JP2015228617A - Apparatus and method for displaying focusing frame, and imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of difficulty in a user to grasp a focus point, due to degraded visibility if the number of focusing frames is small or the positions of the focusing frames are mutually apart.SOLUTION: A focusing frame display control device includes: a display mode setting means which sets the display mode of at least one focusing frame which indicates at least one focusing area in the photographed image, according to the number of the focusing frames displayed on a predetermined display screen; and superposition display means which causes the display of the focusing frames having the set display mode, on the display in superposition.

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-focus frame display control apparatus, an in-focus frame display control method, and an imaging apparatus that superimpose and display a focusing frame indicating a focusing area on a captured image.

  An imaging device that can measure a subject in a plurality of ranging areas is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a specific configuration of this type of photographing apparatus. The imaging apparatus described in Patent Document 1 measures a subject in each distance measurement area, and superimposes a focusing frame on a position in the captured image corresponding to the distance measurement area focused from these distance measurement areas. And displayed on an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). In addition, the images in each focusing frame are sequentially enlarged and displayed on the LCD according to the priority determined based on a predetermined condition.

JP 2005-295418 A

  In the existing photographing apparatus exemplified in Patent Document 1, the focusing frame superimposed on the photographed image is displayed with a thin line width so as not to disturb the visibility of the photographed image. For this reason, for example, when the number of focusing frames is small or the positions of the focusing frames are separated, the visibility of the focusing frames themselves is lowered, and it is difficult for the user to grasp the focusing point. be pointed out.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to achieve focus frame display control capable of improving the visibility of the focus frame itself while ensuring the visibility of the captured image. An apparatus, a focusing frame display control method, and an imaging device are provided.

  The in-focus frame display control device according to the present embodiment is at least one in-focus frame indicating at least one in-focus area in a captured image, and corresponds to the number of in-focus frames displayed on a predetermined display screen. And a display form setting means for setting the display form of the focus frame, and a superimposition display means for superimposing the focus frame set with the display form on the captured image and displaying it on the display screen.

  In this way, by setting the display mode of the focusing frame according to the number of focusing frames, it is possible to improve the visibility of the focusing frame itself while ensuring the visibility of the captured image.

  The display form setting means may be configured to set the line width of the focusing frame according to the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen.

  The display form setting means may be configured to set the line width of the focusing frame to be thicker as the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen is smaller.

  The display form setting means may further be configured to set the line width of the focusing frame according to the position of the focusing frames displayed on the display screen.

  Further, the display form setting means determines whether or not the focusing frame displayed on the display screen includes a plurality of focusing frames close to each other, and the plurality of focusing frames displayed on the display screen are close to each other. When it is determined that the focus frame is included, at least for a plurality of focus frames that are close to each other, the line width is set to a predetermined line width regardless of the number of focus frames displayed on the display screen. Also good.

  Further, the display form setting means may be configured to set the line widths of a plurality of focusing frames that are close to each other to be thinner than the line width that is set according to the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen. Good.

  The focus frame display control method of the present embodiment is at least one focus frame indicating at least one focus area in a captured image, and is in accordance with the number of focus frames displayed on a predetermined display screen. A display form setting step for setting the display form of the in-focus frame, and a superimposition display step for superimposing the in-focus frame with the display form set on the captured image and displaying it on the display screen.

  The imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a captured image generation unit that generates a captured image of a subject, at least one focusing frame that indicates at least one in-focus area in the captured image and the captured image generated by the captured image generation unit. And the above-described focusing frame display control device.

  The imaging device may be configured to include a display screen on which the captured image and the in-focus frame superimposed on the in-focus frame display control device are displayed.

  According to the present embodiment, there is provided a focusing frame display control device, a focusing frame display control method, and a shooting device that can improve the visibility of the focusing frame itself while ensuring the visibility of the captured image. .

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the imaging device of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the display control flow of the focusing frame at the time of the multipoint ranging mode of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed on the display screen of an imaging device at the time of multipoint ranging mode of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed on the display screen of an imaging device at the time of the conventional multipoint ranging mode.

  Hereinafter, a photographing apparatus 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 will be described as an embodiment of the present invention. Note that the photographing apparatus is not limited to a digital single lens reflex camera, but includes, for example, a mirrorless single lens camera, a compact digital camera, a video camera, a camcorder, a tablet terminal, a PHS (Personal Handy phone System), a smartphone, a feature phone, a portable game machine, and the like. The apparatus may be replaced with another type of apparatus having a photographing function.

[Configuration of the photographing apparatus 1]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the photographing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the photographing apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100, an operation unit 102, a diaphragm / shutter driving circuit 104, a photographing lens 106, a diaphragm 108, a shutter 110, an image sensor 112, and a signal processing circuit 114. An image processing engine 116, a buffer memory 118, a card interface 120, an LCD control circuit 122, an LCD 124, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 126.

  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.

  When the release switch is operated, the CPU 100 drives the aperture and shutter so that an 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. The diaphragm 108 and the shutter 110 are driven and controlled via the circuit 104. 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. The CPU 100 performs AF (Autofocus) control together with AE control. An active method, a phase difference detection method, a contrast detection method, or the like is applied to the AF control. The AF mode includes a central single-point ranging mode using a single central ranging area, a multi-point ranging mode using a plurality of ranging areas, and the like. Since the configuration and control of this type of AE and AF are well known, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The light flux 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 a single-plate color CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor having, for example, a Bayer pixel arrangement, accumulates an optical image formed by each pixel on the light receiving surface as a charge corresponding to the amount of light, and R It is converted into an imaging signal corresponding to each color of (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) and output to the signal processing circuit 114. The image sensor 112 may be another imager such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor.

  The signal processing circuit 114 performs predetermined signal processing such as clamping and demosaicing 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 matrix operation, Y / C separation, and white balance on the signal input from the signal processing circuit 114 to generate a luminance signal Y and color difference signals Cb and 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. The captured image storage format is not limited to the JPEG format, and may be a RAW format in which minimal image processing (for example, clamping) is performed.

  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 buffers the generated luminance signal Y and color difference signals Cb and Cr 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 display screen of the LCD 124. The user can view through a display screen of the LCD 124 a real-time through image (live view) captured with appropriate brightness and focus based on AE control and AF control.

  When the user performs a reproduction operation of the photographed image, the image processing engine 116 reads the photographed image data designated by the operation from the memory card 200 or the built-in memory, converts it into an image signal of a predetermined format, and the LCD control circuit 122. Output to. 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 captured image of the subject is displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124.

[Display control of focus frame in multi-point distance measurement mode]
In the present embodiment, the line width of the focusing frame to be superimposed on the through image is set according to the focus state of the subject in the multipoint ranging mode. FIG. 2 shows a display control flow of the focusing frame in the multipoint ranging mode. The display control flow shown in FIG. 2 is, for example, at the time of preview immediately after shooting (before the recording operation of the shot image data) or every time the through image is updated according to the frame rate when the release switch is pressed halfway. Be started.

[S11 in FIG. 2 (Focus Area Determination)]
In this process step S11, it is determined whether or not a focused distance measurement area (focused area) is detected from a plurality of distance measurement areas based on the AF control result (in other words, whether or not the focus is focused). Is done. If it is determined that the in-focus area is not detected (S11: NO), this flow ends because there is no in-focus frame displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124 (scheduled to be displayed on the display screen). .

[S12 in FIG. 2 (Acquisition of Number of Focused Areas)]
This process step S12 is executed when it is determined in process step S11 (determination of the focus area) that the focus area has been detected (S11: YES). In this processing step S12, information on the number of in-focus areas detected based on the AF control result is acquired.

[S13 in FIG. 2 (determination of the number of in-focus areas)]
In this processing step S13, it is determined whether or not the number of in-focus areas acquired in processing step S12 (acquisition of the number of in-focus areas) is greater than “maximum number MAX / 2”. The maximum number MAX is the same as the total number of ranging areas in the multipoint ranging mode.

[S14 in FIG. 2 (setting of focusing frame line width)]
This processing step S14 is executed when it is determined in processing step S13 (determination of the number of in-focus areas) that the number of in-focus areas is greater than the “maximum number MAX / 2” (S13: YES). When there are many in-focus frames, it is difficult for the user to overlook the in-focus frames, so that the visibility of the in-focus frames is ensured even if the line width of the in-focus frames is narrow. Rather, it is desirable that the line width of the focusing frame is narrower in the sense that it does not hinder the visibility of the captured image. Therefore, in this processing step S14, the line width of the focusing frame displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124 is set to n dots. In the present embodiment, n dots is a default setting and is the thinnest line width that can be set. In this flow, after execution of this processing step S14, the processing proceeds to processing step S23 (focus frame overlay display).

[S15 in FIG. 2 (determination of the number of in-focus areas)]
This processing step S15 is executed when it is determined in processing step S13 (determination of the number of in-focus areas) that the number of in-focus areas is “maximum number MAX / 2” or less (S13: NO). In this processing step S15, it is determined whether or not the number of in-focus areas acquired in processing step S12 (acquisition of the number of in-focus areas) is greater than “maximum number MAX / 4”.

[S16 in FIG. 2 (setting of line width of focusing frame)]
This processing step S16 is executed when it is determined in processing step S15 (determination of the number of in-focus areas) that the number of in-focus areas is greater than the “maximum number MAX / 4” (S15: YES). In this processing step S16, since the visibility of the focusing frame decreases as the focusing frame decreases, the line width of the focusing frame displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124 is set to (n + 1) dots. That is, the focusing frame is set to a line width slightly thicker than the default setting. In this flow, after execution of this processing step S16, the processing proceeds to processing step S19 (calculation of the display position of the focusing frame).

[S17 in FIG. 2 (determination of the number of in-focus areas)]
This processing step S17 is executed when it is determined in processing step S15 (determination of the number of in-focus areas) that the number of in-focus areas is “maximum number MAX / 4” or less (S15: NO). In this processing step S17, it is determined whether or not the number of in-focus areas acquired in processing step S12 (acquisition of the number of in-focus areas) is greater than “1”.

[S18 in FIG. 2 (setting of line width of focusing frame)]
This processing step S18 is executed when it is determined in processing step S17 (determination of the number of in-focus areas) that the number of in-focus areas is greater than “1” (S17: YES). In this processing step S18, since the focus frame is further reduced and the visibility of the focus frame is further lowered, the line width of the focus frame displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124 is set to (n + 2) dots. In this flow, after execution of this processing step S18, the processing proceeds to processing step S19 (calculation of the display position of the focusing frame).

[S19 in FIG. 2 (Calculation of Display Position of Focusing Frame)]
In this processing step S19, the position information of each focusing area is acquired based on the AF control result, and the display position of the focusing frame indicating each focusing area is calculated based on the acquired position information.

[S20 in FIG. 2 (Determination of Display Position Relationship of Focusing Frame)]
In this processing step S20, there is a focusing frame that is arranged close to other focusing frames based on the position information of each focusing area calculated in processing step S19 (calculation of the display position of the focusing frame). It is determined whether or not. For example, a focusing frame having a distance of several dots or less from at least one focusing frame adjacent to at least one of up, down, left, right, and diagonal is determined to be a focusing frame that is arranged in proximity to another focusing frame. When it is determined in this processing step S20 that there is no focusing frame that is arranged close to other focusing frames (S20: NO), this flow proceeds to processing step S23 (focusing frame superposition display).

[S21 in FIG. 2 (setting of line width of focusing frame)]
This processing step S21 is executed when it is determined in processing step S20 (determination of the display position relationship of the focusing frame) that there is a focusing frame arranged close to another focusing frame (S20: YES). The Since the focusing frame groups arranged close to each other are easily caught by the eyes of the user, the visibility is ensured. Therefore, in this processing step S21, in order to improve the visibility of the captured image, the line width of the focusing frame arranged close to other focusing frames is changed to n dots. Further, the line width of all the focusing frames may be uniformly changed to n dots. In this flow, after this processing step S21 is executed, the processing proceeds to processing step S23 (focused frame superimposition display).

[S22 in FIG. 2 (setting of line width of focusing frame)]
This processing step S22 is executed when the number of in-focus areas is determined to be “1” in processing step S17 (determination of the in-focus area number) (S17: NO). In this processing step S22, since the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124 is the minimum and visibility is low, the line width of the focusing frame is set to (n + 3) dots. That is, the focusing frame is set to the thickest line width that can be set.

[S23 in FIG. 2 (focus frame overlay display)]
In this processing step S23, the focusing frame having the line width set by the execution of each processing step described above is superimposed on the photographed image based on the AF control result and displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124. Thereby, this flow ends.

[Display screen example]
3A and 3B show examples of screens displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124 in the multi-point distance measurement mode of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen displayed on the LCD display screen in the conventional multipoint ranging mode.

  In the screen example of FIG. 3A, there are 16 in-focus areas. This is more than the “maximum number MAX / 2”. In the screen example of FIG. 3A, the focusing frame (in the figure, a rectangular frame superimposed on the captured image) has a large number of displays, so visibility is ensured even if the line width is narrow. Therefore, the focusing frame is displayed with a thin line width (n-dot line width).

  In the screen example of FIG. 3B and the screen example of FIG. 4 (conventional example), the number of in-focus areas is two. This is equal to or less than the “maximum number MAX / 4”. In these screen examples, since there are few focused frames displayed, the visibility is low when the line width of the focused frame is thin (n dots) (see the conventional example in FIG. 4). On the other hand, in the screen example of FIG. 3B, the line width of the focusing frame is thick ((n + 2) dots), so it can be seen that the visibility is improved.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, guarantee of the visibility of the captured image and guarantee or improvement of the visibility of the focus frame are achieved at the same time regardless of the number of displayed focus frames.

  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.

  In the present embodiment, a superimposed image of the captured image and the focusing frame is displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124. However, in another embodiment, an electronic viewfinder (not shown) in which the superimposed image is mounted on the photographing apparatus 1 is displayed. May be displayed.

  In the present embodiment, the focusing frame has a rectangular shape. However, in another embodiment, the focusing frame may have another shape such as a circular shape or a polygonal shape.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the line width of the focusing frame is increased in order to improve the visibility of the focusing frame. However, in another embodiment, the line color of the focusing frame is changed from the normal line color. Or the in-focus frame may blink.

  In the present embodiment, the display control flow shown in FIG. 2 is executed at the time of preview immediately after shooting or every time the through image is updated in accordance with the frame rate while the release switch is half-pressed. In another embodiment, it may be executed when a recorded image is reproduced and displayed on the display screen of the LCD 124. In this case, the focus area is stored as meta information in the captured image data.

1 photographing apparatus 100 CPU
102 Operation Unit 104 Aperture / Shutter Drive Circuit 106 Shooting Lens 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
200 memory card

Claims (14)

A display that sets at least one focusing frame that indicates at least one focusing area in the captured image, and sets a display form of the focusing frame according to the number of focusing frames displayed on a predetermined display screen. Morphological setting means;
Superimposing display means for superimposing a focusing frame set with a display form on the captured image and displaying the superimposed frame on the display screen;
Comprising
Focusing frame display control device. The display form setting means includes:
Setting the line width of the focusing frame according to the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen;
The focusing frame display control device according to claim 1. The display form setting means includes:
The line width of the focusing frame is set to be thicker as the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen is smaller.
The focusing frame display control device according to claim 2. The display form setting means includes:
Furthermore, the line width of the focusing frame is set according to the position of the focusing frames displayed on the display screen.
The focusing frame display control device according to claim 2 or 3. The display form setting means includes:
Determining whether or not the focusing frame displayed on the display screen includes a plurality of focusing frames close to each other;
When it is determined that the focusing frame displayed on the display screen includes a plurality of focusing frames that are close to each other, at least a plurality of focusing frames that are close to each other are displayed on the focusing frame displayed on the display screen. Regardless of the number, the line width is set to a predetermined line width.
The focusing frame display control device according to claim 4. The display form setting means includes:
The line width of the plurality of focusing frames that are close to each other is set to be narrower than the line width that is set according to the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen.
The in-focus frame display control device according to claim 4 or claim 5 quoting claim 3. A display that sets at least one focusing frame that indicates at least one focusing area in the captured image, and sets a display form of the focusing frame according to the number of focusing frames displayed on a predetermined display screen. A configuration step;
Including a superimposition display step of superimposing a focusing frame set with a display form on the captured image and displaying the image on the display screen.
In-focus frame display control method. In the display form setting step,
Setting the line width of the focusing frame according to the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen;
The focusing frame display control method according to claim 7. In the display form setting step,
The line width of the focusing frame is set to be thicker as the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen is smaller.
The focusing frame display control method according to claim 8. In the display form setting step,
Furthermore, the line width of the focusing frame is set according to the arrangement relationship of the focusing frame displayed on the display screen.
The focusing frame display control method according to claim 8 or 9. In the display form setting step,
Determining whether or not the focusing frame displayed on the display screen includes a plurality of focusing frames close to each other;
When it is determined that the focusing frame displayed on the display screen includes a plurality of focusing frames that are close to each other, at least a plurality of focusing frames that are close to each other are displayed on the focusing frame displayed on the display screen. Regardless of the number, the line width is set to a predetermined line width.
The focusing frame display control method according to claim 10. In the display form setting step,
The line width of the plurality of focusing frames that are close to each other is set to be narrower than the line width that is set according to the number of focusing frames displayed on the display screen.
The in-focus frame display control method according to claim 10 or claim 11 quoting claim 9. A captured image generating means for generating a captured image of the subject;
2. A focusing frame display control device that superimposes a captured image generated by the captured image generation unit and at least one focusing frame indicating at least one focusing area in the captured image, wherein: To any one of claims 6 to 6;
Comprising
Shooting device. A display screen on which a captured image and a focusing frame that are superimposed by the focusing frame display control device are displayed;
The imaging device according to claim 13.