JP2015088795A - Gravity direction detection device and imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a detection device capable of correctly detecting a gravity direction and an imaging device.SOLUTION: A detection device includes acceleration detection means for generating an acceleration signal presenting given acceleration, a control part, and a movable part. The control part provides a configuration including signal processing means for calculating a gravity direction on the basis of the acceleration signal, and updating means for updating a gravity direction stored in a predetermined storage region. In the configuration, the acceleration detection means transmits an impact detection signal, presenting occurrence of impact caused by a move of the movable part due to a predetermined variation in acceleration, to the control part, and the control part halts update of the gravity direction by the updating means if an impact detection signal is received.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gravity direction detection device and a photographing device capable of detecting the direction of gravity.

  An imaging device capable of detecting its own tilt has been proposed. In such a photographing apparatus, the tilt of the photographing apparatus when the photographed image is generated is detected, and the photographed image and the tilt are stored in association with each other. Accordingly, when the captured image is displayed on the display device or printed by the printing device, the display direction of the captured image or the printing direction can be determined with reference to the detected inclination. In relation to such detection of the tilt of the photographing device, Patent Literature 1 discloses a photographing device that detects the direction of gravity by an acceleration sensor unit and calculates the tilt angle of the photographing device based on the direction of gravity. .

JP 2012-100124 A

  In the imaging device described in Patent Document 1, when an impact is applied to the imaging device, the acceleration sensor unit detects acceleration due to the impact, and thus there is a problem that the direction of gravity is not normally detected.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a detection device and a photographing device that can normally detect the direction of gravity.

  A detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an acceleration detection unit that generates an acceleration signal indicating an applied acceleration, a control unit, and a movable unit. The control unit determines a direction of gravity based on the acceleration signal. Signal processing means for calculating, and updating means for updating the gravitational direction stored in a predetermined storage area according to the gravitational direction, and the acceleration detecting means has a movable portion when the acceleration changes in a predetermined manner. An impact detection signal indicating that an impact caused by movement has occurred is transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit is configured to stop the updating of the updating unit in the direction of gravity when the impact detection signal is received. .

  According to such a configuration, the acceleration detection means generates an impact detection signal indicating that an impact has occurred in the movable part, and transmits it to the signal processing unit, separately from the acceleration signal. The signal processing unit is configured to update the direction of gravity when an impact detection signal is not received, and to stop updating the direction of gravity when an impact detection signal is received. Further, when the gravity direction is erroneously calculated due to the impact generated in the movable part, it is possible to prevent the gravity direction of the predetermined storage area from being updated by the erroneous calculation result.

  The control unit may be configured to stop the calculation of the direction of gravity of the signal processing unit when the signal processing unit receives the impact detection signal.

  According to such a configuration, when an impact is generated in the movable part, the calculation of the direction of gravity is stopped, so that the load on the detection device can be further reduced.

  The signal processing means calculates the gravitational direction at a predetermined time interval, and the updating means is configured to update the gravitational direction stored in the predetermined storage area by the gravitational direction calculated at the predetermined time interval. May be.

  According to such a configuration, the direction of gravity stored in the predetermined storage area can be updated to the latest value at predetermined time intervals.

  When the control unit receives the impact detection signal, it stops the calculation of the direction of gravity of the signal processing unit, and restarts the calculation of the direction of gravity of the signal processing unit after a predetermined time has elapsed after stopping the calculation of the direction of gravity. You may be comprised so that it may make.

  The signal processing means may be configured not to calculate the direction of gravity when the acceleration signal used for calculation of the gravity direction is the same as the acceleration signal used for the previous calculation.

  According to such a configuration, when there is no change in the value of the acceleration signal generated every predetermined time, since the calculation process in the direction of gravity is not performed, the load on the detection device can be further reduced.

  The acceleration detection means may be configured to determine that an impact has occurred when the acceleration signal indicates that the acceleration within a predetermined amplitude range has continued for a predetermined time.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not an impact has occurred in the movable portion by setting the duration of the acceleration signal having a predetermined amplitude in accordance with the impact generated in the movable portion. Further, since the impact detection is performed not by the signal processing means but by the acceleration detection means, it is possible to prevent the load of the signal processing means from increasing to detect the impact.

  The display unit further includes a display unit that displays information according to the gravity direction stored in the predetermined storage area, and the display unit is configured to update the displayed information in accordance with the update of the gravity direction by the updating unit. It may be.

  According to such a configuration, the user of the detection device can recognize the direction and degree of inclination of the detection device by looking at the information displayed on the display unit.

  The display unit may be configured to stop updating the displayed information for a predetermined time when an impact detection signal is received.

  The acceleration detection means may be configured to include three acceleration sensor units that generate acceleration signals based on accelerations in three directions orthogonal to each other.

  The detection apparatus further includes photographing means for generating photographed image data, and data storage means for storing the photographed image data in a predetermined data storage area in association with a gravitational direction stored in the predetermined storage area. It may be configured to include.

  The detection apparatus further includes an image generation unit that generates a captured image to be displayed on a predetermined display device or a captured image to be printed by a predetermined printing device based on the captured image data. The image generation unit includes the captured image data. The direction of the captured image to be generated may be changed in accordance with the gravity direction stored in association with.

  An imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an imaging unit that generates captured image data, an acceleration detection unit that detects applied acceleration, a control unit, and a movable unit. Is provided with a determination means for determining that an impact generated when the movable part is driven when the movable part is driven, and the control part is configured to calculate a gravitational direction based on acceleration, Updating means for updating the gravitational direction stored in the storage area, and the control unit prohibits updating of the updating means when the determining means determines that an impact occurs when the movable part is driven The updating unit is configured to restart the updating unit after a predetermined time has elapsed since the updating unit is prohibited from updating.

  The control unit may be configured to store the captured image data in a predetermined data storage area in association with a gravity direction stored in the predetermined storage area.

  According to this embodiment, a detection device capable of normally detecting the direction of gravity is provided.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view and a rear view of a photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the photographing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the acceleration sensor unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the gravity direction update process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, a digital single-lens reflex camera provided with acceleration detection means will be described as an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the electric device on which the display device is mounted is not limited to a digital single-lens reflex camera. For example, a mirrorless single-lens camera, a compact digital camera, a camcorder, a tablet terminal, a PHS (Personal Handy phone System), a smartphone, a feature phone, a mobile The electronic device may be replaced with another form of electronic device including acceleration detecting means such as a game machine, a desktop PC (Personal Computer), or a notebook PC.

  FIGS. 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a rear view of a digital single-lens reflex camera (hereinafter simply referred to as “imaging device”) 1 of the present embodiment, respectively. The photographing apparatus 1 is provided with a lens and a diaphragm on the front side (not shown in FIG. 1) and an LCD 124 on the back side. A plurality of operation units 102 are appropriately disposed in the casing of the photographing apparatus 1. In the photographing apparatus 1, an electric circuit and a storage area for driving the photographing apparatus 1, an acceleration sensor for detecting the direction of gravity and the direction of the photographing apparatus 1 are calculated in order to detect the direction of gravity and the like. Yes.

  The calculated orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 includes the vertical elevation angle (pitch or tilt) of the photographing apparatus and the rotation angle (roll) around the optical axis of the optical system of the photographing apparatus. In FIG. 1, the X axis is horizontal, the Y axis is vertical, the Z axis is parallel to the optical axis of the lens, and the three axes are orthogonal to each other. Here, the pitch or tilt of the photographing apparatus corresponds to rotation of the photographing apparatus around the X axis, and the roll corresponds to rotation around the Z axis.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital single-lens reflex camera (hereinafter simply referred to as “imaging device”) 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the photographing apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100, a CPU memory 101, an operation unit 102, a driving circuit 104, a photographing lens 106, an aperture 108, a shutter 110, an image sensor 112, and a signal processing circuit. 114, image processing engine 116, buffer memory 118, card interface 120, LCD 124 (Liquid Crystal Display) control circuit 122, LCD 124, ROM (Read Only Memory) 126, quick return mirror 132, mirror drive mechanism 134, mirror drive circuit 136 , A prism 138, a viewfinder 140, an AF unit 107, and an external connection interface 128. In the block diagram of FIG. 2, the electrical connection between the blocks is indicated by a solid line, and the optical path between the blocks of the optical component is indicated by a dotted line. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, some blocks, electrical connections, and optical paths are omitted.

  The operation unit 102 includes various switches necessary for the user to operate the photographing apparatus 1, such as a power switch, a release switch, and a photographing mode switch. When the user presses the power switch, power is supplied from the battery (not shown) to the various circuits of the photographing apparatus 1 through the power line. After supplying power, the CPU 100 accesses the ROM 126, reads out a control program, loads it into a work area (not shown), and executes the loaded control program to control the entire photographing apparatus 1.

  The CPU 100 includes a lens driving unit 107 and an aperture through a driving circuit 104 so that appropriate exposure can be obtained based on a photometric value measured by a TTL (Through The Lens) exposure meter (not shown) built in the photographing apparatus 1. 108 and the shutter 110 are driven and controlled. More specifically, drive control of the aperture 108 and the shutter 110 is performed based on an AE function designated by a shooting mode switch, such as a program AE (Automatic Exposure), shutter speed priority AE, aperture priority AE, or the like.

  Further, drive control of the AF unit 107 (hereinafter referred to as AF control) is performed based on an AF (Autofocus) function. An active method, a phase difference detection method, a contrast detection method, or the like is applied to the AF control. When AF control is performed, the photographing lens 106 is displaced by the AF unit 107, and the subject is brought into focus.

  The photographing apparatus 1 includes at least one movable quick return mirror 132. The quick return mirror 132 moves according to the operation of the photographing apparatus 1 and is changed between the open state and the closed state by the mirror drive mechanism 134. When the quick return mirror 132 is in the closed state, the light emitted from the subject passes through the photographing lens 106, the diaphragm 108, and the shutter 110, is divided into two by the quick return mirror 132, and enters the AF unit 107 and the prism 138, respectively. . The light incident on the AF unit 107 is used for performing AF control. Further, the light incident on the prism 138 is reflected in the prism 138 and enters the finder 140. Thereby, the user can observe the subject by looking through the viewfinder 140.

  On the other hand, when the user operates the operation unit 102 and inputs an instruction to shoot a subject, the mirror drive circuit 136 drives the mirror drive mechanism 134, and the quick return mirror 132 is temporarily closed. When the quick return mirror 132 is in the closed state, the light emitted from the subject passes through the photographing lens 106, the diaphragm 108, and the shutter 110 and is received by the image sensor 112. The image sensor 112 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor. The image sensor 112 accumulates an optical image formed by each pixel on the imaging surface as an electric charge corresponding to the amount of light. The signal is converted into a signal and output to the signal processing circuit 114. The signal processing circuit 114 performs predetermined signal processing on the electrical signal (photographed data) input from the image sensor 112 and outputs the processed signal to the image processing engine 116.

  The image processing engine 116 performs predetermined signal processing such as color interpolation, matrix calculation, and Y / C separation on the signal input from the signal processing circuit 114 to generate a luminance signal Y and color difference signals Cb, Cr, The image is compressed in a predetermined format such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). The buffer memory 118 is used as a temporary storage location for processing data when the image processing engine 116 executes processing.

  A memory card 200 is detachably inserted into a card slot of the card interface 120.

  The image processing engine 116 can communicate with the memory card 200 via the card interface 120. The image processing engine 116 stores the generated compressed image signal (captured image data) in the memory card 200 (or a built-in memory (not shown) provided in the image capturing apparatus 1).

  Further, the image processing engine 116 performs predetermined signal processing on the signal after Y / C separation, and buffers it in a frame memory (not shown) in units of frames. The image processing engine 116 sweeps the buffered signal from each frame memory at a predetermined timing, converts it into a video signal of a predetermined format, and outputs it to the LCD control circuit 122. The LCD control circuit 122 modulates and controls the liquid crystal based on the image signal input from the image processing engine 116. Thereby, the photographed image of the subject is displayed on the LCD 124. Here, the photographed image displayed on the LCD 124 corresponds to the photographing field angle of the photographing apparatus 1. The user can view through the LCD 124 a real-time through image captured with appropriate brightness and focus based on the AE control and AF control.

  When the user performs a reproduction operation of the captured image, the image processing engine 116 reads the captured image data specified by the operation from the memory card 200 or a built-in memory (not shown), converts the image data into a predetermined format image signal, and the LCD Output to the control circuit 122. The LCD control circuit 122 performs modulation control on the liquid crystal based on the image signal input from the image processing engine 116, so that a photographed image of the subject is displayed on the LCD 124.

  The external connection interface 128 is an interface for connecting to the external display device 2. The external display device 2 is an electronic device provided with a display screen 202. For example, a digital single lens reflex camera, a mirrorless single lens camera, a compact digital camera, a camcorder, a tablet terminal, a PHS, a smartphone, a feature phone, a portable game machine, a desktop PC , Notebook PC, TV monitor.

  The external connection interface 128 uses a wired connection protocol such as HDMI (registered trademark) or USB (Universal Serial Bus), or a wireless connection protocol such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or IrDA (registered trademark). It can be used to communicate with a desktop PC or the like. The captured image data is transferred to the external display device 2 via the external connection interface 128. The external display device 2 stores the transferred captured image data in a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) on the local or network. For example, the external display device 2 decodes the captured image data stored in the URI on the local or network according to the operation by the user, and displays the captured image obtained by the decoding on the display screen 202.

  Further, on the display screen 202 of the external display device 2, for example, content (still image or through image) synchronized with the LCD 124 is displayed. As an example, let us consider a case where a user performs a reproduction operation of a captured image (still image). In this case, the image processing engine 116 displays the captured image (still image) designated by the operation on the LCD 124 and transfers it to the external display device 2 via the external connection interface 128, and the captured image displayed on the LCD 124. The same thing is displayed on the display screen 202.

  The external connection interface 128 outputs a component video signal of a photographed image and the like when connected to a television monitor. On the television monitor, the contents (still image or through image) synchronized with the LCD 124 are displayed.

  Note that additional information such as overlay text is displayed synchronously or asynchronously depending on the setting of the operation unit 102 by the user and the display content.

  The acceleration sensor unit 130 can detect accelerations in three directions orthogonal to each other, and is used to calculate the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1. The acceleration sensor unit 130 outputs three acceleration signals based on accelerations in three directions. The CPU 100 calculates the direction of gravity based on the output acceleration signal. Then, the direction of the photographing apparatus 1 when the acceleration signal is generated is calculated using the direction of gravity. Here, the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 includes the vertical elevation angle (pitch or tilt) of the photographing apparatus 1 and the rotation angle (roll) around the optical axis of the optical system of the photographing apparatus 1. Note that a method for calculating the direction of gravity using acceleration in three directions and a method for calculating the direction of the photographing apparatus 1 using the direction of gravity are well known, and a description thereof will be omitted here.

  When a subject is photographed by the photographing apparatus 1 and photographed image data is generated, the photographed image data is stored in the memory card 200 together with information corresponding to the calculated gravity direction or the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1. Thereby, when displaying the photographed image on the LCD 124 or when printing it by a printing device (not shown), the direction of displaying the photographed image or the direction of displaying the photographed image by referring to the information corresponding to the direction of gravity or the orientation of the photographing device 1 or the like. The printing direction can be set to an appropriate direction. In the following description, it is assumed that the calculated gravity direction is stored in the CPU memory 101 and the captured image is stored in the memory card 200 together with the gravity direction. However, what is stored in the CPU memory 101 and the memory card may be the orientation of the photographing apparatus instead of the calculated gravity direction.

  The orientation of the imaging device 1 can always change according to the positional relationship between the imaging device 1 and the subject and the operation by the user. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the calculation of the gravity direction by the CPU 100 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals, and the gravity direction stored in the CPU memory 101 is updated each time the gravity direction is calculated. Has been.

  In the above description, the newly generated captured image data is stored together with the direction of gravity, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, when the direction of gravity stored in the CPU memory 101 is updated, the direction of a captured image, a through image, overlay information, or the like displayed on the LCD 124 is changed accordingly. May be. For example, when a captured image based on already stored captured image data is displayed on the LCD 124, the orientation of the captured image displayed on the LCD 124 may be rotated according to the calculated direction of gravity. Further, the overlay information and status information displayed on the LCD 124 may be rotated according to the orientation of the photographing apparatus. Thereby, overlay information, status information, etc. can always be displayed in a direction that is easy for the user to see.

  How to rotate the photographed image in accordance with the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 is an item set as appropriate. For example, when the roll size of the photographing apparatus 1 changes within a range of ± 45 degrees from the reference position, the orientation of the photographed image displayed on the LCD 124 may not be changed. Further, when the roll size changes in the range of ± 45 degrees to ± 135 degrees, the orientation of the captured image is rotated and displayed to any one of ± 90 degrees so that it is easy for the user to see. May be. Further, when the roll size changes in the range of ± 135 degrees to ± 180 degrees, the captured image may be configured to be displayed with the orientation rotated by 180 degrees.

  In addition, the orientation of the photographed image displayed on the LCD 124 does not need to change in real time according to the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1. For example, the direction in which a photographed image or the like is displayed may change after a predetermined time has elapsed since the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 has changed. Thereby, when the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 is frequently changed, the orientation of the photographed image displayed in accordance with the orientation is frequently switched, and it is possible to prevent the photographed image from being difficult to see for the user.

  Further, the calculated direction of gravity may be displayed on any part (for example, LCD 124) of the photographing apparatus 1 as an electronic level indicating the inclination of the photographing apparatus 1. The electronic level is displayed as a gauge indicating the direction and size of the inclination (for example, roll) of the photographing apparatus 1, and the displayed gauge is updated each time the gravity direction is calculated. By displaying the electronic level on the LCD 124 as the overlay information together with the through image, the user of the photographing apparatus 1 can grasp the inclination of the photographing apparatus 1 while observing the through image, and a tilted photographed image is generated. Can be prevented. The electronic level is not only displayed as the overlay information of the through image, but may be displayed when the through image is not displayed. Further, the electronic level may be configured to be displayed on an LCD or a display unit provided separately from the LCD 124 of the photographing apparatus 1.

  Further, the way of displaying the calculated direction of gravity is not limited to the display as an electronic level. For example, an inclination angle obtained from the direction of gravity may be displayed as a numerical value or an image indicating the degree of inclination may be displayed at any part of the photographing apparatus 1, or a lamp (not shown) may blink. You may be comprised so that a user may be notified whether the magnitude | size of inclination exceeds a predetermined value.

  Next, the impact that occurs in the photographing apparatus 1 and the influence of the impact on the calculation of the direction of gravity will be described.

  When the photographing apparatus 1 is stationary or when the photographing apparatus 1 is moving but no impact is applied to the photographing apparatus 1, the acceleration sensor unit 130 changes the acceleration of the photographing apparatus 1 because the change in acceleration is moderate. The detection of acceleration can follow the movement of the photographing apparatus 1. Therefore, the calculation of the direction of gravity can be normally performed using the acceleration signal output from the acceleration sensor unit 130. However, when an impact is applied to the photographing apparatus 1, the acceleration of the photographing apparatus 1 changes abruptly. Therefore, the acceleration detection by the acceleration sensor unit 130 cannot follow the movement of the photographing apparatus 1, or the acceleration sensor unit 130 accelerates. While the signal is detected, the acceleration of the photographing apparatus 1 changes. For this reason, when an impact is applied to the photographing apparatus 1, the gravity direction may not be normally calculated.

  The impact applied to the imaging device 1 includes an impact applied to the housing (not shown) of the imaging device 1 from the outside of the imaging device 1 and an impact generated inside the imaging device 1.

  As an impact applied to the photographing apparatus 1 from the outside, an impact that occurs when the user or the photographing apparatus 1 hits an obstacle or the like while the user moves the photographing apparatus 1 can be considered. The impact applied from the outside propagates in the photographing apparatus 1 as vibration. This vibration is attenuated by the housing and the internal structure of the photographing apparatus 1 before reaching the acceleration sensor unit 130. Therefore, unless the impact is large, the impact of the impact on the calculation of the gravity direction is small. In addition, before and after the photographing operation using the photographing apparatus 1 by the user is usually fixed by the user's hand or a tripod (not shown), there is a possibility that an external impact may occur on the photographing apparatus 1. Is low. From this, it is considered that the gravity direction stored in association with the generated captured image is often calculated normally.

  Further, as an impact generated in the photographing apparatus 1, an impact generated by the mirror driving mechanism 134 when driving the quick return mirror 132 in the photographing apparatus 1, an impact generated by driving the shutter 110, An impact generated by a built-in movable flash (strobe) device (not shown) can be considered. These impacts are generated every time shooting is performed or the strobe device is driven, and reach the acceleration sensor unit 130 as vibration. Since the mirror driving mechanism 134, the shutter 110, and the strobe device are inside the photographing apparatus 1, the distance to the acceleration sensor unit inside is also short. Therefore, the vibration generated inside is more likely to reach the acceleration sensor unit without being attenuated than the vibration generated by an impact from the outside. Therefore, if an impact occurs inside the photographing apparatus 1, it may affect the calculation of the direction of gravity and may calculate the wrong direction of gravity.

  If the gravitational direction calculated in error is stored in association with the captured image data, the orientation of the captured image is not displayed correctly when displaying or printing the captured image generated based on the captured image data. Or it may not be printed in the correct orientation.

  In order to prevent such a problem from occurring, the present embodiment is configured to detect whether or not an impact is applied to the photographing apparatus 1. Further, in the present embodiment, when an impact is applied to the photographing apparatus 1, updating of a signal corresponding to the direction of gravity stored in the CPU memory 101 is stopped.

  In addition, when the electronic level is displayed on the LCD 124, the photographing apparatus 1 is configured to stop updating the display of the electronic level when an impact is applied to the photographing apparatus 1 and the update in the direction of gravity is stopped. May be. When the updating of the display of the electronic level stops, the electronic level immediately before the updating stops is displayed on the LCD 124 for a certain time or until the updating is resumed. Alternatively, when the update of the electronic level display is stopped, the LCD 124 is configured to display information indicating that the update of the electronic level display is stopped instead of the electronic level. Also good. Note that while updating of the electronic level display is stopped, the display of the electronic level is not updated even if the photographing apparatus 1 is tilted to change the direction of gravity.

  Further, the photographing apparatus 1 may be configured to display on the LCD 124 as a message or an image that the impact has been detected or the update in the direction of gravity has stopped. Alternatively, the photographing apparatus 1 indicates that the impact has been detected or the update of the direction of gravity has stopped, the brightness of the LCD 124, the color of the displayed through image being changed, the unillustrated provided in the photographing apparatus 1 It may be configured to notify the user by lighting or blinking the lamp.

  Next, a case where an impact generated in the mirror drive mechanism 134 is detected as an impact generated inside the photographing apparatus 1 will be described. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and may be configured to detect an impact generated by the shutter 110, the strobe device, or other driving mechanism in the photographing apparatus 1.

  The impact generated by the mirror drive mechanism 134 is detected using the tap detection function of the acceleration sensor unit 130. The tap detection function of the acceleration sensor unit 130 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows an example of a block diagram of the acceleration sensor unit 130. The acceleration sensor unit 130 internally includes three acceleration sensors 30 for detecting acceleration in three directions (X direction, Y direction, and Z direction) and digitally outputs acceleration signals output from the respective acceleration sensors 30 as analog signals. Three AD conversion units 32 that convert signals, a signal processing unit 34 that performs filtering on the acceleration signals converted into digital signals, a memory 36 that temporarily stores the filtered signals, and a memory 36 A communication unit 38 for transmitting the stored signal to the CPU 100 in the photographing apparatus 1 is provided.

  The three acceleration sensors 30 are arranged so that the acceleration detection directions are orthogonal to each other. When acceleration is generated in the acceleration sensor 30, an acceleration signal corresponding to the magnitude of the acceleration is output as an analog signal. In the block diagram shown in FIG. 3, a voltage is generated as the acceleration signal, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, as an acceleration sensor, various types of acceleration sensors such as an acceleration sensor using MEMS, a piezoelectric acceleration sensor using a piezoelectric element, and a capacitive acceleration sensor whose capacitance changes according to acceleration are used. be able to. Each acceleration signal output from the three acceleration sensors 30 is converted into a digital signal by the AD conversion unit 32 and sent to the signal processing unit 34.

  The signal processing unit 34 performs two processes on the input acceleration signal. The first process is a filter process for generating an acceleration signal that uses the direction of gravity for calculation. In this filter processing, low-pass filter processing is performed on the three input acceleration signals to remove high-frequency components of the acceleration signal. Thereby, the noise component superimposed on the acceleration signal and the minute acceleration component are removed. The three acceleration signals subjected to the low-pass filter processing are temporarily stored in a memory 36 connected to the signal processing unit 34. The acceleration signal stored in the memory 36 is transmitted to the CPU 100 via the communication unit 38 at predetermined time intervals.

  Note that when the photographing apparatus 1 is stationary, the filtered acceleration signal stored in the memory 36 may be exactly the same as the previously stored acceleration information. In addition, when an interrupt process other than the filter process occurs in the signal processing unit 34, the acceleration signal after the filter process may not be stored in the memory 36. Therefore, the signal processing unit 34 may be configured to transmit an update signal indicating whether or not the acceleration signal stored in the memory 36 is different from the previous communication time to the CPU 100. Thereby, when the acceleration signal has not been updated since the previous communication, it is not necessary to send only the signal indicating that the acceleration signal has not been updated and to transmit the same acceleration signal again. In addition, when the CPU 100 receives a signal indicating that it has not been updated, it is not necessary to perform the same gravitational direction calculation as in the previous time, so the load due to the calculation process can be reduced.

  The second process in the signal processing unit 34 is an impact detection process for generating an impact detection signal indicating whether or not an impact has occurred in the mirror drive mechanism 134. In the impact detection process, a threshold determination process and a time determination process are performed on the acceleration signal separately from the first filter process. In this threshold value determination process, it is determined whether or not the amplitude of the acceleration signal output from the acceleration sensor 30 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. In the time determination process, it is determined whether or not the duration of the acceleration signal exceeding the threshold is within a predetermined time range.

  When an impact is generated in the mirror driving mechanism 134 and reaches the acceleration sensor 30 as vibration, the acceleration sensor 30 generates an acceleration signal having a large amplitude and a short time. On the other hand, when the direction of the photographing apparatus 1 is changed by the user instead of an impact, the change in the acceleration signal has a relatively small amplitude and a long duration. Therefore, the characteristics of the acceleration signal generated by the impact generated by the mirror drive mechanism 134 are examined in advance, and the threshold value and a predetermined time are set in accordance with the characteristics, so that the mirror drive is performed using the output from the acceleration sensor 30. It is possible to detect whether an impact has occurred in the mechanism 134.

  When it is determined by the threshold determination process and the time determination process that an impact has occurred in the mirror drive mechanism 134, an impact detection signal is transmitted to the CPU 100 via the communication unit 38. The transmission of the impact detection signal to the CPU 100 is performed independently of transmitting the acceleration signal generated in the first process to the CPU 100.

  From the above, in this embodiment, the CPU 100 is configured to read the acceleration signal from the acceleration sensor unit 130 at a predetermined time interval, and the acceleration sensor unit 130 has received an impact from the mirror drive mechanism 134. It is configured so that an impact detection signal is transmitted to the CPU 100 each time.

  The CPU 100 calculates the direction of gravity and the direction of the photographing apparatus 1 based on the acceleration signal read from the acceleration sensor unit 130, and updates the direction of gravity stored in the CPU memory 101. Further, when the CPU 100 receives the impact detection signal transmitted from the acceleration sensor unit 130, the CPU 100 temporarily stops the calculation and update of the direction of gravity. If the CPU 100 does not receive the next impact detection signal for a predetermined time after receiving the impact detection signal, the CPU 100 restarts the gravity direction calculation and update processing. As a result, it is possible to prevent the captured image data from being stored in association with the erroneously calculated gravity direction, and to correctly set the orientation of the captured image when displaying or printing the captured image data as a captured image. Can do.

  In this embodiment, the vibration and vibration generated by the mirror drive mechanism 134 are detected by determining whether the amplitude and duration of the acceleration signal are within a predetermined threshold value or range. The form is not limited to this. For example, in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-146156), an acceleration signal generated by an acceleration sensor unit is stored in a RAM at a predetermined time interval, and a frequency analysis of the stored acceleration signal is performed, thereby causing an impact. A method for detecting whether or not an impact has occurred and how the impact is occurring is disclosed.

  As in Patent Document 2, it is also possible to detect whether or not an impact has occurred in the mirror drive mechanism 134 by performing frequency analysis of the acceleration signal at predetermined time intervals. However, the impact generated by the mirror drive mechanism 134 is intermittently and irregularly generated. Therefore, when using the method of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to store acceleration signals at a high sampling rate and perform frequency analysis on all stored acceleration signals in order to detect irregularly generated impacts. When frequency analysis is performed at such a high sampling rate, there is a problem in that the load of signal processing on the acceleration signal is large and power consumption increases.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the acceleration sensor unit 130 only performs threshold determination and time determination on the generated acceleration signal, and stores acceleration signals at a high sampling rate. Frequency analysis is not performed. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not an impact has occurred in the mirror drive mechanism 134 without increasing the signal processing load on the acceleration signal in the CPU 100.

  In the above-described impact detection process, the acceleration signal threshold determination process and the time determination process are performed. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, in the impact detection process, it may be detected whether or not an impact has occurred by using a time change of acceleration, that is, time differentiation. Since the impact generated by the mirror drive mechanism 134 is due to the striking force generated in a short time, the time differentiation of the acceleration generated by the mirror drive mechanism 134 becomes large. Therefore, in the impact detection process, a threshold value may be provided for the time differentiation of acceleration, and it may be determined that an impact has occurred when an acceleration having a time portion greater than the threshold value occurs.

  Further, the impact detection process is intended to generate an impact detection signal when an impact generated by the mirror drive mechanism 134 is detected, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the impact generated inside the photographing apparatus 1 can be generated not only by the mirror driving mechanism 134 but also by driving the shutter 110, a strobe device (not shown), and the memory card 200 being attached or detached. When a large impact is applied to the photographing apparatus 1 from the outside, the vibration generated by the impact may affect the calculation of the direction of gravity, similarly to the impact generated inside. Therefore, the impact detection process may be configured to detect not only the mirror drive mechanism 134 but also an impact generated in a place other than the mirror drive mechanism 134 inside the photographing apparatus 1 or an externally applied impact. .

  In the impact detection process, in order to detect a plurality of types of impacts, the threshold value used for the threshold determination process and the time determination process and a predetermined time range may be set wide. Thereby, not only the mirror drive mechanism 134 but also an impact generated by other factors can be detected. Alternatively, a plurality of threshold values and time ranges may be set according to the type of impact.

  Moreover, although the acceleration sensor unit 130 has the memory 36 and is configured to transmit the acceleration signal stored in the memory 36 to the CPU 100 through the communication unit 38, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the acceleration sensor unit 130 is configured such that the signal processing unit 34 performs a filtering process on the acceleration signal at predetermined time intervals, and sequentially transmits the filtered acceleration signal to the CPU 100 without storing it in the memory. Also good. In this case, since the past acceleration signal is not stored in the memory 36, the acceleration sensor unit 130 does not determine whether or not the detected acceleration signal matches the previously measured acceleration signal. Therefore, in this case, an update signal is not transmitted to the CPU 100.

  Next, the update of the gravity direction stored in the CPU memory 101 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. The flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example of a part related to the update of the gravity direction stored in the CPU memory 101 among various processes performed by the CPU 100.

  In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4A, when the photographing apparatus 1 is turned on and a flow for updating the direction of gravity is started (S100), it is detected whether or not an impact has occurred in the mirror drive mechanism 134. The parameters are read from the ROM and stored in the CPU memory 101 (S101). This parameter includes a threshold of a width used for the threshold determination process and the time determination process and a predetermined time. When the parameters are read, the system waits for a predetermined time according to the time interval for updating the direction of gravity (S102). While waiting, the photographing apparatus 1 performs processing according to the operation contents input to the operation unit 102 by the user, such as AE control, AF control, photographing processing, and screen control of the LCD 124. When waiting for a predetermined time is completed, an update process in the direction of gravity is performed (S103). In the gravity direction update process, the gravity direction is calculated based on the acceleration signal received from the acceleration sensor unit 130 and stored in the CPU memory 101. After that, if the photographing apparatus 1 is not turned off (S104: No), it waits again for a predetermined time (S102), and the gravity direction update process (S103) is performed. When the photographing apparatus 1 is turned off (S104: Yes), the update process ends (S105).

  Next, the gravity direction update process (S103) will be described with reference to FIG. When the gravity direction update process is started (S200), the CPU 100 communicates with the acceleration sensor unit 130 via the communication unit 38, and receives an update signal and an acceleration signal from the acceleration sensor unit 130 (S201). Based on the update signal, the CPU 100 determines whether the received acceleration signal has changed from the value received during the previous communication (S202). When the acceleration signal has not changed from the previous value, the acceleration sensor unit 130 may transmit only the update signal without transmitting the acceleration signal. If it is determined in step S202 that the acceleration signal has not been updated from the previous value (S202: No), the gravity direction updating process is terminated (S207). On the other hand, if the acceleration signal has been updated from the previous value (S202: Yes), it is determined whether or not an impact detection signal indicating that an impact has occurred in the mirror driving device is transmitted from the acceleration sensor unit 130. (S203).

  The acceleration information and the impact detection signal are independently transmitted from the acceleration sensor unit 130 to the CPU 100. In step S203, the vibration of the acceleration signal generated by the impact is generated at the timing at which these two signals are received. Determine if the impact is included. That is, when the time difference between the time when the CPU 100 receives the acceleration signal and the time when the impact detection signal is received is smaller than a predetermined value, it is determined that the impact is included in the acceleration signal (S203: Yes). ), And finishes the calculation process (S207). On the other hand, when the time difference between the time when the acceleration signal is received and the time when the impact detection signal is received is larger than the predetermined time, it is determined that the acceleration signal does not include the influence due to the vibration generated by the impact (S203). : No), the gravity direction calculation processing using the acceleration signal is executed (S204).

  In step S203 described above, based on the time difference between the two signals, it is determined whether or not the acceleration signal includes the influence of vibration generated by the impact. However, the process in step S203 of the present embodiment is limited to this. Not. In step S203 of the present embodiment, it may be determined that the first acceleration signal detected after receiving the impact detection signal includes the influence of vibration generated by the impact. Alternatively, it may be determined that the first two or more predetermined numbers of acceleration signals detected after receiving the impact detection signal include the influence of vibration generated by the impact.

  In the gravity direction calculation process (S204), the gravity direction is calculated based on the acceleration signal by a known method. In step S204, the direction (roll, pitch, tilt, etc.) of the photographing apparatus 1 may be calculated simultaneously with the gravity direction or alternatively. When the gravity direction and the direction of the photographing apparatus 1 are calculated in the gravity direction calculation process (S204), the filter calculation is performed on the calculated gravity direction and the direction of the photographing apparatus 1 (S205).

  The purpose of the filter calculation (S205) is to delay the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 stored in the CPU memory 101. For example, when the orientation of the photographed image displayed on the LCD 124 or the status screen is changed based on the stored gravity direction without performing filter calculation, the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 is always changed or within a short time. If it changes many times, the orientation of the captured image, status information, etc. displayed on the LCD 124 will change frequently. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to see the captured image and status information. In order to suppress such a problem, in the filter process (S205), in order to make the captured image displayed on the LCD 124 easy to see, the orientation of the captured image displayed is frequently switched according to the orientation of the imaging apparatus 1. No processing is performed.

  As such a filtering process (S205), for example, an average value (time average) or a weighted average value of the latest gravity direction calculation result and the past several calculation results is calculated, and the calculated average value is calculated. There is a method of storing in the CPU memory 101. Thus, the gravity direction stored in the CPU memory 101 in step S206 always includes information on the past gravity direction. Therefore, when the orientation of the captured image displayed on the LCD 124 is changed in accordance with the stored gravity direction, the orientation of the captured image displayed changes with a time delay with respect to the change in the orientation of the imaging apparatus 1. . Since the orientation of the displayed captured image is based on an average of the calculation results of the gravitational direction in the past several times, the orientation of the imaging device 1 always changes or changes many times in a short time. Even so, it is possible to prevent the orientation of the displayed captured image from being frequently switched.

  In another example of this filtering process (S205), the temporal change in the calculated calculation result in the direction of gravity is monitored, and the calculation result is calculated during a predetermined time (or a predetermined number of calculation results). There is a method of storing the direction of gravity in the CPU memory 101 when the change is smaller than a predetermined amount. In this example, if the direction of gravity changes to be larger than a predetermined amount while shorter than a predetermined time, the direction of gravity during the change is not stored in the CPU memory 101. Therefore, when the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 is frequently switched, it is possible to prevent the orientation of the captured image displayed on the LCD 124 from being frequently switched. In addition, although two examples were demonstrated as an example of a filter process (S205), this embodiment is not limited to these.

  The gravity direction on which the filter process (S205) has been performed and the orientation of the photographing apparatus 1 are stored in the recording area (S206). If these pieces of information are already stored in the CPU memory 101, they are updated by overwriting them. The CPU memory 101 may store calculation results for the past several times for use in the above filter calculation.

  When the gravity direction stored in the CPU memory 101 and the direction of the photographing apparatus 1 are updated, the gravity direction update processing ends (S207), and step S104 shown in FIG. 4A is executed.

  According to the present embodiment, when an impact is generated inside the photographing apparatus 1, the gravitational direction is not calculated using the acceleration signal generated when the impact is generated. Alternatively, according to the present embodiment, when an impact occurs inside the photographing apparatus 1, even if an incorrect gravity direction is calculated using an acceleration signal generated when the impact is occurring, the CPU memory 101 The gravitational direction stored in is not updated by an incorrect gravitational direction. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the photographed image from being stored in association with the wrong direction of gravity, and to correctly set the orientation of the photographed image when displaying or printing the photographed image data as the photographed image.

  The above is the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the embodiment of the present application also includes an embodiment that is exemplarily specified in the specification or a combination of obvious embodiments and the like as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image pick-up device 2 External display device 30 Acceleration sensor 32 AD conversion part 34 Signal processing part 36 Memory 38 Communication part 100 CPU
101 CPU Memory 102 Operation Unit 104 Drive Circuit 106 Shooting Lens 107 AF Unit 108 Aperture 110 Shutter 112 Image Sensor 114 Signal Processing Circuit 116 Image Processing Engine 118 Buffer Memory 120 Card Interface 122 LCD Control Circuit 124 LCD
126 ROM
128 External connection interface 130 Acceleration sensor unit 132 Quick return mirror 134 Mirror drive mechanism 136 Mirror drive circuit 138 Prism 140 Finder 200 Memory card 202 Display screen

Claims (13)

Acceleration detecting means for generating an acceleration signal indicating the applied acceleration;
A control unit;
A movable part,
The controller is
Signal processing means for calculating the direction of gravity based on the acceleration signal;
Updating means for updating the direction of gravity stored in a predetermined storage area according to the direction of gravity;
The acceleration detection means transmits an impact detection signal indicating that an impact caused by the movement of the movable part has occurred when the acceleration has changed to the control unit,
When the control unit receives the impact detection signal, the control unit stops updating the gravity direction of the updating unit.
Detection device. The control unit stops calculation of the direction of gravity of the signal processing unit when the signal processing unit receives the impact detection signal.
The detection device according to claim 1. The signal processing means calculates the direction of gravity at a predetermined time interval,
The update means updates the gravitational direction stored in the predetermined storage area by the gravitational direction calculated at the predetermined time interval.
The detection device according to claim 2. The control unit, when receiving the impact detection signal, stops the calculation of the gravitational direction of the signal processing unit, and after a predetermined time has elapsed after stopping the calculation of the gravitational direction of the signal processing unit. Restart the calculation of the direction of gravity,
The detection device according to claim 3. The signal processing means does not calculate the gravity direction when the acceleration signal used for the calculation of the gravity direction is the same as the acceleration signal used for the previous calculation,
The detection device according to claim 3. The acceleration detecting means determines that the impact has occurred when the acceleration signal indicates that the acceleration within a range of a predetermined amplitude has continued for a predetermined time.
The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A display unit for displaying information according to the direction of gravity stored in the predetermined storage area;
The display unit updates the displayed information according to the update of the gravity direction by the update unit.
The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The display unit stops updating the displayed information for a predetermined time when the shock detection signal is received.
The detection device according to claim 7. The acceleration detection means includes three acceleration sensor units that generate acceleration signals based on accelerations in three directions orthogonal to each other.
The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Photographing means for generating photographed image data;
Data storage means for storing the captured image data in a predetermined data storage area in association with the gravitational direction stored in the predetermined storage area;
The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Based on the photographed image data, further comprising an image generation means for generating a photographed image to be displayed on a predetermined display device or a photographed image to be printed by a predetermined printing device,
The image generation means changes the direction of the captured image to be generated according to the gravity direction stored in association with the captured image data.
The detection device according to claim 10. Photographing means for generating photographed image data;
Acceleration detecting means for detecting applied acceleration;
A control unit;
A movable part,
The acceleration detection means includes determination means for determining that an impact that occurs when the movable part is driven when the acceleration has changed a predetermined amount,
The control unit calculates a direction of gravity based on the acceleration;
Updating means for updating the direction of gravity stored in a predetermined storage area according to the direction of gravity;
When the determination unit determines that the impact that occurs when the movable unit is driven has occurred, the control unit prohibits updating of the updating unit, and prohibits updating of the updating unit for a predetermined time. After the elapse, the updating means restarts the update,
An imaging apparatus characterized by that. The control unit stores the captured image data in a predetermined data storage area in association with the gravitational direction stored in the predetermined storage area.
The imaging device according to claim 12.

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