JP2019023686A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: when a photographer performs photographing in a pupil AF mode while looking into an optical finder, the photographer cannot perform pupil AF until the eye matches a focus point.SOLUTION: An imaging device has an optical finder and a sub sensor, and comprises: detection means that acquires position information on a part of the face detected from an image obtained by the sub sensor; a position determination unit that compares the position information on the part acquired by the detection means with position information on a focus point and determines whether both match each other; and a control unit that displays an icon on the optical finder according to a result of determination performed by the position determination unit. When the position determination unit determines that the position information on the part does not match the position information on the focus point, the control unit displays, on the optical finder, a first icon for guiding the part to be matched with the focus point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a focus adjustment apparatus and a focus adjustment method having an optical viewfinder, and more particularly, to a focus adjustment apparatus and a focus adjustment method for focusing on a human eye.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a function (hereinafter referred to as pupil AF) for autofocusing on a person's eyes when photographing a person using an imaging apparatus has been developed. Specifically, the eye position is detected by performing face detection and organ detection on the input image, and the focus is adjusted by contrast AF or phase difference AF at the eye position.

  Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a conventional technique for pupil AF. In Patent Document 1, an AF control unit having both pupil AF and normal AF functions switches to the pupil AF mode for portrait shooting, and switches to the normal AF mode for other general shooting.

  On the other hand, in portrait photography using an imaging apparatus equipped with a reflex finder, it is considered that finder photography is often performed in order to hold the camera firmly or to capture a subject in real time. In viewfinder photography, a phase difference AF is performed at a distance measuring point whose position is determined in advance by using a distance measuring sensor.

  Patent Document 2 has been proposed as a prior art that clearly indicates a focused state when a person is photographed with a viewfinder. In Patent Document 2, it is determined whether or not the detected human face is focused at a distance measuring point, and the color of the face frame is changed according to the focus determination result.

JP 2002-162559 A JP 2010-103615 A

  However, when the portrait is photographed in the pupil AF mode through the viewfinder, it is considered that there is a case where the person's eyes do not overlap the distance measuring point and the pupil AF cannot be performed even though the composition is decided.

  In addition, if you are an entry user, it is assumed that some users do not know the general technique of focusing on a person's eyes by focusing on a distance measuring point, then returning to the determined composition and then releasing the shutter. Furthermore, in the case of an imaging device for entry, the number of distance measuring points is small, so the frequency that eyes do not overlap is considered to be higher.

  In Patent Document 1, since there is no description about the viewfinder shooting, the case where the eye does not overlap the distance measuring point cannot be considered. In Patent Document 2, only a result indicating whether or not a person's face can be focused is displayed, and a countermeasure for focusing on a subject to be focused is not considered.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to assist the user so that the pupil AF can be performed even in the viewfinder shooting.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
In an imaging apparatus having an optical finder and a sub sensor,
Detecting means for acquiring position information of a facial organ detected from an image obtained by the sub-sensor;
A position determination unit that compares the position information of the organ acquired by the detection means with the position information of the distance measuring point and determines whether or not they match;
A control unit that displays an icon on the optical viewfinder according to the determination result of the position determination unit;
When the position determination unit determines that the position information of the organ and the position information of the distance measurement point do not match, the control unit displays a guidance on the optical viewfinder so that the organ is aligned with the distance measurement point. And

  In photographing using the viewfinder, it is possible to assist the user to perform pupil AF.

2A and 2B illustrate a configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 The figure which shows the display of the finder part 103 at the time of pupil AF mode The figure which shows the display of the finder part 103 at the time of composition priority mode Flowchart of imaging apparatus 100 Flowchart of S404 Flowchart of S407

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Example 1]
The imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is assumed to include a face priority AF mode and a pupil AF mode as AF modes. The pupil AF mode is a mode for focusing on the eye, and further activates an assist display when the eye does not overlap the distance measuring point. Further, the composition AF mode is included in the pupil AF mode. In the composition priority mode, the position of the eye that determines the composition is remembered, and after the pupil AF, the position is returned to the original eye position and the assist is activated.

The configuration of the imaging device 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 101 denotes a lens. Reference numeral 102 denotes a mirror mechanism for guiding light incident from the lens 101 to a finder unit 103, a distance measuring sensor 104, and a photometric sensor 106, which will be described later.
Reference numeral 103 denotes a finder unit that can optically display a subject image and simultaneously display a focus position of the subject.

  A distance measuring sensor 104 photoelectrically converts an optical image incident from the lens 101 and applies A / D conversion processing to the obtained analog signal to obtain a digital distance measuring signal. Reference numeral 105 denotes a focus detection unit that performs distance measurement calculation at the position of the distance measurement point from the distance measurement signal obtained by the distance sensor 104 and outputs an AF evaluation signal to the CPU 110 described later.

  A photometric sensor 106 photoelectrically converts an optical image incident from the lens 101 and applies an A / D conversion process to the obtained analog signal to obtain a digital image signal. An image processing unit 107 obtains an evaluation image by performing image processing such as interpolation processing, color conversion processing, and scaling processing for scaling to a specific size on the image signal obtained from the photometric sensor 106. .

  108 performs face detection for detecting a person's face and organ detection for detecting an eye from the face from the evaluation image obtained by the image processing unit 107, and obtains size information and position coordinates of the face and eyes. It is a detection part which performs acquisition of the positional information which contains, and main point determination. Reference numeral 109 denotes a position determination unit that determines whether or not the eye position information obtained by the detection unit 108 matches the position information of the distance measuring point. Reference numeral 110 denotes a CPU that controls each unit of the image sensor 100. In particular, in order to execute the face priority AF mode and the pupil AF mode, a distance measuring point is selected according to the face and eye position information obtained by the detection unit 108.

  Then, using the AF evaluation signal obtained from the focus detection unit 105, an instruction is transmitted to the lens control unit 112 (to be described later) so as to control the lens 101 so that the focus is achieved at the position of the distance measuring point. Further, a display instruction is transmitted to the finder unit 103 according to the determination result obtained by the position determination unit 109.

  An operation unit 111 is configured as a button for receiving a shutter instruction from the photographer. A state where the operation unit 111 is half-pressed is an instruction to start focusing, and is referred to as SW1. The state where the operation unit 111 is fully pressed is an instruction to start shooting, and is referred to as SW2. Reference numeral 112 denotes a lens controller that drives the lens 101 in accordance with a control instruction transmitted from the CPU 110. A sensor 113 photoelectrically converts an optical image incident from the lens 101 and applies an A / D conversion process to the obtained analog signal to obtain a digital image signal.

  An image processing unit 114 obtains an image by performing image processing such as interpolation processing, color conversion processing, and scaling processing for scaling to a specific size on the image signal obtained from the sensor 113. Note that the image signal input to the image processing unit 114 may be input directly from the sensor, or may be input after being stored once in the DRAM 117.

  Reference numeral 115 denotes a compression / decompression unit for compressing / decompressing an image using a JPEG compression method or the like. Reference numeral 116 denotes a recording medium such as an SD card for storing the compressed image. Reference numeral 117 denotes a DRAM for temporary storage of images and use as a temporary buffer for compression.

  Next, the display content of the finder unit 103 in photographing in the pupil AF mode will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  Reference numeral 200 denotes a display on the finder unit 103, and it is assumed that the person 201 is a subject and the eye 203 is superimposed on the distance measuring point 202 to assist in focusing. Note that whether the main eye to be focused should be the left or right eye can be determined by considering the larger eye, which is a known technique, as the near side, or a photographer can use a touch panel or operation unit (not shown). It may be determined by operation.

  In this embodiment, as a method for selecting a distance measuring point for performing pupil AF, a known method similar to face priority AF is used, and a distance measuring point at the face position is selected. It should be noted that a distance measuring point closest to the main eye may be selected, or the most accurate distance measuring point may be selected.

  FIG. 2A shows a state where the eye 203 does not overlap any distance measuring point. In the state shown in FIG. 2A, when the photographer presses SW1 from the operation unit 111, the distance measuring point 202 is highlighted as shown in FIG. An arrow-shaped icon 204 is displayed toward. The photographer moves the image capturing apparatus 100 so that the eye 203 overlaps the distance measuring point 202 while pressing SW1.

  As shown in FIG. 2C, when the eye 203 overlaps the distance measuring point 202, the highlighting of the distance measuring point 202 is changed so that it can be seen that the eye is in focus. In FIG. 2C, the highlighting is changed from a single line to a double line. In addition, the icon 204 is hidden, and instead, an icon 205 is displayed so that it can be seen that the subject is in focus. In FIG. 2C, “OK! ] Is an icon 205.

  After confirming the icon 205, the photographer presses SW2 as it is to shoot. The icon 205 is preferably an expression that guides the photographer to push the SW2 intuitively.

  Next, the display contents of the viewfinder unit 103 in the composition priority mode suitable for shooting in the pupil AF mode and shooting in the composition when the SW1 is pressed will be specifically described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 2 are given the same numbers.

  FIG. 3A is a composition that the photographer wants to shoot, and shows a state in which the user wants to shoot with pupil AF but the eye 203 does not overlap any distance measuring point. In the state of FIG. 3A, when the photographer presses SW1 from the operation unit 111, as shown in FIG. 3B, the distance measuring point 202 is highlighted, and at the same time, the distance measuring point 202 from the eye 203 is displayed. An arrow-shaped icon 204 is displayed toward. Further, in the composition priority mode, the eye icon 305 is displayed so as to overlap the position of the eye 203.

The photographer moves the image capturing apparatus 100 so that the eye 203 overlaps the distance measuring point 202 while pressing SW1. As shown in FIG. 3C, when the eye 203 overlaps the distance measuring point 202, the highlighting of the distance measuring point 202 is changed so that it can be seen that the eye is in focus. In FIG. 3C, the highlighting is changed from a single line to a double line. Further, in the composition priority mode, an arrow-shaped icon 306 is displayed from the eye 203 toward the eye icon 305.
The photographer moves the imaging device 100 so that the eye 203 overlaps the eye icon 305 while pressing SW1.

  As shown in FIG. 3D, when the eye 203 overlaps the eye icon 305, the icon 306 is hidden, and instead, the icon 307 that indicates that the eye 203 has returned to the position when SW1 is pressed. Is displayed. In FIG. 3D, “OK! ] Is the icon 307.

  After confirming the icon 307, the photographer presses SW2 as it is to photograph. The icon 307 is preferably expressed in such a way as to guide the photographer to push SW2 intuitively.

  Next, an imaging flow of the imaging apparatus 100 will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

  First, the flowchart of FIG. 4 will be described. In S401, the CPU 110 operates the operation unit 111 by the photographer and receives that SW1 has been pressed. In S402, the CPU 110 determines a distance measuring point to be AF. When the face priority AF is OFF, for example, a distance measurement point is determined by using a result of subject recognition or scene discrimination, which is a known technique, or referring to a distance measurement result of the focus detection unit 104. . When the face priority AF mode or the pupil AF mode is ON, a distance measuring point included in the face area is determined from the face detection result acquired by the detection unit 108.

  In step S <b> 403, the CPU 110 determines whether the pupil AF mode is set as the AF mode of the imaging apparatus 100. When the pupil AF mode is ON, the process proceeds to S404, and when it is OFF, the process proceeds to S405. In S404, display is performed to guide the eye to the distance measuring point. Details of S404 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S <b> 405, the CPU 110 performs distance measurement using the AF evaluation signal obtained from the focus detection unit 105 and controls the lens control unit 112. In step S <b> 406, the CPU 110 determines whether the pupil AF mode and the composition priority mode are set as the AF mode of the imaging apparatus 100. If it is set, the process proceeds to S407. If not set, the process proceeds to S408.

  In S407, a guidance display is made to the composition when SW1 is pressed. Details of S407 will be described later with reference to FIG. In S <b> 408, the photographer operates the operation unit 111 and receives that SW <b> 2 has been pressed. In S409, shooting is performed. Specifically, the optical image obtained from the lens 101 is subjected to photoelectric conversion and A / D conversion by the sensor 113, image processing is performed in the image processing unit 114, and compression processing is performed in the compression / decompression unit 115. save.

  Next, the flow of S404 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step S <b> 501, an evaluation image is acquired via the photometric sensor 106 and the image processing unit 107. In step S502, the detection unit 108 performs organ detection for detecting human eyes. In step S <b> 503, the CPU 110 determines whether the detection unit 108 has detected an eye. If an eye is detected, the process proceeds to S504. If no eye is detected, the process proceeds to S515.

  In step S504, the detection unit 108 determines a main eye and acquires position information of the eye that is the main eye. In step S <b> 505, the position determination unit 109 compares the eye position information obtained by the detection unit 108 with the distance measurement point position information determined in step S <b> 402 and determines whether or not they match. If the determination result of the position determination unit 109 is the same in S506, the process proceeds to S512. If they do not match, the process proceeds to S507.

  In S507, the CPU 110 determines whether or not the composition priority mode is set. If the composition priority mode is set, the process proceeds to S508. If it is not set, the process proceeds to S511. In step S <b> 508, the CPU 110 determines whether or not an eye icon is being displayed in the finder unit 103. If the eye icon is being displayed, the process proceeds to S511. If not being displayed, the process proceeds to S509. In step S509, the position determination unit 109 stores the eye coordinates acquired in step S504.

  In step S510, the CPU 110 displays an eye icon at the position of the eye to be focused on in the finder unit 103, as indicated by reference numeral 305 in FIG. In S511, the CPU 110 displays an arrow-shaped icon from the eye toward the distance measuring point in the finder unit 103 as indicated by 204 in FIGS. 2B and 3B, and the process proceeds to S501.

  In S512, the CPU 110 highlights the distance measuring point in the finder unit 103, as indicated by 202 in FIGS. 2 (c) and 3 (c). In S513, the CPU 110 determines whether or not the composition priority mode is set. If the composition priority mode is set, the flow of S404 ends. If not set, the process proceeds to S514.

  In S514, the CPU 110 displays an icon indicating that the eye is in focus in the finder unit 103 as indicated by 205 in FIG. 2C, and ends the flow of S404. In S515, the CPU 110 receives the result of the eye not being detected by the detection unit 108, puts the icon in a non-display state in the finder unit 103, and ends the flow of S404.

  Next, the flow of S407 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The same processes as those in the flowchart of FIG. In step S601, the position determination unit 109 compares the original eye coordinates stored in step S509 with the current eye coordinates. In S506, when the comparison result in S601 matches, the process proceeds to S603. If they do not match, the process proceeds to S602. In step S602, an arrow icon is displayed from the current eye position toward the eye icon 305 as indicated by reference numeral 306 in FIG. In step S603, an icon indicating that the current eye position overlaps the eye icon 305 is displayed as indicated by reference numeral 307 in FIG. 3D, and the flow in step S407 ends.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to assist the user so that the pupil AF can be performed in photographing using the finder.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Lens 102 Mirror mechanism 103 Finder part 104 Distance sensor 105 Focus detection part 106 Photometric sensor 107 Image processing part 108 Detection part 109 Position determination part 110 CPU
111 Operation Unit 112 Lens Control Unit 113 Sensor 114 Image Processing Unit 115 Compression / Expansion Unit 116 Recording Medium 117 DRAM

Claims (4)

In an imaging apparatus having an optical finder and a sub sensor,
Detecting means for acquiring position information of a facial organ detected from an image obtained by the sub-sensor;
A position determination unit that compares the position information of the organ acquired by the detection means with the position information of the distance measuring point and determines whether or not they match;
A control unit that displays an icon on the optical viewfinder according to the determination result of the position determination unit;
When the position determination unit determines that the position information of the organ and the position information of the distance measuring point do not match, the control unit displays a first icon for guiding the organ to the distance measuring point on the optical viewfinder. An imaging apparatus characterized by: When the position determination unit determines that the position information of the organ and the position information of the ranging point match, the control unit displays a second icon that clearly indicates that the organ and the ranging point overlap. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. It further has an operation input means for receiving a focus instruction from the photographer,
When the control unit accepts the focusing instruction, the position determination unit stores the organ position information when the position determination unit determines that the position information of the organ and the position information of the ranging point do not match, and the control The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit displays a third icon for visually remembering the position of the organ on the optical viewfinder. When the position determination unit determines that the stored position information of the organ does not match the position information of the organ detected by the detection unit, the control unit displays the organ on the third icon on the optical viewfinder. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a fourth icon that guides the user to overlap is displayed.