JP3143614B2 - Imaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus such as a camera suitable for panoramic photographing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when performing panoramic photography, a photographer has to remember a joint portion in his / her head. Also, the camera was fixed to some extent using a tripod.

[0003]

As described above, in the conventional panoramic photographing, the photographer has to remember the joints in his head, which is bothersome. It must be connected to this seam part, but the seam part learned at this time must be imagined to be brought to the opposite side of the viewfinder from the time when it was learned, Due to the fact that the seam may not have such a characteristic, it was difficult to fit the seam part. Also, once you forget the seam part, you have to start over again and it is useless, and even if you learn the left and right direction, you can not easily adjust without a tripod up and down, and Even if the position of the camera is slightly shifted by hand, it is difficult to adjust the next shooting screen.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographing apparatus which can very easily and accurately perform photographing that can be successfully performed as a panoramic photograph.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image capturing means for capturing an image to be captured, and an instruction means for instructing at least right panoramic photographing or left panoramic photographing. When the right panoramic photographing is instructed by the instructing means, an already photographed image and an image to be photographed taken by the image taking means are displayed on the right side of the already photographed image at the same time. When the left panoramic photographing is instructed by the instruction means, a display for simultaneously displaying an already photographed image and an image to be photographed to be captured by the image capturing means on the left side of the already photographed image. And a photographing apparatus having means.

[0006]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a camera provided with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same reference numerals in the drawings have the same functions. In FIG. 1, 1 is a camera body, 2
Is a release button, 3 is a display means, 4 is a button with which a left scroll switch is linked, 5 is a button with which a right scroll switch is linked, and 6 is a lens which forms an image of a subject on a film or an image sensor.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a circuit incorporated in the camera of FIG. That is, the subject is output as an image signal by the image sensor 401 in accordance with the image capturing address generator 404, converted into a digital value by the A / D converter 402, and stored in the RAM 403. RAM4
Numeral 03 designates 1 to 36, each of which corresponds to the RAM selection means 41 according to information of the film counter 412.
Selected by 1.

The image signal stored in the RAM 403 is sent to the D / A converter 409 in accordance with the image capturing address 404, and the signal converted into analog is transmitted to the display unit 410 specified by the display address generator 406. Appears in place. Here, the phase control unit 405 gives a phase to the display address and the imaging address, and causes the display unit 410 to perform a display in which the start address of the display unit 410 is substantially changed as shown in FIG. further,
Before and after that, the phase control unit 405 sends a signal to the RAM selection unit 411 to display the data next to the RAM 403 on the display unit 410 in accordance with the address shown in FIG. ) Is displayed.

The switches 407 and 4 shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 08 denotes a switch for selecting a rightward panorama or a leftward panorama, respectively.
Or, FIG. 3B is selected.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a first example of a display by the camera shown in FIGS. First, FIG.
Means right panorama shooting. When this is set by the above-mentioned switch 407, only the hatched portion of the n-th image which is the image of the previous photograph is displayed on the left end of the image which is the current viewfinder. You. Further, the image to be photographed next is displayed as a moving image by combining the (n + 1) -th shaded portion with the remaining portion on the right of the finder, and displays the previous n-th frame and the (n + 1) -th image to be photographed.
The boundary of the first sheet can be accurately adjusted. In this case, the panoramic photographing moves from the left landscape to the right, but the reverse can be selected by the switch 408 described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 3B, by displaying the n-th left diagonal line on the right side of the finder and displaying the (n + 1) -th diagonal line portion on the left side of the finder, panorama from the right landscape to the left. It is also possible to shoot.

FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show the n-th, n + 1
Each horizontal address when the first image is displayed on the viewfinder is shown.

FIG. 4A corresponds to FIG. 3A, and FIG. 4B corresponds to FIG. 3B.

In FIG. 4A, it is assumed that one image has data from OO _H to FF _{H in the} horizontal direction. n
The data from the horizontal direction CO _H to FF _H of the image data of the first sheet is changed from OH _H to 3F _H on the finder, and the data from OH _H to BF _H of the image data of the (n + 1) th sheet is converted to 40 _H on the finder.
It is sufficient to display the FF _H from. The same applies to FIG. 4B.

From the above, it is understood that the display shown in FIG. 3 can be realized by changing the start position of the horizontal address of the display.

FIG. 5 shows a second example of the display according to the present invention. This is to completely display two images side by side on one screen. In this case, in the circuit of FIG. 2, the data of the RAM 403 is read out one by one in the vertical and horizontal directions by the photographing address generating means 404, and the nth and (n + 1) th images are read out by the phase control means 405 and the RAM selecting means 411. This can be realized by setting the display start address of the eyes so as to correspond to FIG. 5 and designating the display address range in the vertical direction in the display address generation means 406.

FIG. 6 shows a third example of the display according to the present invention. In FIG. 3 described above, the fixed value is set as the address phase. In this example, the screen is scrolled by the buttons 4 and 5 in FIG. 1 so that the remaining amount of the previous screen can be controlled. is there. That is, FIG.
→ (b) → (c) shows a state where scrolling is gradually performed. That is, on the finder, the (n + 1) th screen is displayed on the right as a moving image as an image to be shot, and the nth already shot screen is displayed as a still image on the left.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a circuit for realizing the display of FIG.

The subject is converted into an image signal by the image sensor 401, converted into a digital value by the A / D converter 402, and output to the DI terminals of the RAMs 703 to 705.
The RAMs 703 to 705 constitute the above-described RAM 403 (not shown here, but the RAM 703 is not shown).
705 are provided corresponding to the number of frames). The vertical transfer clock φV of the image sensing element 401 is counted up by an image sensing vertical address counter 717, and the vertical address is determined by the image sensing element 401 and RAMs 703 to 70
Send to 5. This counter is initially reset by a vertical blanking signal VD when a predetermined number of transfer clocks φV are output. Similarly, the horizontal transfer clock φH of the image pickup device 401 is counted up by the image pickup horizontal address counter 718, and the horizontal address is transferred to the image pickup device 4.
01 and RAM 703 to 705. This counter is initially reset by a horizontal blanking signal HD when a predetermined number of transfer clocks φH are output.

On the other hand, in response to a signal indicating the number of frames of the film from the film counter 412, the decoder 715
A signal is sent to the WE terminal of M703-705,
One of 3 to 705 is selected and an image signal from the image sensor 401 is taken into the selected RAM. The film counter 412 counts up the counter by one in response to the exposure timing signal from the shutter control means 729, whereby the output of the decoder 715 is switched, and the image data at that time is stored in the RAM previously selected by the decoder 715. Recorded as a still image. The previous image data is sequentially sent to the D / A converter 409 via the RAM and converted into an analog signal, and displayed on the display 410 as a moving image as a current image.

Data is read from the RAMs 703 to 705 via select gates including AND gates 709 to 714 and OR gates 706 to 708 in accordance with the outputs of the decoder 715 and exclusive OR gates 726 and 727 described later. RA signal sent to OE terminal
Data is output only from M.

The switches 723 and 724 are switches that are linked with the buttons 4 and 5 in FIG. 1 and instruct right and left scrolling, respectively. When these switches are turned on, the clock is supplied from the clock generation means 730 to the address. The difference to the up terminal of counter 720 or do
Send to wn terminal. The address difference counter 720 counts up or down for the transmitted clock. The count value here is an offset value at the boundary between the n-th and (n + 1) -th pages displayed as the scroll amount. Further, depending on whether the address difference counter is first down or up, the direction detecting unit 728 selects whether the first image displayed on the display unit 410 is the right side or the left side as the scroll direction.

The comparator 719 determines the magnitude of the content of the imaging horizontal address counter 718 and the content of the address difference counter 720. Large (>) and small (<) outputs are output to exclusive OR gates 726 and 727, respectively.

The count value of the address difference counter 720 is compared with the content of the imaging horizontal address counter 718 by a comparator 719, and in the case of scrolling rightward according to the output of the direction detection means 728, the content of the imaging horizontal address counter 718 is used. Is the address difference counter 720
Exclusive OR gate 7 while the count value is greater than (>)
26, the output of the exclusive OR gate 727 becomes "L". At this time, if the content of the film counter 412 is the (n + 1) th sheet, the AND gate 712 is selected by the output of the decoder 715, The n-th image data as the previous screen is read from the RAM 704 and input to the display unit 410 via the D / A conversion unit 409. The display means 410 performs display in accordance with the addresses specified by the display horizontal address counter 721 and the display vertical address counter 722. When the comparator 719 outputs a match signal (=), the display means 410 displays the display horizontal address counter 72.
Since 1 is reset, the imaging horizontal address counter 7 is reset.
18 after that when the content of 18 becomes larger than the count value of the address difference counter 719
The image data of the RAM 704 corresponding to the address No. 8, ie, the n-th right image, is displayed on the left side of the display means 410.

Then, the imaging horizontal address counter 718
Is initially reset by the horizontal blanking signal HD,
When the content of the imaging horizontal address counter 718 becomes smaller than the count value of the address difference counter 719 (<), the exclusive OR gate 726 is output by the comparator 719.
Is "L", the output of the exclusive OR gate 727 is "H", the AND gate 713 is selected this time, and the (n + 1) th image data of the current screen is stored in the RAM 70.
5 and input to the display means 410 via the D / A conversion means 409.

As a result, the display means 410 performs display such that the image data corresponding to the head address of the imaging horizontal address counter 718 becomes the position corresponding to the address specified by the display horizontal address counter 721 at that time. Accordingly, on the display unit 410, the left side of the (n + 1) th image is displayed on the right side of the nth image following the nth image, as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in the case of scrolling in the left direction, the output of the direction detecting means 728 is inverted, and the exclusive OR gate 72 is inverted.
The switching of the output of 6,727 is opposite to the case of the above-described rightward scroll, and the display means 410 displays the right side of the (n + 1) th image on the left side of the display means 410, and subsequently displays n images. The left side of the eye image is displayed on the right side of the display means 410.

Incidentally, the photographing address generating means 404 in FIG.
Can be composed of the imaging vertical address counter 717 and the imaging horizontal address counter 718 of this embodiment, and the phase control means 405 of FIG. 2 keeps the up-count value and down-count value of the address difference counter 720 of this embodiment constant. The direction detecting means 728 and the comparator 7
19, and can be constituted by exclusive OR gates 726 and 727. Further, the RAM selecting means 411 of FIG.
Can be constituted by the OR gates 706 to 708, the AND gates 709 to 714, and the decoder 715 in this embodiment.
The display address generating means 406 in FIG. 2 can be constituted by the display horizontal address counter 721 and the display vertical address counter 722 of this embodiment.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show a fourth example of a display according to the present invention. That is, by displaying a boundary line at the boundary of the screen, it is easy to identify, and even when the match is close as shown in FIG. I understand.

In order to implement this, in FIG. 7, the coincidence signal (=) of the comparator 719 is inverted by the inverter 1201 as shown in FIG.
02, the data of the RAM 403 may be input to the other input terminal of the AND gate 1202, and the output may be input to the D / A converter 409. As a result, when a match signal is output from the comparator 719, the RAM 4
The output of the data No. 03 to the D / A conversion means 409 is blocked, and this portion is displayed as a boundary line as shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 shows a display in which the scroll function of FIG. 7 is developed. The address difference counter 72 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, when the scroll exceeds one screen by the decoder 1203 and further goes to the previous screen or the rear screen, the content of the film counter is subtracted or added and the content is sent to the decoder 715 as shown in FIG. , Enabling scrolling of multiple screens. That is, when the n-2, n-1 and n-th panoramas of FIG. 10 are photographed, the display range A is moved left and right by pressing the scroll button, and the screen is displayed on the finder. Is displayed. This enables the panoramic photograph to be confirmed on the electronic viewfinder after the photographing is completed.

FIGS. 12A and 12B show a sixth example of display according to the present invention. In other words, a part of the previous screen, which is the n-th sheet, is left, and the (n + 1) -th sheet is overlapped and displayed.
FIG. 12A shows that the overlapping portions do not match, and FIG. 12B shows that the overlapping portions match and the display disappears. According to this method, an overlapped portion is formed on the print, which may be unfavorable, but this may be displayed by the image sensor even outside the print. In this display, it is possible to simply determine whether or not they match, so that the joint can be easily adjusted.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a circuit for implementing the display of FIG. 12. The address of the display address counter 1111 is a RAM for taking in the (n + 1) th image which is the current screen.
The data is sent to the display unit 410 and the display unit 410, and the data from the RAM 1102 is displayed on the display unit 410 corresponding to the same address as the address of the RAM 1102. On the other hand, an address offset value is set in the panorama address generation unit 1104 by the preset unit 1103 in the RAM 1101 for taking in the n-th image as the previous screen,
1101 reads data from this offset value. The data in the RAM 1102 and the data in the RAM 1101 enter the exclusive OR gate 1107, and when they match, output a low level. That is, the exclusive OR gate 1107 outputs an overlapping portion of the image data in the RAM 1101 and the RAM 1102. On the other hand, comparator 1
105, the counter value of the panorama address generating means 1104 is compared. In this case, when the image data of the RAM 1101 reaches the right end which is FF _H , a high level is output. When a high level is input to the AND gate 1109 via the AND gate 1109, the output of the exclusive OR gate 1107 is sent to the A / D conversion means 409 via the AND gate 1109 and the OR gate 1110, and is displayed on the left side of the display means 410 in FIG. Is displayed as shown in FIG. Also, as described above, when the image data of the RAM 1101 comes to the right end of FF _H , the output of the comparator 1105 is inverted. The display as shown in FIG. 12 is performed on the right side of the display means 410 via the conversion means 409.

FIG. 14 shows a state in which panorama development is performed in the vertical direction. In this case, in the circuit shown in FIG. 7, a circuit which controls the horizontal address counter can be realized by changing it to a vertical address counter. It is.

FIG. 15 shows the scroll of FIG. 10 expanded in the vertical direction. Also in this case, in the circuits shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, what has been controlling the horizontal address counter may be changed to the vertical address counter.

FIG. 16 shows a combination of left and right scrolling and up and down scrolling, so that photographing with the composition shown in FIG. 16 is also facilitated. Needless to say, it is also possible to freely scroll from the combination of the above embodiments.

FIG. 17 shows a case where the embodiment of FIG. That is, in the case of characters, the number of characters that can be recognized on one screen is limited by, for example, the number of pixels of the image sensor 401 and the display unit 410 in FIG. 2 or FIG. Therefore, it is possible to record many sentences by dividing and recording an object. Here, when shooting in a panoramic manner vertically and horizontally, it is possible to know which side the next screen touches, and this is recorded in a memory or the like, and the screen memory is controlled by a microcomputer, thereby dividing the divided screen. Can be automatically viewed side by side by scrolling.

FIG. 18 shows another embodiment of the circuit of the present invention when a microcomputer is used. That is, when performing panoramic image capturing, the microcomputer 1701 fetches the direction from the direction detecting means 728 and
02, and during reproduction, the microcomputer 1701 uses the data in the direction RAM 1702 to scroll the RAM 40
3 to output the address.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
An object of the present invention is to provide a photographing apparatus capable of extremely easily and accurately performing photographing that is successfully connected as a panoramic photograph.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a main circuit incorporated in the camera of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a first example of display by the camera in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a horizontal address of an image with respect to FIGS. 3A and 3B;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a second example of display by the camera in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a third example.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a circuit for displaying the display in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a fourth example of display by the camera in FIG. 1;

9 is an explanatory diagram of a circuit for displaying the display in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a fifth example.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a circuit for performing the display in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of a sixth example.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a circuit for performing the display in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a seventh example of display by the camera in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an eighth example of the display.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of a ninth example of display.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of a tenth example of display.

FIG. 18 is another explanatory diagram of a circuit when a microcomputer is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 camera 2 release button 3 display means 4, 5 button 6 lens 401 imaging element 402 A / D conversion means 403 RAM 404 imaging address generation means 405 phase control means 406 display address generation means 407, 408 switch 409 D / A conversion means 410 Display means 411 RAM select means 412 Film counter

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03B 37/04 G03B 13/02 G03B 17/20 H04N 5/225

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image capturing unit for capturing an image to be captured, an instruction unit for instructing at least right panorama imaging or left panorama imaging, and a case where a right panorama imaging is instructed by the instruction unit. In
An image that has already been captured and an image that is to be captured to be captured by the image capturing unit are displayed on the right side of the already captured image at the same time. A photographing apparatus, comprising: a display unit for simultaneously displaying an already photographed image and an image to be photographed to be captured by the image capturing unit on the left side of the already photographed image. 2. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image taking means has an image pickup device. 3. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image taking means has a lens. 4. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing the already photographed image. 5. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing the image to be photographed. 6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the already captured image as a still image and displays the image to be captured as a moving image.
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising storage means for storing the image to be taken as a still image.
An imaging device according to claim 1. 8. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising instruction information storage means for storing instruction information of said instruction means. 9. The photographing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said display means performs a display operation in accordance with the instruction information stored in said instruction information storage means.