse shooting have different settings from shooting parameters in normal moving image shooting.
As can be seen by comparing the shooting parameters in the time lapse shooting shown in FIG. 4A and the shooting parameters in the normal moving image shooting shown in FIG. The initial value of “Exposure” is “AE Lock”, the initial value of “White Balance” is “AWB Lock”, and in normal movie shooting, the initial value of “Exposure” is the initial value of “AE Tracking” and “White Balance”. The value is “AWB follow-up”. This is because normal moving image shooting has a slower change than time lapse shooting, and by making the exposure and white balance follow, the generated time lapse moving image does not give a sense of incongruity as a moving image.
Thus, the initial value is appropriately set for each shooting parameter for each shooting scene of time-lapse shooting and normal movie shooting.

That is, in video shooting (video playback), it is caused by a relatively steep change in the state of the subject within the shooting range of the camera or a relatively gentle change in the entire shooting environment including the outside of the shooting range. It is necessary to determine the shooting parameters in consideration of the influence of the generated moving image state change on the person who views the moving image. In particular, the method and the tracking speed for causing the shooting parameters relating to the image quality to follow the state change of the subject are important.
On the other hand, in normal video shooting, the shooting speed and playback speed are the same, and the overall shooting time (playback time) is short, so the change in the state of the entire shooting environment is given to the viewer. The influence is small, and it is only necessary to determine the shooting parameter tracking method and tracking speed related to the image quality in consideration of only a relatively steep change in the state of the subject.
However, in time-lapse shooting, the speed of shooting differs greatly from the speed of playback, and the overall shooting time (playback time) is long. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the tracking method and the tracking speed of the shooting parameter (reproduction parameter) related to the image quality in consideration of them.
In the present embodiment, the tracking method and the tracking speed of the shooting parameter (reproduction parameter) relating to the image quality are determined in consideration of such characteristics of time-lapse shooting, so that it is possible to obtain moving image data that is easier to watch. It becomes possible.
In addition, the speed of the change in the state of a relatively steep subject within the shooting range of the camera and the speed of the change in the state of the shooting environment including the outside of the shooting range that are relatively gentle vary depending on the shooting scene. In the embodiment, it is possible to obtain moving image data that is easier to appreciate by performing shooting by changing a shooting parameter (reproduction parameter) tracking method and playback speed related to image quality for each shooting scene.

  In this way, by setting shooting parameters corresponding to the shooting scene in advance, for users who do not have knowledge of time-lapse shooting, shooting conditions (shooting interval, shooting time, exposure, It is difficult to set white balance and the like. However, in the imaging apparatus 1, since the shooting parameters are preset, it is not necessary to acquire difficult knowledge, and it is efficient and convenient for easily enjoying time-lapse shooting.

Further, the shooting parameters can be changed later by the user. That is, the value of the shooting parameter is automatically set according to the selected shooting scene, but can be changed by the user thereafter.
After the initial values of “shooting interval” and “shooting time” are automatically set according to the selected shooting scene, if the value is changed by the user, the last changed content is stored for each shooting scene. Every time the scene is selected next time (last memory), the last changed value is automatically set instead of the initial value.

  Further, the shooting parameters can be stored as table data separately as user settings and used for time-lapse shooting. Although not shown, the user-set shooting parameters are stored in the shooting parameter storage unit 71 together with other shooting parameters (time-lapse shooting parameters and normal moving image shooting parameters).

  Returning to FIG. 3, the last memory unit 72 stores the value of the imaging parameter set last time that was stored last as the memory storage of the subsequent user setting change.

  The image storage unit 73 stores data of various images such as captured images, constituent images, and time-lapse movies.

The shooting scene selection unit 51 selects a shooting scene. The shooting scene is selected from a plurality of predetermined shooting scenes based on the result of determining a shooting situation including a shooting environment and a shooting target, or among a plurality of shooting scenes arbitrarily determined by the user. Or selected from.
The determination of the shooting situation is performed by using a well-known technique, for example, by analyzing a captured image acquired from the imaging unit 16.
Note that, as the shooting scene of the present embodiment, [Standard], [Cloud], [Night view], [Dusk], [Vehicle], [Cityscape], [HDR Art], [Toy Camera], [Monochrome], [Miniature], [Fish Eye], and [User Setting] can be selected.

  The shooting parameter determination unit 52 determines a shooting parameter corresponding to the selected scene selected by the shooting scene selection unit 51. Specifically, the shooting parameter determination unit 52 determines whether there is a variable parameter in the shooting parameter corresponding to the selected scene. Further, the shooting parameter determination unit 52 determines whether or not the last memory unit 72 has memory storage.

The shooting situation determination unit 53 determines the shooting situation immediately before the start of imaging by the imaging unit 16 or during imaging.
The determination of the shooting situation is performed by using a well-known technique, for example, by analyzing a captured image acquired from the imaging unit 16.

The shooting parameter setting unit 54 calls the shooting parameter value for setting as an initial value from the shooting parameter storage unit 71 or the last memory unit 72 based on the determination result of the shooting parameter determination unit 52, and sets the shooting control unit 55, The image acquisition unit 56 and the time-lapse moving image generation unit 57 are set.
Specifically, the imaging parameter setting unit 54 performs settings related to the control (imaging conditions) in the imaging unit 16 in the imaging control unit 55, and performs settings related to the timing of image acquisition in the image acquisition unit 56. The time lapse moving image generation unit 57 performs settings related to the generation of the time lapse moving image.

Further, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 sequentially resets the shooting parameters based on the shooting status determination result immediately before the start of imaging by the shooting status determination unit 53 or during imaging (specifically, immediately before image acquisition). .
In the present embodiment, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 sequentially sets a value corresponding to a shooting situation when there is a parameter whose value is variable together with a change in the shooting environment among the set shooting parameter values. Perform resetting.
Specifically, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 reads out and sets the shooting parameter values stored in the storage unit 19 (the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72). The value is changed, and the value of the shooting parameter stored in the storage unit 19 (the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72) is updated with the changed shooting parameter. The shooting parameter setting unit 54 is configured to control reading of shooting parameter values from the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72 or updating of shooting parameter values under predetermined conditions.

  The imaging control unit 55 controls the imaging unit 16 based on the imaging parameters set by the imaging parameter setting unit 54. Specifically, the imaging control unit 55 causes the imaging unit 16 to perform interval shooting by controlling the image quality, the shooting interval, the shooting time, and the like, for example.

  The image acquisition unit 56 acquires the captured image output from the imaging unit 16. Specifically, the image acquisition unit 56 acquires a captured image output at the shooting interval set by the shooting parameter setting unit 54 among the captured images output from the imaging unit 16 as a constituent image. The acquired captured image is output to the time-lapse moving image generating unit 57.

The time-lapse moving image generation unit 57 sequentially compresses and encodes the captured image output from the image acquisition unit 56, and outputs it to the image storage unit 73 as a constituent image for storage.
In addition, the time-lapse moving image generation unit 57 acquires a plurality of component images from the image storage unit 73 based on the shooting parameters set by the shooting parameter setting unit 54, forms a single moving image, and generates a time-lapse moving image. .

The output control unit 58 controls the output unit 18 to display and output the captured image output from the imaging unit 16.
In addition, the output control unit 58 executes sleep processing.
“Sleep processing” refers to turning off the display output in the output unit 18 during the non-shooting period while maintaining the interval shooting operation during the time-lapse shooting process, thereby setting the sleep process.
Various conditions are considered as conditions for turning off the display output during the non-photographing operation. For example, when there is no operation or the like, a predetermined time elapses, or when the temperature of the output unit 18 exceeds a predetermined value. To do.

  Further, the output control unit 58 updates the display content in the output unit 18 at every interval of acquisition of the captured image by the image acquisition unit 56 regardless of the display output on / off setting during the time-lapse shooting. That is, the output control unit 58 controls the output unit 18 to perform display output in association with the shooting interval. For this reason, even when the display is turned on from the display-off state, the user can immediately confirm what kind of component image that constitutes the time-lapse moving image is acquired by the output unit 18.

Next, a flow of time lapse imaging processing executed by the imaging apparatus 1 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of time-lapse imaging processing executed by the imaging apparatus of FIG. 1 having the functional configuration of FIG.

  The time lapse shooting process is started by an operation of starting the time lapse shooting process on the input unit 17 by the user.

  In step S1, the shooting scene selection unit 51 selects a shooting scene. Specifically, the shooting scene selection unit 51 determines an image shot by the imaging unit 16 and selects a corresponding shooting scene from the stored shooting scenes based on the determination result.

In step S <b> 2, the shooting parameter determination unit 52 determines whether there is a memory storage for the shooting parameter value.
When the value of the shooting parameter is not stored in the last memory unit 72, NO is determined in step S2, and the process proceeds to step S3.
On the other hand, if the value of the shooting parameter is stored in the last memory unit 72, YES is determined in step S2, and the process proceeds to step S4.

  In step S <b> 3, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 refers to a shooting parameter table stored in the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and calls an initial value. That is, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 refers to the shooting parameter table data stored in the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and calls the shooting parameter value corresponding to the selected shooting scene as an initial value. For example, when the [Night Scene] shooting scene is selected, [3: Shooting Scene: Night View] in FIG. 4A is called.

  In step S4, the imaging parameter setting unit 54 calls the memory storage stored in the last memory unit 72 as an initial value. That is, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 calls out the shooting parameter value arbitrarily input by the user among the shooting parameters stored in the shooting parameter storage unit 71, and calls other shooting parameters with reference to the table data.

In step S5, the imaging parameter determination unit 52 determines whether there is a setting change by the user. That is, the imaging parameter determination unit 52 determines whether or not the initial value called by the setting change operation is changed for the input unit 17.
If there is no setting change by the user, NO is determined in step S5, and the process proceeds to step S7.
On the other hand, if there is a setting change by the user, YES is determined in step S5, and the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S <b> 6, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 stores the change setting in the last memory unit 72.

  In step S <b> 7, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 sets a shooting parameter value set in advance according to the initial value.

In step S8, the imaging control unit 55 determines whether or not the shutter is half-pressed.
If the shutter is not half-pressed, NO is determined in step S8, and the standby state is maintained until the shutter is half-pressed.
On the other hand, if the shutter is half-pressed, YES is determined in step S8, and the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the imaging control unit 55 locks AE, AWB, and AF according to the initial value. That is, the imaging control unit 55 locks AE, AWB, and AF in the imaging unit 16 based on the set imaging parameter value. At this time, the shooting situation determination unit 53 determines the shooting situation, and the value of the shooting parameter is reset according to the determination result. That is, imaging by the imaging unit 16 is performed with the most recent optimum value.
For example, when a shooting scene of [Night Scene] is selected, as shown in FIG. 4A, AE (fixed at a value immediately before shooting), AWB (fixed at a value immediately before shooting), and AF are locked. .

In step S10, the imaging control unit 55 determines whether or not the shutter is fully pressed.
If the shutter is not fully pressed, it is determined as NO in step S10, and a standby state is entered until the shutter is fully pressed.
On the other hand, if the shutter is fully pressed, YES is determined in step S10, and the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S11, the imaging control unit 55 starts interval shooting. That is, the imaging control unit 55 starts interval shooting based on the set shooting parameter value.

  In step S12, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 sequentially and automatically sets the shooting parameter values that are not fixed according to the initial values. That is, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 sequentially sets shooting parameters corresponding to changes during shooting. In order to correspond to the change at the time of shooting, the shooting status determination unit 53 determines the shooting status, and the shooting parameter setting unit 54 sets the shooting parameters again.

  In step S13, the image acquisition unit 56 acquires captured images at a set shooting interval. Thereafter, the image acquisition unit 56 outputs the acquired captured image to the time lapse moving image generation unit 57.

  In step S <b> 14, the time-lapse moving image generation unit 57 sequentially compresses and encodes the acquired captured image, and acquires a constituent image. Thereafter, the time-lapse moving image generation unit 57 stores the generated configuration image in the image storage unit 73.

In step S <b> 15, the output control unit 58 performs a sleep process on the output unit 18.
In the sleep process, during time-lapse shooting, the display is turned off (sleep) during the non-shooting period while the periodic shooting operation is continued. The output control unit 58 sets the display-off condition for the non-photographing period when the set time elapses without an operation or when the temperature exceeds a predetermined value. Further, when the display is turned on during the time-lapse shooting, the output control unit 58 updates the display content of the output unit 18 in accordance with the image acquisition timing by the image acquisition unit 56. On the other hand, when the display is turned off (sleep) during the time-lapse shooting, an LED blinking or the like indicating that the time-lapse shooting is being performed is performed.
Further, whether or not the display is turned off during the non-shooting period may be changed according to the shooting time.

In step S <b> 16, the CPU 11 determines whether shooting has ended. That is, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an operation for ending photographing has been performed on the input unit 17.
If shooting has not been completed, NO is determined in step S16, the process returns to step S12, and the processes in steps S12 to S16 are repeated.
On the other hand, if the shooting has been completed, YES is determined in step S16, and the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S17, the time-lapse moving image generating unit 57 converts the compression-coded image into a file. That is, the time-lapse moving image generation unit 57 generates a time-lapse moving image by combining the acquired and compression-coded component images into one file.
Thereafter, the time-lapse shooting process ends.

The imaging device 1 configured as described above includes the storage unit 19 (the imaging parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72), the imaging parameter setting unit 54, and the imaging control unit 55.
The storage unit 19 (the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72) stores a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval in continuous intermittent shooting or a total shooting time including a time during which shooting is not performed.
The shooting parameter setting unit 54 reads and sets the shooting parameter value stored in the storage unit 19. The shooting parameter setting unit 54 changes the value of the set shooting parameter. Further, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 updates the value of the shooting parameter stored in the storage unit 19 with the changed shooting parameter. The shooting parameter setting unit 54 controls reading of the shooting parameter value or updating of the shooting parameter value under a predetermined condition.
The imaging control unit 55 performs continuous intermittent shooting with the value of the shooting parameter set by the shooting parameter setting unit 54.
As a result, the imaging apparatus 1 can perform shooting with an appropriate shooting parameter value according to the shooting situation and preference, and can perform inappropriate shooting at this time with the shooting parameter value changed according to the previous shooting situation. This can be prevented, and it is also possible to save the trouble of returning the photographing parameter value to the original value.

In addition, the types of shooting parameters include shooting parameters related to time including a shooting interval or total shooting time, and shooting parameters related to image quality.
The shooting parameter setting unit 54 changes a predetermined condition for reading the value of the shooting parameter or updating the value of the shooting parameter with the shooting parameter related to time and the shooting parameter related to image quality.
As a result, in the imaging apparatus 1, by appropriately separating the shooting parameter related to the time that has little influence even if changed according to the preference and the parameter related to the image quality that affects the use of the previous change this time, It is possible to control the shooting parameters.

In addition, the storage unit 19 stores, for example, the value of the initial setting shooting parameter in the shooting parameter storage unit 71, and stores both the value of the shooting parameter specified by the user in the last memory unit 72.
The shooting parameter setting unit 54 updates the user-specified shooting parameter value stored in the last memory unit 72.
If the user-specified shooting parameter value is stored in the last memory unit 72, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 reads and sets the user-specified shooting parameter value, and the user-specified shooting parameter value is stored in the last memory unit 72. When no parameter is stored, the reading of the shooting parameter value is controlled so that the value of the shooting parameter of the initial setting is read and set.
As a result, the imaging apparatus 1 can easily set standard shooting parameter values by providing initial settings, and can also change shooting parameter values according to shooting conditions and preferences. .
Note that in the present embodiment, the photographing parameter storage unit 71 may be configured to store permanent user settings regardless of the photographing situation. In this case, by combining with the last memory unit 72, it is possible to perform appropriate shooting taking into account the influence of the user's taste and shooting conditions, and it is possible to save the user's setting operation and the like.

The storage unit 19 (the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72) stores a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval or a total shooting time for each shooting scene.
The shooting parameter setting unit 54 changes a predetermined condition for reading the value of the shooting parameter or updating the value of the shooting parameter for each shooting scene.
Thereby, in the imaging device 1, it is possible to perform shooting with a more appropriate shooting parameter value by changing the setting for each shooting scene.

The shooting parameter setting unit 54 controls to update the value of the shooting parameter for all types of shooting parameters in one of the shooting scenes.
As a result, the imaging apparatus 1 can easily reproduce special shooting such as intentionally non-standard image quality. In addition, as an initial value of the shooting parameter, a shooting scene (for example, “HDR art” to “fish eye”) that has a special effect different from the actual shooting environment may be included.

The last memory unit 72 updates and stores the latest shooting parameter value changed by the shooting parameter setting unit 54.
Thereby, in the imaging device 1, even when the preference changes, it is possible to reproduce the shooting with the latest shooting parameter value.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, The deformation | transformation in the range which can achieve the objective of this invention, improvement, etc. are included in this invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the interval shooting (intermittent shooting) has been described using time-lapse shooting. However, a predetermined [shooting number] is intermittently shot at a predetermined [shooting interval]. Also good.

In the above-described embodiment, both the shooting parameter related to time and the shooting parameter related to image quality are automatically determined according to the shooting scene, but the user can select the shooting parameter related to the shooting scene and time. Thereafter, the shooting parameters related to the image quality may be automatically determined according to the shooting parameters selected by the user and the shooting parameters related to the time.
In the above-described embodiment, only the presence / absence (following / locking) of the shooting parameter related to the image quality is determined according to the shooting scene, but the tracking speed of the shooting parameter related to the image quality is determined according to the shooting scene. Variable control may be performed in a plurality of stages.
Further, the shooting parameter relating to time may be the same value in all shooting scenes.

In the above-described embodiment, the last updated value in the shooting parameter is stored in the last memory unit 72. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, for shooting parameters other than “shooting interval” and “shooting time”, an initial value (default value) is set every time a shooting situation is determined without storing the last changed value. May be.
For example, when the imaging device 1 is designed to process the parameters for time lapse shooting as to whether to use the last memory or return to the initial value, it is desired to store only specific parameters, for example, “shooting interval” and “shooting time”. It is an inefficient specification for users.
The shooting parameters of “shooting interval” and “shooting time” particularly affect the generated time-lapse movie depending on the shooting target (for example, when shooting a cloud flow). Is a shooting parameter that reflects.

In the above-described embodiment, the shooting parameter and the shooting parameter value that can be changed by the user are not provided, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, an initial value of the shooting parameter and a range that can be changed by the user may be defined in advance for each shooting situation.
Specifically, the storage unit 19 (the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72) is configured to store a range of shooting parameter values that can be changed for each type of shooting parameter by the shooting parameter setting unit 54. . The shooting parameter setting unit 54 is configured to change the value of the shooting parameter within the range stored in the storage unit 19 (the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72).
By configuring in this way, the imaging apparatus 1 can prevent inadvertent shooting failure in advance so that it cannot be changed to an apparently inappropriate shooting parameter value.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, when “Standard” is selected as the shooting situation, the last changed value is stored for shooting parameters other than “shooting interval” and “shooting time”. Also good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, even if the changed shooting parameter value is stored, the default value may be used instead of the stored value depending on the type of shooting parameter. .

In the above-described embodiment, the “shooting interval” and “shooting time” values set by the user by the reset operation to the input unit 17 may be returned to the initial values.
Specifically, the shooting parameter setting unit 54 initializes the values of the shooting parameters stored in the storage unit 19 (the shooting parameter storage unit 71 and the last memory unit 72) by, for example, a reset operation to the input unit 17. Configure to reset.
With this configuration, the imaging apparatus 1 can be easily returned to the initial setting.

  In the above-described embodiment, the time-related shooting parameter may be configured to have the same value in all shooting scenes.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration image is captured at a predetermined time, and captured images that are sequentially output are acquired at a predetermined interval. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The constituent image may be, for example, a still image taken every predetermined time, or a moving image taken and thinned every predetermined time from a normal moving image being taken may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the still image is sequentially compressed and encoded every time the image is acquired. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, you may comprise so that it may compress and encode collectively, when the acquired image reaches predetermined amount.

In the above-described embodiment, the imaging apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied has been described using a digital camera as an example, but is not particularly limited thereto.
For example, the present invention can be applied to general electronic devices having a time-lapse shooting processing function. Specifically, for example, the present invention can be applied to a notebook personal computer, a printer, a television receiver, a video camera, a portable navigation device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a portable game machine, and the like.

The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or can be executed by software.
In other words, the functional configuration of FIG. 3 is merely an example, and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the imaging apparatus 1 has a function capable of executing the above-described series of processing as a whole, and what functional blocks are used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example of FIG.
In addition, one functional block may be constituted by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof.

When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software is installed on a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Further, the computer may be a computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs, for example, a general-purpose personal computer.

  The recording medium including such a program is not only constituted by the removable medium 31 of FIG. 1 distributed separately from the apparatus main body in order to provide the program to the user, but also in a state of being incorporated in the apparatus main body in advance. It is comprised with the recording medium etc. which are provided in. The removable medium 31 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like. The optical disc is composed of, for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a Blu-ray Disc (Blu-ray Disc) (registered trademark), and the like. The magneto-optical disk is configured by an MD (Mini-Disk) or the like. In addition, the recording medium provided to the user in a state of being preliminarily incorporated in the apparatus main body includes, for example, the ROM 12 in FIG. 1 in which a program is recorded, the hard disk included in the storage unit 19 in FIG.

  In the present specification, the step of describing the program recorded on the recording medium is not limited to the processing performed in time series along the order, but is not necessarily performed in time series, either in parallel or individually. The process to be executed is also included.

  As mentioned above, although several embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is only an illustration and does not limit the technical scope of this invention. The present invention can take other various embodiments, and various modifications such as omission and replacement can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification and the like, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

The invention described in the scope of claims at the beginning of the filing of the present application will be appended.
[Appendix 1]
Storage means for storing a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval in continuous intermittent shooting or a total shooting time including a time during which shooting is not performed;
Setting means for reading and setting the value of the imaging parameter stored in the storage means;
Shooting control means for performing continuous intermittent shooting with the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting means;
Changing means for changing the value of the imaging parameter set by the setting means;
Updating means for updating the value of the photographing parameter stored in the storage means with the photographing parameter changed by the changing means;
Control means for controlling reading of the value of the photographing parameter by the setting means or updating of the value of the photographing parameter by the updating means under a predetermined condition;
An imaging apparatus comprising:
[Appendix 2]
The types of shooting parameters include shooting parameters related to time including shooting intervals or total shooting time, and shooting parameters related to image quality,
The control unit changes the predetermined condition for reading the value of the shooting parameter by the setting unit or updating the value of the shooting parameter by the updating unit, based on the shooting parameter related to time and the shooting parameter related to image quality. The imaging apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein
[Appendix 3]
The storage means stores both the default shooting parameter value and the user-specified shooting parameter value,
The update means updates a user-specified shooting parameter value,
When the value of the user-specified shooting parameter is stored in the storage unit, the control unit reads and sets the value of the user-specified shooting parameter, and the storage unit stores the user-specified shooting parameter. If not, control the reading of the shooting parameter value by the setting means so as to read and set the initial setting of the shooting parameter value,
The imaging apparatus according to appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that:
[Appendix 4]
A reset unit that resets the value of the imaging parameter stored in the storage unit to an initial setting;
The imaging apparatus according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein
[Appendix 5]
The storage means stores a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval or a total shooting time for each shooting scene,
The control unit changes the predetermined condition for reading the value of the shooting parameter by the setting unit or updating the value of the shooting parameter by the updating unit for each shooting scene.
The imaging apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, characterized in that:
[Appendix 6]
The control means controls to update the value of the shooting parameter by the updating means for all shooting parameter types in one of the shooting scenes.
The imaging apparatus according to appendix 5, which is characterized in that.
[Appendix 7]
The storage means updates and stores the latest photographing parameter value changed by the changing means,
The imaging apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 6, characterized in that:
[Appendix 8]
The storage means stores a range of imaging parameter values that can be changed for each type of imaging parameter by the changing means,
The changing unit changes the value of the imaging parameter within a range stored in the storage unit.
The imaging apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, characterized in that:
[Appendix 9]
An imaging method in an imaging device comprising a storage means,
A storage step of storing a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval in continuous intermittent shooting or a total shooting time including a time during which shooting is not performed;
A setting step of reading and setting the value of the imaging parameter stored in the storage means;
A shooting control step for performing continuous intermittent shooting with the value of the shooting parameter set in the setting step;
A change step of changing the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting step;
An update step of updating the shooting parameter value stored in the storage means with the shooting parameter changed by the changing step;
A control step of controlling reading of the value of the photographing parameter by the setting step or updating of the value of the photographing parameter by the updating step under a predetermined condition;
An imaging method comprising:
[Appendix 10]
In a computer that controls an imaging apparatus including a storage unit,
A storage function for storing a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval in continuous intermittent shooting or a total shooting time including a time during which shooting is not performed;
A setting function for reading and setting the value of the shooting parameter stored in the storage means;
A shooting control function that performs continuous intermittent shooting with the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting function;
A change function for changing the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting function;
An update function for updating the value of the shooting parameter stored in the storage unit with the shooting parameter changed by the change function;
A control function for controlling reading of the value of the photographing parameter by the setting function or updating of the value of the photographing parameter by the update function under a predetermined condition;
A program to realize

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Imaging device, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... ROM, 13 ... RAM, 14 ... Bus, 15 ... Input-output interface, 16 ... Imaging part, 17 ... Input unit 18 ... Output unit 19 ... Storage unit 20 ... Communication unit 21 ... Drive 31 ... Removable media 51 ... Shooting scene selection unit 52 ... Shooting parameter discriminating unit 53... Shooting situation discriminating unit 54... Shooting parameter setting unit 55... Imaging control unit 56. ..Output control unit, 71 ... Shooting parameter storage unit, 72 ... Last memory unit, 73 ... Image storage unit

Claims (10)

Storage means for storing a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval in continuous intermittent shooting or a total shooting time including a time during which shooting is not performed;
Setting means for reading and setting the value of the imaging parameter stored in the storage means;
Shooting control means for performing continuous intermittent shooting with the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting means;
Changing means for changing the value of the imaging parameter set by the setting means;
Updating means for updating the value of the photographing parameter stored in the storage means with the photographing parameter changed by the changing means;
Control means for controlling reading of the value of the photographing parameter by the setting means or updating of the value of the photographing parameter by the updating means under a predetermined condition;
An imaging apparatus comprising: The types of shooting parameters include shooting parameters related to time including shooting intervals or total shooting time, and shooting parameters related to image quality,
The control unit changes the predetermined condition for reading the value of the shooting parameter by the setting unit or updating the value of the shooting parameter by the updating unit, based on the shooting parameter related to time and the shooting parameter related to image quality. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. The storage means stores both the default shooting parameter value and the user-specified shooting parameter value,
The update means updates a user-specified shooting parameter value,
When the value of the user-specified shooting parameter is stored in the storage unit, the control unit reads and sets the value of the user-specified shooting parameter, and the storage unit stores the user-specified shooting parameter. If not, control the reading of the shooting parameter value by the setting means so as to read and set the initial setting of the shooting parameter value,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein A reset unit that resets the value of the imaging parameter stored in the storage unit to an initial setting;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 3. The storage means stores a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval or a total shooting time for each shooting scene,
The control unit changes the predetermined condition for reading the value of the shooting parameter by the setting unit or updating the value of the shooting parameter by the updating unit for each shooting scene.
The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the imaging apparatus is characterized in that The control means controls to update the value of the shooting parameter by the updating means for all shooting parameter types in one of the shooting scenes.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 5. The storage means updates and stores the latest photographing parameter value changed by the changing means,
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup apparatus is an image pickup apparatus. The storage means stores a range of imaging parameter values that can be changed for each type of imaging parameter by the changing means,
The changing unit changes the value of the imaging parameter within a range stored in the storage unit.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup apparatus is an image pickup apparatus. An imaging method in an imaging device comprising a storage means,
A storage step of storing in the storage means a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval in continuous intermittent shooting or a total shooting time including a time during which shooting is not performed;
A setting step of reading and setting the value of the imaging parameter stored in the storage means;
A shooting control step for performing continuous intermittent shooting with the value of the shooting parameter set in the setting step;
A change step of changing the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting step;
An update step of updating the shooting parameter value stored in the storage means with the shooting parameter changed by the changing step;
A control step of controlling reading of the value of the photographing parameter by the setting step or updating of the value of the photographing parameter by the updating step under a predetermined condition;
An imaging method comprising: In a computer that controls an imaging apparatus including a storage unit,
A storage function for storing a value for each type of shooting parameter including a shooting interval in continuous intermittent shooting or a total shooting time including a time during which shooting is not performed;
A setting function for reading and setting the value of the shooting parameter stored in the storage means;
A shooting control function that performs continuous intermittent shooting with the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting function;
A change function for changing the value of the shooting parameter set by the setting function;
An update function for updating the value of the shooting parameter stored in the storage unit with the shooting parameter changed by the change function;
A control function for controlling reading of the value of the photographing parameter by the setting function or updating of the value of the photographing parameter by the update function under a predetermined condition;
A program to realize

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