JP3059775B2 - Scale mode method for still video cameras - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention calculates data related to dimensional display based on distance information, zoom information, aperture information, and the like at the time of focusing of an imaged subject, generates a scale pattern based on the calculated data, and generates a scale pattern simultaneously with the subject image. A still video camera system that can display dimensions (scale, etc.) on the screen. More specifically, a scale mode method of a still video camera that takes into account the display of dimensional patterns with high dimensional accuracy by increasing the accuracy of distance information in the captured information. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The present applicant has proposed a still video camera system in which a dimensional pattern can be included in an image of a subject in order to easily and accurately know the size of a captured subject image. This proposal adopts a format in which distance information and the like are incorporated on the premise of a normal AF shooting state.

[0003]

However, in a still video camera, the distance measuring conditions do not always match the conditions at the time of shooting. Generally, when taking a picture, the distance is measured in a form suitable for the photographing condition in order to give priority to a photo opportunity. Therefore, the accuracy of the obtained distance information is not high, and the accuracy of the dimensional pattern calculated and displayed by the information cannot be expected much.
An object of the present invention is a still video camera system capable of displaying a scale pattern simultaneously with a subject image, and improving the accuracy of a scale pattern displayed together with the subject image by increasing the measurement accuracy of distance information captured during shooting. An object of the present invention is to provide a scale mode method for a video camera.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a scale mode system of a still video camera according to the present invention is provided with focus information, zoom information, and distance information of a subject image formed on an image sensor via a lens system. A still video camera system that obtains information and aperture information, calculates data relating to dimensions, and displays a scale based on the calculated data together with a subject image, comprising: a scale mode setting unit; and an AF that defines an AF ranging area. When the camera is set to the scale mode by the distance measuring area defining means and the scale mode setting means, the zoom lens is moved to the telephoto end, and the AF distance measuring area is measured by the AF distance measuring area defining means during normal photographing. Scale mode condition setting means for making the aperture area narrower than the distance area and setting the aperture to the open side; When the focusing operation is performed in the state, the lens position is fixed to the in-focus position, then the control unit is set to shift to the shooting mode, the aperture is set to the auto iris state, and the zoom lens is set to the manually operable state. The distance information among the information captured in the shutter operation after the mode is set and the focusing operation is performed is configured to capture the lens position information when the lens is fixed at the in-focus position.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing an embodiment of a still video camera employing a scale mode system according to the present invention. This figure shows only a part directly related to the present invention, and is an example of a camera without a reproduction system for displaying a scale pattern. In order to obtain a reproduced image, the camera must be mounted on a reproducing apparatus, or a video floppy in which information for dimensional display is recorded together with a subject image must be mounted on the reproducing apparatus.

The image pickup system includes a lens system 1, a diaphragm 2, and C
It is configured to include the CD imaging device 3. The lens system 1 includes a master lens, a focusing lens, a variable power lens (zoom lens), and the like.
Is arranged. The lens drive control unit 17 includes the lens system 1
And a control unit for controlling the focusing lens and the variable power lens. The aperture control unit 18 includes a drive unit for driving the aperture and a control unit for controlling the same. The lens drive control unit 17 and the aperture control unit 18 drive and control the focus adjusting lens, the variable power lens, and the aperture according to the control signal sent from the CPU 6.

When the CPU 6 activates a CCD driver (not shown) to drive the CCD image pickup device 3, a subject image is taken into the image pickup circuit 4 through image pickup system means, and is further formed into a predetermined video signal by the signal processing and recording circuit 5. The image is displayed on an electronic finder (not shown). The imaging circuit 4 sends a part of the luminance signal to the AF control circuit 15 via the AF distance measurement area gate circuit 16 together with the above operation.
The AF control circuit 15 extracts a high-frequency signal from the luminance signal and sends it to the CPU 6. The CPU 6 sends out a drive signal of the focus adjusting lens based on the extracted high frequency signal,
The lens drive controller 17 moves the focus adjusting lens to the in-focus position (the extracted high-frequency signal level is the maximum position) based on the drive signal.
To bring. Information (distance information) indicating the focus adjustment lens position is sent to the CPU 6 during the focusing operation process and during focusing. When a zoom operation is performed and a zoom signal is input from the CPU 6, the lens drive control unit 17 drives the variable power lens to enlarge or reduce the subject to a desired size. The zoom lens position information at that time, that is, the zoom information is also CP.
It is sent to U6. On the other hand, the aperture control unit 18 controls the drive of the aperture 2 so that the subject has an appropriate exposure, and outputs exposure information (aperture information, brightness information) at that time to the CPU 6.
Send to

When the release button 14 is pressed, the CPU 6 sends a control signal to the CCD driver and sends the control signal to the CCD image pickup device 3.
Then, the transfer is started by discharging the charges accumulated so far, and the transfer is terminated after a predetermined time (shutter time). The electric signal of the subject image from the CCD image pickup device 3 is sent to the image pickup circuit 4. As described above, the imaging circuit 4
A part of the luminance signal is transmitted to the distance measurement area gate circuit 16. The signal processing and recording circuit 5 inserts a synchronizing signal or the like into the video signal from the imaging circuit 4 to generate a predetermined video signal, performs emphasis processing, performs FM modulation, and further performs recording current based on the FM modulation signal. Is adjusted and recorded on a predetermined track of the video floppy 12. At the time of the release operation, the CPU 6 sends lens position information (distance information) from the lens drive control unit 17 and the aperture control unit 18,
The zoom information and aperture and brightness exposure information are captured. Further, by detecting a high frequency component of the luminance information sent from the AF control circuit 15, it is possible to obtain focusing information as to whether or not focusing has been achieved.

When the scale mode is set, the distance information, zoom information, aperture information, brightness information, and focusing information (hereinafter referred to as “distance information etc.”) are stored in the NRZ writing circuit 7.
And the distance information and the like are converted into NRZ signals. The signal processing and recording circuit 5 amplifies the NRZ signal output from the NRZ writing circuit 7 and adjusts it to an appropriate recording current, and then records it on the cue track of the video floppy 12 by the magnetic head 13. The cue track is provided as the 52nd track of the video floppy, and whether to use the track is optional. In the present invention, this cue track is used as an area for storing distance information and the like. The recording method of the cue track is data recording W.W. It is a method (NRZ method) specified by G, and its capacity is 16 kilobytes, and a user can use about 15 kilobytes excluding the area occupied by directories and system files. In addition, it is also possible to use a user's area of ID information or a part of a track for recording an image of a subject as an area for recording distance information or the like.

The video floppy drive system which is the center of the video floppy drive of the present system is a video floppy drive 12.
A video floppy 1 under the control of the CPU 6. The motor 11 rotates a motor 11, a driver 10 for driving the motor 11, and a servo circuit 9 for controlling the driver.
2 is rotated at a predetermined speed and phase. The magnetic head drive system includes a stepping motor for driving the magnetic head 13 forward and backward intermittently and its driver (not shown).
The user moves the video floppy 12 to an empty track, a cue track, or the like designated by the user. A display unit such as an LCD (not shown) is connected to the CPU 6 to display various states of the electronic still camera.

A scale mode button 8 connected to the CPU 6 sets a predetermined scale mode condition for displaying a scale on a reproduced subject image and sets a mode in which the captured distance information and the like are recorded on the video floppy 12. belongs to. When the scale mode button 8 is pressed, the CPU 6 controls the zoom lens, the AF distance measurement area gate circuit 16 and the aperture control unit 18 according to a predetermined algorithm to set the zoom information, the AF distance measurement area and the aperture. Set to a value.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the circuit of FIG. 1 when the scale mode is set.
When the scale mode button 8 is pressed (step 1),
The mode signal is sent to the CPU 6. The CPU 6 controls the lens drive controller 17 to move the zoom lens to the tele end (step 2). The reason why the zoom lens is moved to the telephoto end is to make the depth of field as small as possible. Also, the AF distance measurement area gate circuit 16 is controlled to make the area smaller than the distance measurement area during normal photographing (step 4). This area is determined either in the extent to which advance, it is possible to improve the positional accuracy of the distance measurement by this. Further, the aperture control unit 18 is controlled to open the aperture (step 5). However, depending on the illumination conditions of the subject, if the luminance signal is saturated when the aperture is open and the focusing operation cannot be performed, the aperture should be close to the open range where the focusing operation can be performed. The CPU 6 also turns on a lamp or the like and displays a scale mode together with the above operation (step 3).

Next, when the release button 14 is half-pressed (step 6), the CPU 6 fetches a high-frequency signal of a luminance signal having a range in which the distance measurement range is narrower than a normal photographing state from the AF control circuit 15, and a lens drive control unit. Focusing control is performed on 17. When it is detected by the signal from the AF control circuit 15 that the focus adjustment lens has been brought to the in-focus position, the lens drive control unit 17 is controlled to hold the focus adjustment lens at that position and prevent the lens from moving. (Step 7). Next, the mode is shifted from the scale mode to the photographing mode (step 8), and the aperture is set to the auto iris state, and the aperture value is optimal for the current photographing. Further, the zoom lens can be manually operated, and a desired angle of view can be selected. The AF ranging area is controlled to a size optimal for AF (steps 9, 10, and 11).

Thereafter, the release button 14 is further pressed to release the shutter (the state may be returned from the state where the release button 14 is half-pressed to the original state and then released again).
The image of the subject is recorded on the video floppy 12 and the distance information is information when the focus adjustment lens is fixed, and the zoom information, exposure information and focusing information are information when the shutter is released. After being captured by the CPU 6 and converted into an NRZ signal by the NRZ writing circuit 7, it is recorded on the cue track of the video floppy 12 (step 13). Also, the lamp indicating the scale mode is turned off (step 14). When the clear button is pressed in each of the above operation steps, the operation returns to the initial stop state.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the reproducing apparatus. When a reproduction instruction is given by a key input circuit (not shown), the CPU 20 sends a control signal to the reproduction circuit 25 to read out the FM-modulated video signal from the selected track of the video floppy 23. The signal processing circuit 26 demodulates and de-emphasizes the FM modulation signal to restore the original video signal, and then outputs the video signal to a video terminal. When a dimension display instruction is given by a selection means (not shown), the NR is transmitted from the cue track of the video floppy 23.
The distance information and the like recorded in Z are read. The distance information and the like are subjected to NRZ inverse conversion by the NRZ reading circuit 27 and demodulated into the original signal. The CPU 20 performs arithmetic processing for creating a scale pattern using the demodulated distance information and the like, and calculates data related to dimensional display. Then, the calculated data relating to the dimension display is displayed on the scale display circuit 28.
To send to.

FIG. 4 (reproduction screen)
And a full scale pattern signal is output. In this full scale pattern, scale 31 is obtained by scale scale resolution data (obtained from scale width data).
Is engraved. Further, a numeral 32 indicating the scale 31 of the scale 30 is generated. The pattern signal of the scale display circuit 28 is sent to the signal processing circuit 26 and mixed with the video signal of the subject. Then, an image in which the scale is superimposed on the video signal of the subject is sent to the video terminal. The scale pattern is displayed on the TV monitor (not shown) together with the image of the subject. Although the example in which the video signal of the subject is analog-recorded has been described above, the present invention can be similarly applied to the case of digital recording using a semiconductor memory (such as an IC card) as a recording medium. In addition, although the function of calculating data relating to dimensions and generating a scale pattern is provided in the playback device, these functions may be provided in the camera and the data of the scale pattern signal may be recorded in the cue track. In addition, there is a video camera equipped with a still function,
This camera is also included in the category of the still video camera of the present invention if it satisfies the requirements of the claims of the present invention.

[0017]

As described above, in the scale mode system of the still video camera according to the present invention, the scale mode setting means is provided, and the zoom mode is set to the tele end, the aperture is opened, and the AF ranging is performed by the scale mode setting. Since the frame is narrower than the range during normal shooting, the lens position at the time of focusing is fixed, and the distance information at the fixed position is used. Calculates the data related to the image and generates a scale pattern, thereby improving the accuracy of the scale displayed together with the subject image on a reproduction screen or the like. If the scale mode is set, the zoom, aperture, and AF frame are set as described above. Can be used to incorporate scale information for scale display. The present invention is a procedure for temporarily shifting to the scale mode and focusing, and then shifting to the shooting mode.
Normally, when scale information is recorded simultaneously, no instantaneous photographing is performed, so that no problem occurs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing an embodiment of a scale mode system of a still video camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation and operation of the embodiment circuit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the playback device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a playback screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 lens system 2 aperture 3 CCD 4 imaging circuit 5 signal processing and recording circuit 6 CPU (control means) 7 NRZ writing circuit 8 scale mode button 9 servo circuit 10 driver 11 motor 12 video floppy (recording medium) 13 magnetic head 14 release Button 15 AF control circuit 16 AF ranging area gate circuit 17 Lens drive control unit 18 Aperture control unit

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A scale based on calculated data based on focus information, zoom information, distance information, and aperture information of a subject image formed on an image sensor via a lens system. A scale mode setting means, an AF ranging area defining means for defining an AF ranging area, and when the camera is set to a scale mode by the scale mode setting means. Move the zoom lens to the telephoto end, and use the AF
Scale mode condition setting means for narrowing the distance measurement area from the distance measurement area at the time of normal shooting, and setting the aperture to the open side, and when performing a focusing operation in the scale mode setting state, the lens position is set to After the camera is fixed at the in-focus position, it is equipped with control means for shifting to the shooting mode, setting the aperture to the auto iris state, and enabling the zoom lens to be manually operable, and setting the scale mode to perform the focusing operation. Wherein the distance information of the information captured in the step (a) is configured to capture the lens position information when the lens is fixed at the in-focus position.