JP3168492B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus used in a camera-integrated VTR or the like .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years,
Automatic control technology for video movies has become indispensable. At present, there is a type of single-lens reflex camera called an auto zoom that automatically adjusts a zoom according to a distance of a subject. Hereinafter, an auto zoom function used in a single-lens reflex camera will be described.

FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing a conventional image pickup apparatus. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a lens barrel, which includes a zoom lens 21 and a focus lens 22. Although it is actually composed of more lenses, these lenses are omitted. The motor driver 10 drives a zoom motor 11 that moves the zoom lens 21 based on a zoom command from the zoom lens control circuit 9. Motor driver 6
Drives the motor 7 for moving the focus lens 22 based on a focus command from the focus lens control circuit 5. The zoom lens position detecting device 12 is a zoom lens.
The position of 21 is detected, and a signal corresponding to the position of the lens on a one-to-one basis is output. The focus lens position detector 8 detects the position of the focus lens 22 and outputs a signal corresponding to the position of the lens on a one-to-one basis. The subject image is formed on the light receiving surface 2 by the zoom lens 21 and the focus lens 22. In this conventional example, a film is placed on the light receiving surface 2.

The infrared distance measuring device 23 measures the distance from the camera to the object by emitting infrared light toward the object and receiving the infrared light reflected by the object. The distance information obtained by the infrared distance measuring device 23 is sent to the focus lens control circuit 5. The focus lens control circuit 5 controls the motor driver 6 based on the distance information and drives the focus lens 22. The distance information obtained by the infrared distance measuring device 23 is also sent to the zoom lens control circuit 9. The zoom lens control circuit 9 controls the motor driver 10 based on the distance information obtained from the infrared distance measuring device 23 and the focal length information of the lens obtained in advance so that the subject image on the light receiving surface 2 becomes a fixed size. Control and drive the zoom lens 21. By the above operation, a subject image of the same size can always be obtained on the light receiving surface 2.

[0005] The auto zoom described above is a function originally developed for photographing a still image such as a still camera or a single-lens reflex camera, and does not consider moving image photographing. For example, if the subject moves and shifts from the center position to the edge of the screen, the infrared distance measuring device 23 measures not the distance to the subject but the distance to the background, and the auto zoom does not operate properly. Also, when the zoom lens is on the telephoto side, moving the camera slightly will cause the subject in the screen to move greatly, making it difficult to track the moving subject. There was a problem that it was difficult.

As a camera shake correction mechanism used in a conventional portable video camera or the like, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-255173
There is a thing as shown in the gazette. FIG. 39 is a configuration diagram of a conventional imaging device. In FIG. 39, 51 is a lens barrel (optical system), 52 is a gimbal mechanism that supports the lens barrel 51, and 53 is a lens barrel 51.
Is an angle sensor that detects a relative angle between the lens barrel 51 and a housing (not shown), 55 is an angular velocity sensor that detects an angular velocity generated in the lens barrel 51, and 56 is an output of the angle sensor 54. , A variable amplifier circuit that applies a predetermined gain to the output of the angular velocity sensor 55, 59 is an adder that adds the outputs of the variable amplifier circuits 56 and 57,
Reference numeral 60 denotes an actuator drive circuit that drives the actuator 53 from the output of the adder 59; 61, an image sensor that captures an image of a subject through the lens barrel 51; and 62, a signal processing circuit that processes a video signal output from the image sensor 61.

The lens barrel 51 and the imaging device 61 are provided with a gimbal mechanism 52.
Are supported so as to be rotatable about two orthogonal axes. The lens barrel 51 is controlled to be stationary with respect to the absolute coordinate system by actuators attached to the respective rotation axes. The angular velocity generated in the lens barrel 51 due to disturbance vibration such as camera shake is detected by the sensor 55, and the actuator 53 is driven by a control value corresponding to this value. This is called an angular velocity loop. Basically, this control system implements an anti-vibration function.

On the other hand, in order to constitute a practical imaging device, it is desirable that the center axis of the lens barrel 51 and the center axis of the housing match. Therefore, the relative angle between the center axis of the lens barrel 51 and the center axis of the housing is detected by an angle sensor 54 such as a Hall element, and control for driving the actuator is performed by a control value corresponding to this value. This control system is called an angle loop, and operates in a lower frequency band than the angular velocity loop. With this control loop, an operation is performed to make the lens barrel 51 coincide with the center axis of the housing in the low frequency region.

In order to perform camera shake correction using such a control system, the gain of the angular velocity loop must be made relatively much larger than the gain of the angle loop. Therefore, when the relative angle between the lens barrel and the housing is small, the output to the actuator becomes extremely small, and in consideration of the loss component of the rotating shaft, there is a problem that the lens barrel cannot be completely returned to the center axis. Occurs. This problem is a serious drawback, particularly when the size of the mechanical system is reduced in size and weight, since the loss component due to friction of the rotating shaft and the like relatively increases.

In recent years, there has been a strong demand for video cameras to be smaller and lighter. For reasons such as a reduction in hardware scale and versatility in processing, the control circuit such as this system is also compatible with digital processing using a microcomputer. To do more. Therefore, when a control system is configured by a digital circuit, the number of effective bits is limited, so that a very small value of 1 bit or less is not output. In this case as well,
There is a problem that the origin return of the lens barrel becomes insufficient.

As a countermeasure against such a problem, there is a method of adding an integral element to an angle loop of a control system. However, this method has a disadvantage that the overshoot generated in the output is large. When the lens barrel returns to the origin, the operation passes through the origin position, and the operability of the imaging apparatus is significantly deteriorated. This operation is a serious drawback particularly when moving to still photography.

Conventionally, the amount of translation of a screen, that is, the detection of a motion vector, has been used for motion compensation for improving coding efficiency and for correcting screen shaking due to camera vibration or shaking.

However, the actual movement of the image is a mixture of the parallel movement of the entire image and the movement of the object in the image.
The motion of the object may cause false detection of the motion vector,
There is a problem depending on an image such as a decrease in detection accuracy due to a picture pattern.

In particular, to detect a motion vector, a correlation operation of image information between two temporally continuous screens is performed, and a shift amount having the highest correlation among the correlation values obtained thereby is determined by the motion vector. Therefore, when there is no change in the image or when the same pattern is periodically repeated, the motion vector detection has a high possibility of erroneous detection.

If the moving object enters the screen when the purpose is to correct the shaking caused by the camera shake, only the motion vector detected from the background portion should be used, and the motion vector detected from the moving object portion should be used. Should not be. Therefore, it is necessary to select the motion vector according to the situation instead of using the detected motion vector as it is.

Accordingly, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-269375, a candidate vector is calculated for each divided screen by dividing an image. Is determined to be invalid,
It has been conventionally performed to exclude the motion vector from the final motion vector detection calculation.

FIG. 40 is a block diagram showing the configuration of this conventional motion vector detecting device. In this conventional example, an example composed of five fixed motion detection areas (HL, HR, LL, LR, and CT) will be described. In FIG. 40, 100 is a video signal input terminal, 101 is a representative point memory for storing the value of the representative point on the previous screen, and 102 is the absolute difference between the representative point on the previous screen and the pixels around the representative point on the current screen. Absolute value calculation circuit for calculating the value, 103
Is the HL area gate circuit that passes the calculation result of the absolute value only at the HL area detection timing, 104 is the HL area cumulative addition circuit for detecting the movement of the HL area, and 105 is the reliability of the detection result based on the state of the HL area cumulative addition. Is an HL area reliability determination circuit for determining the

Reference numerals 106 to 117 denote gate circuits of the HR area, the LL area, the LR area, and the CT area, a cumulative addition circuit, and a reliability determination circuit. Reference numeral 118 denotes a motion vector determination circuit that determines the final motion of the entire screen from the motion vector value of each area and the reliability determination result.

In the conventional motion vector detecting device shown in FIG. 40, a temporally continuous video signal of at least two fields or more is input to an input terminal 100. As shown by 141, 142, 143, 144, and 145 in FIG. 41, five motion vector detection areas (HL, HR, L
L, LR, and CT), and a motion vector is detected for each divided screen based on the correlation between successive screens.

The correlation is determined, for example, by a representative point Rij on the previous screen.
And the absolute value of the difference between the current screen signal Sij (x, y) having a positional relationship between the horizontal direction x and the vertical direction y, and x and y having the same positional relationship for each representative point are shown below. It is obtained from Dxy added for a predetermined number of blocks. Dxy = Σ | Rij−Sij (x, y) |

Generally, a displacement (x, y) that gives the minimum value of Dxy is detected, and this is used as a motion vector. Further, the minimum value, maximum value, and average value of Dxy are obtained, and the motion vector reliability determination circuits 105, 108,
111, 114, 117 are entered. Dxy indicates a typical pattern according to the nature of the screen. To make it easier to understand,
Looking at the relationship between the displacement (x, y) and the cumulative addition value Dxy in a one-dimensional manner, the relationship is as shown in FIGS.

FIG. 42A shows an example in which the maximum value> the average value 平均 the minimum value. This indicates that the reliability of the obtained motion vector value is very high in the case where the picture pattern of the image is an ideal picture pattern that changes as a whole.

FIG. 42B shows an example of the maximum value ≒ the average value ≒ the minimum value ≒ 0. This is a case where the picture pattern of the image does not change, for example, when a blue sky or a plain wall is photographed, and the reliability of the obtained motion vector value is low and should be invalidated.

FIG. 42C shows an example in which the maximum value 最大 the average value ≒ the minimum value. This is the case where the change in luminance is repeated regularly, for example, when a blind is photographed, and the reliability of the obtained motion vector value is also low in this case.

FIG. 42D shows an example in which the maximum value 最大 the average value ≒ the minimum value≫0. This is a case where the change in the image is too large, for example, when the camera is swung and photographed, and the reliability of the obtained motion vector value is also low in this case.

From the above properties, the reliability judgment circuit 10
5, 108, 111, 114, 117 are the maximum values for each split screen unit,
The reliability of the motion vector is determined based on the average value and the minimum value, and the motion vector determination circuit 118 determines the average value of the motion vectors in the area determined to have high reliability as the motion vector of the entire screen. .

In the above description, the reliability is determined from the maximum value, the average value, and the minimum value of the correlation values, and the average value of the highly reliable motion vector is determined as the motion vector of the entire screen. The reliability is obtained from the second smallest value or the state of these temporal changes, or even if it is determined that the reliability is high, the direction of each vector is examined to determine whether the subject is the same or different, If the determinations are different, various algorithms can be considered, such as setting the motion vector of the entire screen to 0, calculating the average, or determining which is the main subject and determining the value of the area of the main subject.

However, in the above configuration, the area determined to have low reliability is ignored.
For example, if the reliability of all the regions is low, the motion vector detection value of the entire screen becomes zero. In addition, when the number of regions with high reliability is small, there is a problem that, for example, accuracy in obtaining an average value and setting the final motion vector detection value is low.

In recent years, video cameras have been rapidly becoming widespread as miniaturization and automation have progressed, so that beginners who have little experience in camera shooting have more opportunities to use them. However, when a photographer who does not have sufficient photographing technology performs photographing, the photographed image is often very difficult to see due to image distortion due to camera shake, which is a serious problem with increasing the magnification of the zoom lens. It is getting. As a countermeasure, photographing apparatuses having various camera shake correction functions have been conventionally proposed. An example is shown below.

FIG. 43 is a block diagram showing a conventional image shake correcting device. In FIG. 43, 301 is an input terminal of a video signal, 302 is an A / D converter for converting a video signal input to the input terminal 301 into a digital signal, and 303 is an A / D converter.
A field memory for storing one field of the video signal converted into a digital signal in 302, and an A / D converter 304
A motion vector detection circuit 302 detects a motion vector for each field of the entire image from the digitally converted video signal output by 302. A motion vector detection circuit 305 accumulates the motion vectors detected by the motion vector detection circuit 304 and reads the address of the field memory 303. 306 is a field memory according to the output of the address generation circuit 305.
A memory control circuit for controlling the reading of 303, an interpolation / expansion circuit 307 for interpolating / enlarging the video signal read from the memory 303, and a D / D for converting the output signal of the interpolation / enlargement circuit 307 into an analog signal and outputting the analog signal. A converter.

Next, the operation will be described. Input terminal 30
The video signal input to 1 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 302. The output of the A / D converter 302 is sent to a field memory 303 and a motion vector detection circuit 304, respectively. The motion vector detection circuit 304 detects a motion vector of an image for each field by a known representative point matching method and outputs the motion vector to the address generation circuit 305. The address generation circuit 305 obtains the read address of the field memory 303 from the motion vector of the image for each field output by the motion vector detection circuit 304 and outputs the address to the memory control circuit 306. A / D in field memory 303
One field of the video signal output from the converter 302 is written. The memory control circuit 306 controls writing / reading of the field memory 303. Here, when writing the output of the A / D converter 302 to the field memory 303,
The entire screen for one field is written, but when reading this, a screen area smaller than the write screen is read, and the read position is changed according to the address output by the motion vector detection circuit 304. As a result, image blur can be reduced.

The principle will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 44, 311 is a screen written in the field memory 303, 312a and 312b are screens read from the field memory 303, and 313a and 313b are objects in the screen. In a certain field, the subject 313a in the writing screen 311
Moves to the position of 313b in the next field due to image blur, and if the motion vector at that time is Δv,
By moving the readout screen from the position 312a to the position 312b by Δv, the subject in the readout screen can be fixed at a fixed position. By repeating the above operation for each field, continuous image blur contained in the captured image can be removed. Therefore, the read address of the field memory 303 output by the address generation circuit 305 may be obtained by adding the integrated value ΣΔv of the motion vector from the start of the image blur correction operation to the initial value.

The video signal whose image blur has been corrected as described above is interpolated and enlarged to the size of the input screen in the interpolation enlargement circuit 307, converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 308, and output.

At present, in the field of consumer use, the mainstream type of the image shake correcting device is incorporated in a camera-integrated VTR to correct the image shake during shooting. One example is shown in FIG. In FIG. 45, 321 is a lens unit that forms an optical image of a subject, 322 is a photoelectric conversion unit that converts the optical image formed by the lens unit 321 into an electric signal, and 323 has a structure similar to that shown in FIG. An image shake correction unit that detects and corrects the shake of the entire image formed by the video signal output by the photoelectric conversion unit 322, and a video signal 324 that corrects the image shake output by the image shake correction unit 323. VT for recording and playback
This is the R section.

However, the image shake correction apparatus shown in FIG. 43 cuts out a part of the image output from the camera unit and restores the original screen size by interpolation. With. Therefore, it is desirable to use the image shaking correction function only when the image shaking is severe. For this reason, it is advantageous to select a portion for correcting the image fluctuation while viewing the reproduction screen after the image is recorded, instead of correcting the image fluctuation at the time of image recording as in the example shown in FIG.

By the way, the image shaking which is a problem on the monitor screen is caused not only by shaking of the photographing apparatus due to hand shaking or the like, but also by time axis fluctuation of a video signal such as reproduction jitter of a VTR. VTRs that play video are domestic VT such as Betamax standard, VHS standard, 8mm standard
If the video signal belongs to the R and U-matic standards, the reproduced video signal does not have the time axis correction of the luminance signal except for some models. Many. Images taken by video cameras are often edited due to their nature.However, if dubbing is performed while keeping the time axis fluctuations, the time axis fluctuations will accumulate, causing unsightly fluctuations in the reproduced images due to time axis errors. There was a problem that it occurred.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and one object of the present invention is to capture a moving image, and the subject need not necessarily be located at the center.
An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device that functions correctly even when moved.

[0038]

[0039]

[0040]

[0041]

Imaging device Ru engaged to claim 1 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION includes an optical zoom means optically performing zooming and electronic zooming means for enlarging processing movies image signal, film corresponds to the screen <br / > to respond to a particular color in said screen based on the color signal component of the image signal
Specific color region extracting means for extracting a region to be extracted, and the extracted region
Feature detection means for detecting and outputting the feature of
The feature amount detection means determines whether or not the detected area is a desired subject.
Determining means for determining based on the force;
The magnification of the optical zoom by the optical zoom means is determined based on the size of the region, and the magnification of the region in the region determined as the subject is determined.
By determining the cut-out position of the electronic zoom by the electronic zoom means based on the position in
Constant region is located approximately at the center of the screen, and characterized in that it comprises a control means for performing image enlargement control so as to a Jo Tokoro magnitude.

The imaging device Ru engaged to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises display means for displaying an image before the image enlargement is made by the optical zoom means or electronic zoom hand stage.

[0043]

[0044]

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus including a registration unit capable of registering the characteristics of the subject in advance. The imaging device according to claim 4 is
A position of the subject in the screen is set as a region to be used for focus control, and a detection region changing unit that moves a region used for focus control in accordance with the movement of the subject in the screen is provided.

[0046]

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[0050]

[0051]

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[0055]

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[0059]

[0060]

[0061]

According to the image pickup apparatus of the first aspect , the video signal
To the color signal component of the video signal equivalent to the screen.
Extract the area corresponding to the specific color on the screen based on this
The feature amount of the projected area is detected to determine whether
Set. Determines the optical zoom magnification for the subject
And determine the cutout position from the position on the screen.
The area is located almost in the center of the screen, and
Image enlargement control is performed so that An imaging device according to claim 2.
, The optical zoom means or the electronic zoom means
Display means for displaying an image before image enlargement is performed
To quickly and accurately determine magnification and cutout position
You.

[0062]

[0063]

In the imaging apparatus according to the third aspect, by registering the characteristics of the subject in advance by the registration means, a stable image of the registered subject can be obtained.

In the imaging apparatus according to the fourth aspect , a stable image can be obtained even when the subject moves on the screen, and an image in which the subject is always in focus can be obtained.

[0066]

[0067]

[0068]

[0069]

[0070]

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[0075]

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[0077]

[0078]

[0079]

[0080]

[0081]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an image pickup apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment,
This is an example in which auto zoom is applied to a video movie.

In FIG. 1, reference numerals 1, 21, 22, 5 and 12 are the same as those in FIG. 38 shown as a conventional example, and therefore description thereof is omitted. The light receiving surface 2 is a CCD element that converts a light signal into an electric signal in this embodiment. The camera signal processing circuit 3 outputs a video signal V and a luminance signal Y from an electric signal obtained from the CCD element (light receiving surface) 2. The luminance signal Y is input to the focus detection circuit 4. The focus detection circuit 4 detects a high frequency component from the luminance signal Y. The high-frequency component of the luminance signal Y corresponds to the contrast of the screen, has a maximum value when the contrast is maximum, that is, when the object is in focus, and decreases as the position deviates from the focal point. The focus lens control circuit 5 drives the focus lens 22 so that the focus evaluation value becomes maximum.

The video signal V output from the camera signal processing circuit 3 includes a luminance signal Y and color difference signals RY and BY and is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 13. The face image recognition circuit 14 extracts a human face portion from the digital video signal obtained from the A / D converter 13,
Measure its size and position. Here, a specific operation of the face image recognition circuit 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

The input image is input to the skin color extracting circuit 24. In the skin color extraction circuit 24, RY is set on the x-axis, B-
Take Y as the y-axis, the angle is from θ1 to θ2, and the size is r1
Those satisfying the conditions from to r2 are detected as flesh colors. FIG. 3 shows the range of the skin color. The range of colors to be detected is fan-shaped, but may be a range of other shapes such as a square or a circle. Next, a binary image having a value of “1” for a portion where a flesh color is detected and “0” for other portions is generated.

Next, noise is removed by the noise removing circuit 25. An expansion / contraction process is performed as noise removal of the binarized data. For example, if the erosion process is performed five times and the dilation process is performed five times, a small area of 5 pixels or less is removed. Next, labeling is performed by the labeling circuit 26. This is a process of assigning a number to each extracted area.

Next, the characteristic amount is calculated by the characteristic amount calculating circuit 27. First, the center of gravity Gi of each area, the area A
i, the maximum width Wi, the maximum height Hi, and the perimeter Li are determined.
Next, the aspect ratio Ri and the complexity Ci are obtained by the following equations as the feature amounts. Ri = Hi / Wi Ci = Li 2 / Ai

Next, the determination circuit 28 determines whether or not the image is a face area. The judgment criteria are the following three points. (1) Ai> Amin Extract a region having an area equal to or greater than a certain value. (2) Rmin <Ri <Rmax The circumscribed rectangles whose aspect ratio is close to 1, that is, those whose shapes are close to squares are extracted. (3) Ci <Cmax Extract a circular shape.

An area satisfying the above three conditions is defined as a face image area. According to these three conditions, it is possible to perform accurate facial image recognition with a simple circuit. In the determination circuit 28, the center of gravity G of the region extracted as the face image
i and the area Ai are output.

The face image recognition circuit 14 can specify a face image area without being limited to the above method.
Any method can be used as long as its position and size can be obtained.

The zoom control circuit 15 controls the zoom lens control circuit 9 and the electronic zoom circuit 16 based on information on the size and position of the face portion in the image obtained from the face image recognition circuit 14.

The operation of the zoom control circuit 15 will now be described with reference to FIG. First, assume that an image as shown in 31 is obtained. In the face image recognition circuit 14, 32 from the 31 images
Is recognized as a face, and its size and position are determined. Zoom control circuit that obtains information on the size and position of the face
In step 15, a command is issued to the zoom lens control circuit 9 to move the zoom lens 21 to the telephoto side so that the face area does not come out of the frame and the face area becomes as close as possible to the size of the bust shot. Here, the information on the face size and position is always obtained from the face image recognition circuit 14, and the control is performed so as to be close to the information on the face size and position at the time of the bust shot given in advance. I have. In this way, the zoom lens 21 is moved to obtain an image 34 in which the part 33 in the 31 image is zoomed up. At 34, the 35 area is enlarged by the electronic zoom circuit 16 to obtain a bust shot image based on the information of the face area 32, and the bust shot image is obtained.
Get 36. In summary, based on the information of the face region 32 in 31, the optical zoom is used to enlarge 33 to 34 and the electronic zoom is used to enlarge 35 to 36, and a bust shot image is obtained.

The zoom control circuit 15 also controls the respective enlargement ratios of the optical zoom and the electronic zoom. First, the motion of the face area is detected. This is a face image recognition circuit
The difference between the position information of the face area obtained from 14 and the value of the previous screen is obtained. If the value is large, it is determined that the movement is intense, and if the value is small, it is determined that the movement is small. When the movement of the subject is severe, the enlargement ratio of the optical zoom is reduced and the enlargement ratio of the electronic zoom is increased. Thus, the range in which the cutout frame of the image of the electronic zoom can move becomes wider, that is, the correction range becomes wider, and it becomes possible to track a moving subject. If the subject is near the center of the screen and the movement is small, the enlargement ratio of the optical zoom is increased and the enlargement ratio of the electronic zoom is decreased. As a result, image quality degradation of the electronic zoom can be reduced, and image quality can be improved.

According to this method, since the size of the face is used as a condition for determining the zoom magnification, the size of the face on the screen is always constant, and may be larger or smaller as in the conventional example. Nothing to do. Further, even when the subject is not at the center of the screen, the cutout position of the electronic zoom image as shown at 35 in FIG. 4 is set to the position where the face is present, so that a bust shot as shown at 36 can be obtained. . When the subject moves, the cutout position of the image of the electronic zoom moves in accordance with the movement of the subject, and a stable bust shot can always be obtained. From these facts, there is also an effect of correcting camera shake.

In the present embodiment, the bust shot is assumed as the final composition. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any composition relating to a person, such as arranging a shot of the whole body or only the face at the lower left of the screen, can be used. Anything is fine. In addition, it is also possible to set a plurality of these compositions in advance and select and use the composition.

As described above, in the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain a stable image even when the subject moves, and it is possible to take a picture with a fixed composition just by pointing the camera in the approximate direction where the subject moves. .

(Second Embodiment) Next, an image pickup apparatus shown in the first embodiment in which the screen of an electronic viewfinder (EVF) can be switched will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an imaging apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 5 is the same as FIG. 1 except that an EVF image control circuit 17 and an EVF 18 are added.

The operation of the second embodiment will be described. EV
The F image control circuit 17 converts the image data before electronic zooming from the output of the A / D converter 13, the range for electronic zooming from the zoom control circuit 15, and the image data after electronic zooming from electronic zooming. Obtained from circuit 16. This will be described with reference to FIG.
34, the range of electronic zoom is 35, and the image after electronic zoom is 36. Here, in the first embodiment, the image 36 after the electronic zoom is output to the EVF 18. In the second embodiment,
Image showing the range of electronic zoom on the image before electronic zoom,
That is, an image in which 35 frames are displayed in 34 images can be output. Then, two images, an image before the electronic zoom and an image after the electronic zoom, can be selected as the output of the EVF 18. This allows
In the case of a rapidly moving subject or the like, outputting an image before electronic zooming from the EVF 18 makes it easier to follow a moving subject.

As described above, in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a stable image can be obtained even when the subject moves, and the movement of the subject can be confirmed.

(Third Embodiment) Next, an embodiment in which recognition other than a face image is performed in the image pickup apparatus shown in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an imaging device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 6 is different from FIG. 1 in that the face image recognition circuit 14 is replaced with a subject recognition circuit 19, and a subject registration circuit 20 is provided.
It is the same except that has been added.

The operation of the third embodiment will be described. First
In the embodiment, the symmetry of recognition is limited to a human face,
The third embodiment does not limit the symmetry of recognition. First,
Point the camera at the subject for which you want to use auto zoom,
Take the desired composition. Here, the features (shape, color, etc.) and composition of the subject are registered in the subject recognition circuit 19.

The operation of subject registration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of subject recognition in the third embodiment of the present invention. First, the composition of the subject is determined. Then, the registration point 41 is moved to the position of the subject 42 where the automatic zoom is to be performed. Press the registration switch in this state. At this time, the subject registration circuit 20 calculates the average value of the color difference signals in the registration point 41 at the same time as storing the video in the memory. For example, it is assumed that the average value of the obtained color difference signals is 43 points shown in FIG. Here, 44 is set as the detection color area. This is because the color difference signal at the registration point has an angle of ± 30 ° and a size of ± 20 with respect to the average value 43 of the color difference signals. Next, with respect to the video of the subject registered in the memory, a color region included in the detected color region 44 is extracted from the image recorded in the memory. From the extracted areas, an area including the registration point is recognized as a subject, and its shape and position are recorded in a memory. Furthermore, the feature, the area, the aspect ratio, and the complexity, which are the feature amounts of the recognized subject, are calculated and stored.

When a subject is registered, what is performed in the first embodiment is not performed on a human face, but is performed on a registered subject. Thus, the automatic zoom can be applied to any subject in any composition.

For subject registration, the feature amount may be other parameters such as texture and motion information, or a combination thereof. Regarding color detection, the subject may be registered as a combination of a plurality of color components having a peak instead of the average value.

In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a stable image can be obtained even if the subject moves, and a stable image can be obtained for any subject.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, an embodiment in which a subject is tracked by moving a lens barrel in the imaging apparatus shown in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an imaging apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 9 is different from FIG. 1 in that the electronic zoom circuit 16 is not provided and a lens barrel control circuit 30 is newly added. The lens barrel 1 is controlled by a lens barrel control circuit 30 to change its direction.

The operation of the fourth embodiment will be described. First
In the embodiment, the electronic zoom is performed by the electronic zoom circuit 16 after the optical zoom by the zoom lens 21.
Referring to FIG. 4, the enlargement from the image 31 to the image 34 is performed by optical zoom, and the enlargement from the image 34 to the image 36 is performed by electronic zoom. In the fourth embodiment, the electronic zoom is not performed. Measurement of the position and size of the face image in the face image recognition circuit 14 from the digital image data obtained by the A / D converter 13 is the same as in the first embodiment. It is assumed that an image as shown at 31 in FIG. At this time, the position of the human face area 32 is output to the lens barrel control circuit 30. The lens barrel control circuit 30 controls the direction of the lens barrel 1 so that the human face region 32 is in the center of the screen. Further, in accordance with the information on the size of the human face in the zoom control circuit 15, the zoom lens control circuit 9 moves the zoom lens 21 so that the image of the subject becomes a bust shot. With the above operation, 36 images are obtained from the 31 images in FIG. By using this method, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In the fourth embodiment, since the electronic zoom is not used, the image quality does not deteriorate.
In the fourth embodiment, the image of the subject is moved to the center of the screen by moving the lens barrel, but the same effect can be obtained by using a lens that moves the optical axis.

In the image pickup apparatus of the fourth embodiment, similarly to the image pickup apparatus of the first embodiment, a stable image can be obtained even when the subject moves, and an image without image quality deterioration can be obtained.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, an embodiment in which autofocus is taken into consideration in the image pickup apparatus shown in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an imaging device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. When FIG. 10 is compared with FIG. 1, the constituent elements are the same. However, information on the position and size of the human face obtained by the face image recognition circuit 14 is output to the focus detection circuit 4.

Conventional focus detection for focusing has been performed using data of the entire screen or a fixed portion of the screen. As a result, the background may be focused instead of the subject actually being watched. If this occurs during auto-zoom, the subject that has been zoomed up may be out of focus. The focus detection circuit 4 of the fifth embodiment detects the focus of the face portion based on the information on the position and size of the face from the face image recognition circuit 14. Explaining with reference to the image 31 of FIG. 4, focus detection is performed on 32 parts detected as a face, and the focus lens 22 is moved. As a result, an image in which the face portion is always focused can be obtained.

In the imaging apparatus according to the fifth embodiment, similarly to the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment, a stable image can be obtained even when the subject moves, and an image always focused can be obtained.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an image pickup apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 51
Is a lens barrel (optical system), 52 is a gimbal mechanism that supports the lens barrel 51, 53 is an actuator that drives the lens barrel 51, 54 is the lens barrel 51
And an angle sensor for detecting a relative angle between the housing and a housing (not shown).
55 is an angular velocity sensor that detects the angular velocity generated in the lens barrel 51,
56 is a variable amplifier circuit that multiplies the gain that can be changed to the output of the angle sensor 54, 57 is a variable amplifier circuit that multiplies the gain that can be changed to the output of the angular velocity sensor 55, and 58 is the variable amplifier circuit that A stationary state detection circuit that determines the stationary state of the lens barrel 51 from the output, 59 is a variable amplifier circuit 5
6, an adder for adding the outputs of 57; 60, an actuator drive circuit for driving the actuator 53 from the output of the adder 59; 61, an image sensor for imaging the subject through the lens barrel 51;
Is a signal processing circuit that processes a video signal output from the image sensor 61, and 63 is a display device that displays an image state.

Although FIG. 11 shows only an actuator, a sensor, and a control circuit for rotating the lens barrel 51 in the horizontal direction (yaw direction), the same configuration is used in the vertical direction (pitch direction). Has been realized.

The lens barrel 51 includes a number of lens groups (not shown),
It comprises an image sensor 61 such as a CCD and an image pickup tube. The lens barrel 51 forms an image of a subject on the image sensor 61, and the image sensor 61 converts the image into an electric signal. Lens barrel
51 forms an image of a subject on the image sensor 61, and
A video signal is output from 61. This video signal is processed by the signal processing circuit 62, converted into an NTSC video signal, and output.

On the other hand, the lens barrel 51 is rotatably supported by a gimbal mechanism 52. FIG. 12 shows a specific configuration example of this mechanism. In the figure, 71 is the first support, and 72 is the second support.
, 73 is a first rotation axis, 74 is a second rotation axis orthogonal to the first rotation axis 73, 75 is a first actuator, and 76 is a second actuator.

The lens barrel 51 is supported inside a second support 72 so as to be rotatable about a second rotation shaft 74, and is driven in a pitch direction by driving a second actuator 76. Rotation can be controlled. Also, the second support
Numeral 72 is rotatably supported inside the first support 71 with the first rotation shaft 73 as a center axis. By driving the first actuator 75, the lens barrel 51 rotates in the yaw direction. Movement can be controlled. The first support 71 is fixed inside a housing (not shown) of the imaging device.

With this structure, the lens barrel 51
By driving the first and second actuators 75 and 76 with the output of the control circuit respectively, the first and second actuators 75 and 76 can be rotated in the yaw direction and the pitch direction with the first support 71 as a reference.

In FIG. 12, the yaw direction is the first rotation axis,
Although the pitch direction is illustrated as the second rotation axis, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pitch direction can be realized as the first rotation axis and the yaw direction can be realized as the second rotation axis.

Next, a description will be given of the camera shake correction operation of the image pickup apparatus configured as described above in the yaw direction. In addition,
The following description can be similarly applied to a device configuration in the pitch direction not shown in FIG.

[0120] Since the photographer holds the housing of the present apparatus or holds the grip attached to the housing for photographing, vibrations not intended by the photographer due to camera shake of the photographer occur in the housing. This vibration is transmitted to the lens barrel 51, the angular velocity of which is detected by the angular velocity sensor 55, and converted into a corresponding electric signal ω. This signal ω is amplified (angular velocity loop gain Kω) by the variable amplifier circuit 57 and input to the adder 59.

On the other hand, the relative angle between the lens barrel 51 and the housing is detected by the angle sensor 54 and converted into a corresponding electric signal θ. The signal θ is amplified (angle loop gain Kθ) by the variable amplifier circuit 56 and input to the adder 59.

The adder 59 calculates the control output value by adding the outputs of the variable amplifier circuits 56 and 57, and outputs the control output value.
Enter 60. The actuator drive circuit 60 drives the actuator 53 based on the control output value.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the control system of FIG.
In the figure, 81 is an angle loop gain Kθ, 82 is an actuator drive gain, 83 is a mechanism system representing the lens barrel 51 and the gimbal mechanism 52, 84 is an angular velocity loop gain Kω, and 85 is a differential element.

In the normal mode (normal camera shake correction state), the variable amplifier circuit 56 uses a constant Kθ given as a multiplication coefficient Kθ multiplied by the output value θ of the angle sensor 54 in advance.
Has zero.

The stationary state detection circuit 58 calculates the angular velocity ω0 of the housing in the inertial coordinate system from the angular velocity ω and the relative angle θ. ω0 = dθ / dt-ω

If the angular velocity of the housing is equal to or less than a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that the imaging apparatus is in a stationary state. That is, the stationary state detection circuit 58 differentiates the output value θ of the angle sensor 54 with time,
The output value ω of the angular velocity sensor 55 is subtracted from the calculation result,
Obtain the housing angular velocity ω0.

The stationary state detection circuit 58 constantly monitors this value ω0, and measures a time that is equal to or less than a preset threshold value ωs. That is, when ω0 <ωs continues to be satisfied for a certain period of time or more, it is determined that the stationary state is established, and the normal mode coefficient Kθ0 of the angle loop is changed to the stationary mode coefficient Kθs (K
θs> Kθ0).

As described above, in this embodiment, the control system has two states (modes) of the normal mode and the stationary mode.
And changes the gain of the control system according to the state of the imaging device. Hereinafter, the operation of the stationary state detection circuit 58 that detects the state in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

In the initial state, the normal mode is set (step S1), and the camera shake correction function is operated with priority. At this time, the counter count is 0 (step S2). The housing angular velocity ω0 was calculated (step S
3) Then, the calculated ω0 is compared with a preset threshold value (a small value regarded as a stationary state) ωs (step S4). Here, if ω0 is large, the camera shake correction should be continued, and the process returns to step S1.

However, if ω0 is smaller than ωs, the imaging device may be in a stationary state. Therefore,
The counter count is incremented by +1 (step S5),
Measure duration. Then, the counter value is compared with a predetermined threshold value TIME (step S
6). If the value of the counter exceeds the threshold value TIME, it is determined that the imaging apparatus has been in the stationary state for a sufficiently long time, so that the imaging apparatus shifts to the stationary mode (step S).
7). Although not shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14, at this time, the value of the angle loop gain Kθ is changed from Kθ0 to Kθs. As a result, a component included in the drive output of the actuator, which is proportional to the relative angle between the center axis of the lens barrel and the center axis of the housing, increases, and the origin return performance improves. The figure
In the flowchart of FIG. 14, simplification is made by omitting overflow processing of variable values and the like.

Further, if the gain of the angle loop is suddenly increased in the stationary mode, the operation of the lens barrel changes abruptly against the intention of the operator, and thus there is a problem in operability.
Therefore, a smooth operation can be obtained by interpolating the finally set gain Kθs and the initial gain value Kθ0 and gradually increasing the gain while the stationary mode continues. In FIG. 15, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time in the stationary mode, and the vertical axis represents the gain of the angle loop. As shown in this figure, a sudden change in the control system can be prevented by changing the gain with respect to the elapsed time of the stationary mode.

Further, as the above-mentioned interpolation method, operability can be further improved by giving a function having an arbitrary shape instead of simple linear interpolation. In FIG. 16, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time in the stationary mode, and the vertical axis represents the gain of the angle loop. This figure shows an example in which the gain is set as a quadratic function of time.

As shown in FIG. 11, by displaying the status on a display device 63 such as a viewfinder, it is possible to reduce the sense of incongruity felt by the operator.

Even in the stationary mode, the monitoring of the housing angular velocity is continued in steps S3 and S4. If the housing angular velocity ω0 exceeds the threshold ωs, the mode immediately shifts to the normal mode.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an image pickup apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment,
18 is the same as the sixth embodiment except for the operation of the stationary state detection circuit 58. FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the algorithm at the time of mode switching in the seventh embodiment.

In FIG. 18, the operation mode is initialized (step S1), and the timer is initialized (step S2).
Next, the stationary state detection circuit 58 compares the output θ of the angle sensor 54 for detecting the relative angle between the lens barrel 51 and the housing with a predetermined small threshold value θs (step S
8). If the output of the angle sensor 54 is smaller than the threshold, the duration is measured (step S5). Then, when a certain amount of time has elapsed (step S6),
The imaging apparatus determines that it is in a stationary state, switches the operation mode as in the sixth embodiment, and changes the gain of the control system (step S7).

(Eighth Embodiment) FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an imaging apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is the same as the sixth embodiment except for the operation of the stationary state detection circuit 58, and FIG. 20 is a flowchart for explaining an algorithm at the time of mode switching in the eighth embodiment.

In FIG. 20, after initialization is performed (steps S1 and S2), the stationary state detection circuit 58 sets the control value v of the actuator 53 for driving the lens barrel 51 to a predetermined threshold value vs. Compare (step S9). When the control value v is smaller than the threshold value vs, the duration is measured as in the sixth embodiment (step S5), and when a certain time has elapsed (step S6), it is determined that the vehicle is in a stationary state.
Subsequent processing is the same as in the sixth embodiment.

(Ninth Embodiment) FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing an image pickup apparatus according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment,
In addition to the configuration of the sixth embodiment, a sensor 91 such as a microswitch is provided at a position where a tripod is mounted on the casing 93 of the imaging apparatus.
It is configured to detect the mounting state of 92. The still state detection circuit 58 monitors the output of the sensor 91, and determines that the camera is in the still shooting state when the tripod 92 is attached. Subsequent processing is the same as in the sixth embodiment.

(Tenth Embodiment) FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing an image pickup apparatus according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment,
In addition to the configuration of the sixth embodiment, a contact detection sensor 94 such as a microswitch is provided below the housing 93. When the sensor 94 detects a contact, the imaging device is considered to be placed on a table or the like. Therefore, the stationary state detection circuit
58 can determine that the housing is stationary based on the output of the sensor 94. However, a plurality of sensors 94 (two in this example) are provided, and the logical product of the outputs of these sensors 94 is obtained by the AND circuit 95 so that the operator does not touch and operate. Judge by Subsequent processing is the same as in the sixth embodiment.

(Eleventh Embodiment) In the sixth to tenth embodiments described above, the method of increasing the gain of the angle loop was used to return the lens barrel 51 to the reference position. A similar effect can be obtained by a simple fixing device.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing an image pickup apparatus according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. When the stationary state detection circuit 58 detects the stationary state of the imaging device, the lens barrel 51 can be fixed to the reference position by the fixing device 96 of the lens barrel 51. Further, power supply to the drive mechanism of the lens barrel 51 is stopped during fixing, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

The mechanism for returning the lens barrel to the reference position in the sixth to eleventh embodiments can be used for fixing the lens barrel when the power is turned off or when the camera shake correction function is not used.

As described above, according to the imaging apparatuses of the sixth to eleventh embodiments, a sufficient camera shake correction ability can be obtained even in a control system having a relatively low resolution. Further, since the resolution of the control system can be set lower than the required camera shake correction capability, the hardware scale can be reduced. Also, since the control system used for image stabilization is shared, the hardware scale is prevented from increasing,
In addition, high-speed mode switching can be performed.

(Twelfth Embodiment) FIG. 24 is a block circuit diagram of a motion vector detecting device according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. An example will be described in which there are five detection areas of four fixed motion detection areas (HL, HR, LL, LR) and one movable area (CT). In FIG. 24, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 40 denote the same parts, respectively. Reference numeral 119 denotes a CT area offset setting circuit that gives an offset from a reference position to a CT area that is a movable area based on the reliability determination result of each area. is there.

FIG. 25 is a block circuit diagram showing one embodiment of the CT area offset setting circuit 119. In practice, there are two block counters in the horizontal and vertical directions.
For convenience, only one block counter 121 is used. In the case of another fixed area, for example, an HL area, an HL area start decoding circuit 122 and an HL area end decoding circuit 123 decode the block counter, and an area gate pulse can be created by setting and resetting, respectively. In the case of the CT area, the block counter value and the offset value from the offset value generation circuit 127 are added by the addition circuit 124, and the addition result is similarly calculated in the CT area start decoding circuit 125 and the CT area end decoding circuit.
By decoding with 126, a movable area gate pulse can be created.

Next, the operation will be described. For example, FIG.
Assuming that the scene shown in (1) is photographed from a car, the value of the representative point of the previous screen is stored in the representative point memory 101, and the absolute value of the pixel around the representative point of the current screen is calculated by the absolute value calculation circuit 102. Is calculated. The calculated absolute values pass through the respective gate circuits 103, 106, 109, 112, and 115, and are integrated by the respective cumulative addition circuits 104, 107, 110, 113, and 116. Cumulative addition is performed only for the timing. The reliability of each cumulative addition value is determined by each of the reliability determination circuits 105, 108, 111, 114, and 117. Basically, when the reliability is high, the minimum position of the cumulative addition value is used as a motion vector. .

In FIG. 26, most of the mountains are occupied in the HL area 131, and there are a few buildings. in this way,
If there is no change in the brightness level at the mountain, the result is as shown in FIG. 42 (b) and the reliability is low. It is determined that there is. In the HR area 132, the entire surface is occupied by the sky. In this case, the result is as shown in FIG. 42 (b), and it is determined that the reliability is low. In the LL area 133, since a natural image of a building, a tree, or the like is captured, the result is as shown in FIG. 42A, and it is determined that the reliability is high. The LR area 134 and the CT area 135 are areas where the sea occupies most, and when there is no wave, it is close to FIG. 42 (b), and when there is a wave, FIG.
(C) and (d) are close to each other, but in any case, the reliability is determined to be low.

Therefore, it is determined that the reliability of the HL area and the LL area is high, and the reliability of the HR area, the LR area, and the CT area is low. Therefore, the final motion vector is determined from the HL area and the LL area. If the number of representative points in one area is 30, the motion vector is detected from 60 representative points.

At this time, from the result of the reliability judgment, since the left side of the screen has higher reliability, it is considered that moving the CT area to the left side is more likely to improve the reliability. Can be Then, for example, according to the algorithm shown in FIG. 28, since the reliability of the CT area and the LL area is high, (x, y) = (− 2.0, 0), and in the next screen, the CT area is shifted left by two steps. Move. Also on the next screen, by repeating the same algorithm, if the reliability determination result does not change, the screen moves to the left by two steps in screen units, and stops moving when the reliability increases.

In this state, since the reliability of the CT area is also determined to be high, the final motion vector is determined by adding the CT area to the HL area and the LL area. At this time, the number of representative points used for the final decision is 90 points, and the detection accuracy is improved as compared with the initial 60 points.

As described above, since the detection area can be moved, for example, when the user designates the detection area in consideration of the picture, the position of the subject, etc., the operation is performed so as to eliminate the shaking of that part. be able to. In addition, since the detection area is moved in accordance with the determination result of the reliability of the motion vector detected in each area, the detection area can be automatically set to an ideal picture or subject without any user's designation.

(Thirteenth Embodiment) Next, a thirteenth embodiment in which the detection positions (representative points) do not overlap when the movable area is moved.
An example will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the gate circuit 128 takes the logical product of the gate pulse of the fixed area and the least significant bit of the block counter, and
Takes the logical product of the gate pulse of the movable area and the inversion of the least significant bit of the block taunter. By performing this process both horizontally and vertically, representative points can be arranged as shown in FIGS. 27 (a) and 27 (b). FIG. 27 (a), (b)
In the figure, the right shaded area 135 indicates the detection block position of the fixed area, and the left shaded area 136 indicates the detection block position of the moving area. In this case, when the areas are in contact as shown in FIG. 27 (a) or when the areas are overlapped as shown in FIG. 27 (b), the representative point positions do not overlap. In comparison, a final motion vector can be detected from many positions.

Therefore, since the same detection point is not used when the movable area is moved and overlaps with the fixed area, detection is not performed at the same detection point repeatedly, but from more detection points. It can be detected, and the detection accuracy is improved.

Next, the operation in the tracking mode in the twelfth or thirteenth embodiment will be described. Here, the tracking mode means that the distance measurement area for autofocus or the photometry area for auto iris is moved following the movement of the subject. In the motion vector detection in the image shake correction mode, as described above, the position of the movable area is determined and moved based on the reliability determination results of all areas. In the case of the tracking mode, the position of the movable area is determined and moved based on the motion vector of the movable area itself. Accordingly, the tracking area in the tracking mode and the movable area in correcting the image shaking can be configured to be shared, and both functions can be realized without increasing the circuit scale.

The twelfth or thirteenth embodiment described above is an example of the representative point matching method, but may be an all point matching method for obtaining correlations for all pixels or another detection method. Further, the case where four fixed areas and one movable area are used has been described, but any number of these areas may be used. In addition, as examples of the reliability determination algorithm, examples in which the change of the picture is too small, the case where the change is periodic, and the case where the change is too large have been described.These temporal and positional changes are used. Various algorithms are conceivable, such as determining the intrusion of a moving object or the like. Further, the example in which the movable area is moved by several steps has been described, but the movable area may be largely moved. In the algorithm of FIG. 28, when (x, y) = (0, 0), CT
The example where the area is not moved was explained.
The area may be moved in an oscillatory manner.

(Embodiment 14) An image fluctuation correcting apparatus using the motion vector detecting apparatus configured as described above will be described. FIG. 29 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image shake correction device according to the fourteenth embodiment. In FIG. 29, 137 is a video memory for storing video signals of at least one field, 138 is the motion vector detecting device of the twelfth or thirteenth embodiment, and 139 is a control circuit for controlling the read position in the video memory 137. .

When the video signal is input to the video memory 137,
Video signals of more than a field are stored. The video signal is also input to the motion vector detecting device 138, the motion vector is detected as described above, and the detected motion vector is output to the control circuit 139. The control circuit 139
Based on this motion vector, the position at which the video signal is read from the video memory 137 is controlled. Therefore, it is possible to realize an image shaking correction device that corrects shaking of any subject without a sense of incongruity.

(Fifteenth Embodiment) FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an image shake correcting apparatus according to a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention. 30, 151 and 152 are input terminals of a Y / C separate video signal to which a chroma signal and a luminance signal are input, 153 is an input terminal of a composite video signal, and 154 is a composite video signal input to the input terminal 153. A Y / C separation circuit 155 for separating a chroma signal and a luminance signal; 155, an input switch for selecting either the video signal from the input terminals 151 and 152 or the video signal from the Y / C separation circuit 154; Is a sync separation circuit for separating the sync signal from the luminance signal from the input switch 155.

A clock generation circuit 157 generates a write system clock WCLK and a read system clock RCLK corresponding to the synchronization signal output from the synchronization separation circuit 156.
158 is a read-system synchronization signal RSYNC based on a read-system clock RCLK output from the clock generation circuit 157.
C is a synchronizing signal generating circuit, 159 is a divide-by-4 circuit that divides the write system clock WCLK output from the clock generating circuit 157 by 4, and 160 is an input switch 155 based on the output signal of the divide-by-4 circuit 159. This is a color decoder that converts the output chroma signal into two color difference signals RY and BY.

Also, 161, 162 and 163 are color decoders 16 respectively.
An A / D converter for converting the RY signal and the BY signal output from 0 and the luminance signal output from the input switch 155 into digital signals at the timing of the write clock WCLK output from the clock generation circuit 157. , 164, 1
65 and 166 are Rs output from the A / D converters 161, 162 and 163, respectively.
This is a field memory for writing the -Y signal, the BY signal, and the luminance signal at the timing of the write clock WCLK output from the clock generation circuit 157, and reading out at the timing of the read clock RCLK after one field period. .

Reference numeral 167 denotes an image fluctuation detecting section which detects a motion vector of the entire image for each field from the digitally converted luminance signal output from the A / D converter 163;
Is a write system memory controller for controlling the write operation of the field memories 164, 165, 166 by the write system clock WCLK output from the clock generation circuit 157 and the synchronization signal output from the synchronization separation circuit 156, and 169 is generated by the clock generation circuit 157. Field memory according to the read system clock RCLK and the output of the image shaking detection unit 167
This is a read-system memory controller that controls reading of 164, 165, and 166.

170, 171, and 172 are field memories.
Interpolation enlargement circuit for expanding the output signals of 164, 165, 166 to the original screen size respectively, 173, 174, 175 interpolation interpolation circuit
D / A converters for converting the outputs of 170, 171 and 172 into analog signals, respectively. 176 is a synchronizing signal replacement circuit for adding the synchronizing signal output from the synchronizing signal generating circuit 158 to the luminance signal output from the D / A converter 175. is there.

Further, 177 is a parallel modulation circuit for converting the two color difference signals output from the D / A converters 173 and 174 into a chroma signal of the NTSC standard, and 178 and 179 are Y / Y signals for outputting a chroma signal and a luminance signal, respectively. An output terminal for the C-separated video signal; 180, a Y / C mixing circuit for mixing the chroma signal output from the parallel modulation circuit 177 and the luminance signal output from the synchronizing signal changing circuit 176 to generate a composite video signal;
An output terminal 1 outputs the output signal of the Y / C mixing circuit 180 to the outside.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
If the video signal to be shake-corrected is a Y / C separate signal, it is input to input terminals 151 and 152, and if it is a composite video signal, it is input to input terminal 153. Further, the video signal input to the input terminal 153 is separated by the Y / C separation circuit 154 into a luminance signal and a chrominance signal. Input selector switch 155
Is the luminance signal and color signal from the input terminals 151 and 152 and Y / C
Either the luminance signal or the chrominance signal output from the separation circuit 154 is selected. The sync separation circuit 156 is connected to the input selector switch 15.
5 Extract the synchronization signal from the luminance signal selected by
It is output as a write system horizontal synchronization signal WHD.

The clock generation circuit 157 includes the synchronization separation circuit 15
6, a write system clock WCLK and a read system clock RCL according to the write system horizontal synchronization signal WHD.
And K. The write system clock WCLK is a clock modulated by a time axis error detected from the write system horizontal synchronization signal WHD, and is an A / D converter 161, 162, 163.
, And serves as a reference clock for the image fluctuation detection unit 167 and the write system memory controller 168, and the read system clock R
CLK is a synchronizing signal generation circuit 158, a readout memory controller 169, interpolation enlargement circuits 170, 171, 172, and D
The reference clock of the / A converters 173, 174, 175. The average frequency of the write system clock WCLK and the read system clock RCLK is four times the color subcarrier frequency fsc.

FIG. 31 shows a specific configuration of the clock generation circuit 157. In FIG. 31, reference numeral 182 denotes a first phase-locked loop (hereinafter referred to as "PLL") which generates a signal having a frequency obtained by multiplying the frequency fHW of the write system horizontal synchronization signal WHD generated by the synchronization separation circuit 910 by 910 and outputs the signal as a write system clock. ").

FIG. 32 is a block circuit diagram showing a specific configuration of first PLL 182. In FIG. 32, 186 is a phase comparator that outputs a voltage corresponding to the phase difference between the two input signals, and 187 is a voltage controlled oscillator that generates a signal whose frequency changes according to the voltage output from the phase comparator 186. , 188 are 910 frequency dividing circuits for dividing the output signal of the voltage controlled oscillator 187 by 910. The phase comparator 186 is 9
The phase of the output signal of the voltage controlled oscillator 187 divided by 10 is compared with the phase of the write horizontal synchronizing signal WHD output by the sync separation circuit 156, and a voltage corresponding to the phase difference is output to the voltage controlled oscillator 187. And constitutes a PLL driven by the write system horizontal synchronization signal WHD.

The frequency dividing ratio of the 910 frequency dividing circuit 188 is determined to be 910 because the relationship between the frequency fsc of the color subcarrier and the horizontal synchronizing frequency fH in the NTSC video signal is defined as fsc = 455/2 × fH. At this time, an output signal having a frequency of 910 times the frequency fHW of the write system horizontal synchronizing signal WHD, that is, four times the frequency fscW of the color subcarrier of the input video signal can be obtained from the voltage controlled oscillator 187.

In FIG. 31, reference numeral 183 denotes a second PLL for outputting a signal obtained by multiplying the average frequency of the write-system horizontal synchronizing signal WHD by 910. FIG. 33 shows a specific configuration example. In FIG. 33, 189 is a phase comparator, 190 is a low-pass filter (hereinafter, referred to as “LPF”) that extracts and outputs a low-frequency component of the output signal of the phase comparator 189, and 191 is an LPF.
The voltage controlled oscillator 192 generates a signal having a frequency corresponding to the output voltage of the F190.
This is a 910 frequency dividing circuit that divides frequency by 10. The phase comparator 189 generates a voltage signal corresponding to the phase difference between the write system horizontal synchronization signal WHD and the output signal of the 910 frequency divider 192,
Output to Accordingly, the phase comparator 189, the LPF 190, the voltage controlled oscillator 191 and the 910 frequency dividing circuit 192 constitute a PLL driven by the write horizontal synchronizing signal WHD, and the time constant of the loop depends on the characteristics of the LPF 190. Determined.

Since the phase comparator 189 compares the phase of the output of the voltage controlled oscillator 191 with the phase of the write system horizontal synchronizing signal WHD at the division ratio of 910, the output signal of the voltage controlled oscillator 191 is the phase of the write system horizontal synchronizing signal WHD. 910 times the frequency fHW of Furthermore, by increasing the time constant of the loop, the frequency of the write system horizontal synchronizing signal WHD does not respond to the high frequency component of the frequency fluctuation, and the frequency of the frequency substantially equal to 910 times the average value of the frequency of the write system horizontal synchronizing signal WHD. The signal can be obtained from the voltage controlled oscillator 191.

Further, in FIG. 31, reference numeral 184 denotes a 4fsc generating circuit for stably generating a signal having a frequency four times the frequency fsc of the color subcarrier of the NTSC standard with crystal precision, and 185.
Is a read system clock selection switch, and the second PLL 18
3 or the output signal of the 4fsc generation circuit 184 is selected and output as the read system clock RCLK.

Clock generation circuit 157 performs different operations depending on whether or not a VTR for reproducing a video signal (hereinafter referred to as a "video signal source VTR") accepts external synchronization. The video signal source VTR is for business use such as Umatic standard,
The read system clock selection switch 185 selects the output of the 4fsc generation circuit 184 when the video signal source VTR does not have an external synchronization input, such as for home use. Select the output of the second PLL 183. This is because the field memories 164, 165, 166
This is to make the average frequency of the write clock and the read clock coincide with each other.

First, the operation when the video signal source VTR has an external synchronization terminal (hereinafter referred to as "synchronous mode") will be described. In the case of the synchronous mode, the read system clock selection switch 185 selects the output of the 4fsc oscillation circuit 184. 4fsc oscillation circuit 184 is NT
A signal having a frequency four times as high as the SC standard color subcarrier frequency fsc is generated, and is output as a read system clock RCLK via a read system clock selection switch 185. The synchronizing signal generation circuit 158 uses the read synchronizing signal RSYNC based on the read system clock RCLK.
C is generated and output as an external synchronization signal of the video signal source VTR.

Since the video signal source VTR performs a video signal reproducing operation based on the read-out synchronization signal RSYNC, the horizontal synchronization signal of the video signal output from the video signal source VTR, that is, the average frequency of the writing-system horizontal synchronization signal WHD Is equal to 1/910 of the read system clock RCLK. Accordingly, the first PLL 182 multiplies the write-system horizontal synchronization signal HD by 910 and multiplies it by the write-system clock WC.
Since LK is generated, the write system clock WCLK
Changes following the change in the frequency of the write horizontal synchronizing signal WHD, but its average value becomes equal to the frequency of the read clock RCLK.

Next, when the video signal source VTR does not have an external synchronization input terminal (hereinafter referred to as "stand-alone mode").
) Will be described. In the stand-alone mode, the read system clock selection switch 185 selects the output signal of the second PLL 183. First PLL18
In both the second and second PLLs 183, the average frequency of the output signal is 9 times the average frequency of the write system horizontal synchronization signal WHD.
10 times, that is, 4 times the average frequency of the color subcarrier frequency fscW of the input video signal, but the second PLL
Since the time constant of the 183 loop is set large,
The output of the PLL 182 is a signal writing system horizontal synchronizing signal WH.
On the other hand, the frequency of the output signal of the second PLL 183 gently follows the change of the frequency fHW of the write-system horizontal synchronization signal WHD, whereas the change of the frequency of the write-system clock WCLK is averaging. It becomes almost equal to the frequency.

[0177] By the way, the reproduction video signal of the VTR such as the U-matic standard, the beta-max standard, the VHS standard, and the 8 mm standard is not corrected for the time axis fluctuation of the luminance signal except for some models. Are all corrected and output. Therefore, it is necessary to give the same time axis fluctuation to the color signal as to the luminance signal before performing the time axis correction. Therefore, when the color signal is converted into two color difference signals RY and BY in the color decoder 160, a signal obtained by dividing the write system clock WCLK by four by the four-frequency dividing circuit 159 is used as the reference signal. . That is,
As described above, the write system clock WCLK is generated by multiplying the horizontal synchronizing signal including the time axis fluctuation by 910, and its frequency corresponds to four times the color subcarrier frequency. Therefore, a signal obtained by dividing the write system clock WCLK by 4 corresponds to a color subcarrier including a time axis fluctuation, and the color difference signal R-demodulated using this as a reference signal.
Y and BY include the same time axis fluctuation as the luminance signal.

The two color difference signals RY, BY and the luminance signal output from the color decoder 160 are converted into digital signals at the timing of the write system clock WCLK by A / D converters 161, 162, 163, respectively. The data is written to the field memories 164, 165, 166 and read after one field period. The write control of the field memories 164, 165, 166 is performed by the write memory controller 168 based on the write clock WCLK, and the read control is performed by the read memory controller 169 based on the read clock RCLK.

Next, the time axis fluctuation correction operation will be described. The write clock and the read clock for the field memories 164, 165, 166 are clock generation circuits, respectively.
157 output from the write system clock WCLK and the read system clock RCLK, the average frequency of which is 910 times the horizontal synchronization frequency. This corresponds to recording a video signal of one horizontal period as data of 910 pixels.

Further, since the write system clock WCLK is generated by multiplying the horizontal synchronizing signal of the input video signal having the time axis fluctuation by 910 times, the frequency also changes every moment according to the time axis fluctuation. Is the read system clock R
The frequency of CLK is almost constant at four times the frequency of the NTSC standard color subcarrier with crystal precision, or 910 times the average value of the horizontal synchronization frequency of the input video signal. Therefore,
The operation of the field memories 164, 165, 166 is that the input video signal is written into the storage area corresponding to each pixel at a timing corresponding to the time axis fluctuation, and is read out regularly, and the time axis of the read signal is read out. Is stabilized.

At this time, when the reproduction side VTR can be externally synchronized, the read operation of the field memories 164, 165, 166 is performed with reference to the 4 fsc clock of crystal precision, so that the output video with higher time axis precision is obtained. A signal can be obtained. The field memories 164, 165, 166
It is needless to say that the digitized video signal to be written into the video signal need not be in the entire video period, but only in the vertical and horizontal video periods.

The image fluctuation detecting section 167 detects the motion vector of the entire image for each field by a known representative point matching method. In the representative point matching method, a motion vector for each field is obtained from an inter-field correlation between some pixels selected as representative points and surrounding pixels. FIG. 34 is a block circuit diagram of the image fluctuation detecting unit 167 using a general representative point matching method, and FIG. 35 is a diagram showing the relationship between blocks of an image and representative points. An image of one field is divided into a predetermined number of blocks 211, and one representative point Rij 212 is provided at the center of each block. For each block, the level difference between the representative point one frame before and all the pixels Pij (x, y) 213 in the block is calculated.

In FIG. 34, 201 is an address controller for controlling the operation timing of the whole circuit, 202 is a first latch circuit for latching an input luminance signal at the timing of a pixel at a predetermined representative point, and 203 is a first latch circuit. Latch circuit 202
A representative point memory for writing the data of the pixel at the representative point latched in step 1 and storing it for one field and then reading out the data. Reference numeral 204 denotes a second latch circuit for latching the data of the pixel at the representative point read from the representative point memory 203. 3rd latching of pixel data at the timing of performing the correlation operation with the representative point
206 is an absolute value arithmetic circuit that calculates the absolute value of the difference between the pixel data at the representative point output from the second latch circuit 204 and the pixel data output from the third latch circuit 205; A cumulative addition circuit for cumulatively adding the output of the absolute value calculation circuit 206 to the calculation results of the pixels having the same positional relationship with the representative point for each representative point. 208 refers to the contents of the cumulative addition circuit 207. A motion vector determining circuit for determining a motion vector.

Next, the operation will be described by taking as an example the operation on the pixels in the block 211. A predetermined pixel in the block 211 to be the representative point 212 is written to a predetermined area of the representative point memory 203 via the first latch circuit 202. The data stored in the representative point memory 203 is 1
The data is read out with a field delay, and the second latch circuit 20
The signal is sent to the absolute value calculation circuit 206 via 4. On the other hand, the data of the video signal of the current field is stored in the third latch circuit 205
Is sent to the absolute value calculation circuit 206 via

The representative point signal one field before output from the second latch circuit 204 and the pixel signal of the current field output from the third latch circuit 205 are calculated by an absolute value operation circuit.
The calculation is performed at 206, and the absolute value of the difference is calculated. These calculations are performed on a block basis.
6 is sequentially added to the table corresponding to the same address of the pixel in each block of the accumulator 207. The addition result of this table is the motion vector determination circuit 20
8 and finally, the direction and how much the image position has moved in one field with the block address having the minimum value of the addition result, that is, the motion vector value is determined.

That is, the absolute value of the difference between the representative point Rij and the signal Sij (x, y) having a positional relationship in the horizontal direction x and the vertical direction y is obtained, and x, which have the same positional relationship for each representative point.
y is added to obtain a cumulative addition table Dxy as in the following equation. Dxy = Σ | Rij−Sij (x, y) | Then, the minimum values x and y in Dxy are set as horizontal and vertical motion vectors.

The operation of the above circuit elements is controlled by a control signal from the address controller 201. By the way, if the input image includes time-base fluctuations and is operated with a constant reference clock, the relative relationship between the representative point for each field and the surrounding pixels changes, which adversely affects the motion vector detection. In this example,
The write system clock WCLK is used as a reference clock for the operation of the image shake detection unit 167. Since the timing of the write system clock WCLK changes according to the time axis fluctuation of the input video signal, the sampling timing of the pixel also changes, and the positional relationship of the pixel on the screen becomes substantially constant. Therefore, the influence of the time axis fluctuation can be eliminated.

The read-side memory controller 169 controls the field memories 164,
The reading positions of 165 and 166 are controlled to be moved, and the position of the image in the reading frame is stabilized. This principle is the same as the conventional example.

As shown in FIG. 44, the field memory 16
One image field composed of the output signals of 4, 165 and 166 is smaller than the effective screen size of the image of one field composed of the input video signal due to the shake correction operation. Therefore, after being enlarged to the original screen size by the interpolation enlargement circuits 170, 171, 172, the D / A converters 173, 174, 1
Is converted to an analog signal by 75.

Further, the luminance signal component output from the D / A converter 175 is converted into a read-out synchronizing signal RSYNC output from the synchronizing signal generating circuit 158 by the synchronizing signal changing circuit 176.
C is added to the luminance signal, and the luminance signal is sent to the output terminal 179 and the Y / C mixing circuit 180. The two-system color difference signals output from the D / A converters 173 and 174 are converted into NTSC standard chroma signals by a parallel modulation circuit 177, and then output to a chroma signal output terminal 178 and a Y / C mixing circuit 180. And sent out.
The Y / C mixing circuit 180 mixes the luminance signal output from the synchronizing signal replacement circuit 176 and the chroma signal output from the parallel modulation circuit 177, obtains a composite video signal, and outputs it to the composite video signal output terminal 181. Chroma signal output terminal 178 which is Y / C separation output, luminance signal output terminal 17
9 and the composite video signal output terminal 181
It is possible to obtain a video signal in which the time axis fluctuation and the image fluctuation are corrected.

As described above, in the fifteenth embodiment, the time axis error of the input video signal is detected, the phase of the memory write clock is adjusted in accordance with the detected output, and The time axis of the video signal is corrected by reading the data at the same time, and at the same time, the fluctuation of the entire image formed by the video signal is detected, and the reading position of the field memory is moved according to the detection result, thereby correcting the fluctuation of the entire image. can do.

Further, since the image fluctuation detecting section is configured as shown in FIG. 34, it is possible to accurately detect the motion vector without being affected by the time axis fluctuation of the video signal. Further, the read clock for controlling the read phase of the field memory is switched to either a high-precision internally generated clock or a clock having the average frequency of the write clock of the field memory depending on whether or not the reproduction-side VTR can be externally synchronized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the write operation and the read operation in the field memory from competing.

(Sixteenth Embodiment) Next, a description will be given of a sixteenth embodiment in which an image blur correction device is incorporated in a VTR.
FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the sixteenth embodiment.
The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 30 indicate the same parts. Figure 36
221 is an electromagnetic conversion unit that records an input electric signal as magnetic information on a magnetic tape and reproduces the magnetic information into an electric signal, and 222 is a recording that selects either a recording signal or a reproduction signal and outputs it to the electromagnetic conversion unit 221. This is a reproduction signal switch.

A reproduction signal processing unit 223 processes the output signal of the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 to obtain an NTSC standard video signal, and a 224 processes the NTSC standard video signal to obtain a VHS format recording signal. Playback signal selector switch
A recording signal processing unit that outputs to the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 via 222, a reproduction signal processing unit 223 and an input switch 155
Are correction input signal selection switches for selecting and outputting one of the video signals to be output.

Further, reference numeral 226 denotes a correction input signal selection switch 22.
The time axis fluctuation / image shake correction section 227 for correcting the time axis fluctuation and image shake of the video selected in 5
A servo circuit that controls the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 based on the reference synchronization signal output from the image shake correction unit 226, and 228 selects one of the output signals from the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit 226 and the input switch 155. An output signal selection switch for outputting to the recording signal processing unit 224.

FIG. 37 is a block circuit diagram showing the structure of the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction section 226. In FIG. 37, FIG.
The same parts as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and these parts perform exactly the same operation, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the operation will be described. The system shown in FIG. 36 has two operation modes, a reproduction mode and a recording mode. First, the reproduction mode will be described.
In the reproduction mode, the recording / reproduction signal changeover switch 222 connects the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 and the reproduction signal processing unit 223, and the correction input signal selection switch 225 connects the reproduction signal processing unit 223 and the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit 226. Connecting. As the read system clock RCLK output from the clock generation circuit 157, a clock having a crystal-accurate frequency of 4 fsc is output in the same manner as in the case where the reproduction-side VTR accepts external synchronization described in the fifteenth embodiment.

The signal read from the magnetic tape by the electromagnetic conversion section 221 is converted into a luminance signal and a chroma signal by the reproduction signal processing section 223. The output of the reproduction signal processing unit 223 is sent to the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit 226 via the correction input signal selection switch 225. The time-axis fluctuation / image fluctuation correction unit 226 corrects the time-axis fluctuation and image fluctuation of the video signal output from the correction input signal selection switch 225, generates a read-out synchronization signal RSYNC, and outputs it to the servo circuit 227. . At this time, since the reading operation of the field memories 164, 165, and 166 in the time axis fluctuation / image shaking correction unit 226 is performed with reference to the 4 fsc clock of crystal precision, an output video signal with high time axis precision can be obtained. Can be.

The servo circuit 227 has a read-out synchronizing signal RS.
The reproducing operation of the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 is controlled according to the YNC.
Since the read-out synchronizing signal RSYNC is generated based on the read-out clock RCLK of the field memories 164, 165, 166 in the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit 226, the reproduction operation of the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 and the field memory 164, 166 165,
166 is performed in synchronization with the read operation. The video signal output from the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit 226 is sent to the output terminals 178 and 179 and the Y / C mixing circuit 180 via the output signal selection switch 228. The Y / C mixing circuit 180 mixes the luminance signal and the chrominance signal output from the output selection switch 228 and outputs the mixed signal to the output terminal 181.

In the reproduction mode, it is possible to correct the time axis fluctuation and the image fluctuation of the video signal reproduced by the own device as described above, and to output the stabilized video signal to the monitor or the recording VTR. it can.

Next, the recording mode will be described. When the signal source VTR is a general home VTR,
Normally, the reproduced video signal is not subjected to time axis correction. However, by using the apparatus of the sixteenth embodiment as a recorder at the time of editing, it is possible to remove the time axis fluctuation of the recorded image in advance.

In the recording mode, the recording / reproducing signal selection switch 222 controls the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 and the recording signal processing unit 224, and the correction input selection switch 225 controls the input changeover switch 155 and the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit 226. Connecting. The read-out system clock RCLK output from the clock generation circuit 157 is the reproduction-side VTR described in the fifteenth embodiment.
Write system clock W as in the case where
A clock having an average frequency of CLK is output. A video signal from a VTR that is a video signal source is input to input terminals 151 and 152 or input terminal 153. Either the chroma signal and the luminance signal input to the input terminals 151 and 152 or the luminance signal and the chroma signal separated by the Y / C separation circuit 154 are selected by an input switch 155.

The chroma signal and the luminance signal selected by the input changeover switch 155 are sent to the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction section 226 via the correction input signal selection switch 225.
The time axis fluctuation component and the image fluctuation are corrected. The output signal of the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit 226 is sent to the recording signal processing unit 224 via the output signal selection switch 228,
It is converted into a recording signal of the HS standard. Recording signal processing unit 224
Is output to the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 and recorded on a magnetic tape. Also, the recording operation of the electromagnetic conversion unit 221 is controlled by the servo circuit 227 based on the read-out synchronizing signal RSYNC output from the time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit 226. The reading operation of the field memory does not conflict with the recording operation of the electromagnetic conversion unit 221.

In the recording mode, as described above, it is possible to correct the time-axis fluctuation of the video signal input from the outside and the fluctuation of the image before recording.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth embodiments, the read-out system clock WCLK is generated based on the synchronization signal of the input video signal. However, another reference signal such as a burst signal may be used. Further, a motion vector detecting device based on the representative point matching method is used for the image shaking detecting unit, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other motion vector detecting devices such as a gradient method and a Fourier transform method may be used. Further, the video signal is set to the NTSC standard, but it is not limited to this.
Other systems such as AL and SECAM may be used. Also,
Although the video signal recording / reproducing device is a VHS standard VTR, the present invention is not limited to this, and a VTR of another standard such as a β standard or an 8 mm standard or an optical disk of another system may be used. Further, the video signal is converted into a luminance signal and a color difference signal (RY, BY).
, But is not limited to this.
The processing may be performed in a state of B, Y / C separate, Y / C composite, or the like.

Therefore, in the sixteenth embodiment, by controlling the reproduction operation of the VTR based on the read clock output from the clock generation circuit, the phase of the reproduction operation in the VTR and the phase of the read operation of the field memory are synchronized. , An output video signal having a time axis accuracy based on a highly accurate internal clock can be obtained.

[0207]

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, a stable image can be obtained even when the subject moves, and the camera can be turned only in the approximate direction in which the subject is considered to exist. You can shoot with a certain composition.

[0208]

[0209]

According to the invention of claim 3 , similarly to the invention of claim 1, a stable image can be obtained even when the subject moves, and an image without image quality degradation can be obtained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, as in the first aspect, a stable image can be obtained even when the subject moves, and an image in which the subject is always in focus can be obtained. .

[0212]

[0213]

[0214]

[0215]

[0216]

[0217]

[0218]

[0219]

[0220]

[0221]

[0222]

[0223]

[0224]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a face image recognition circuit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a range of colors to be detected as a skin color.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation state of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an imaging apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an imaging apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state of subject recognition in a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a range of colors to be detected.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an imaging apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an imaging apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of an imaging apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the mechanism system of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a control system of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an algorithm at the time of mode switching in a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a graph showing an example of a change in gain of an angle loop in the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a graph showing another example of the gain change of the angle loop in the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram illustrating an imaging apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an algorithm at the time of mode switching in a seventh embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram of an imaging apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an algorithm at the time of mode switching in the eighth embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a configuration diagram of an imaging apparatus according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a configuration diagram of an imaging device according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a configuration diagram of an imaging apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a motion vector detecting device according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram of an offset setting circuit according to a twelfth embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a shooting screen according to the twelfth embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example in which detection blocks for a fixed area and a movable area are prevented from overlapping in the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of a CT area movement algorithm in the thirteenth embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a block diagram of an image shake correcting apparatus according to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a block diagram of an image shake correcting apparatus according to a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a block diagram of a clock generation circuit according to a fifteenth embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a block diagram of a first PLL in a clock generation circuit according to a fifteenth embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a block diagram of a second PLL in the clock generation circuit according to the fifteenth embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a block diagram of an image fluctuation detecting unit according to the fifteenth embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between image blocks and their representative points for explaining a data processing method in the fifteenth embodiment.

FIG. 36 is a block diagram of an image shake correcting apparatus according to a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 37 is a block diagram of a time axis correction / image shake correction unit in the sixteenth embodiment.

FIG. 38 is a block diagram of a conventional imaging device.

FIG. 39 is a configuration diagram of a conventional imaging device.

FIG. 40 is a block diagram of a conventional motion vector detection device.

FIG. 41 is a diagram showing a detection area in a conventional motion vector detection device.

FIG. 42 is a diagram showing four typical patterns of correlation values (cumulative addition values) with respect to displacement.

FIG. 43 is a block diagram of a conventional image shake correction device.

FIG. 44 is a diagram for explaining the principle of image shake correction.

FIG. 45 shows a conventional image stabilization device using a camera-integrated VT.
It is a block diagram which shows the structure at the time of incorporating in R.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 lens barrel 2 CCD element (light receiving surface) 3 camera signal processing circuit 4 focus detection circuit 5 focus lens control circuit 6 motor driver 8 focus lens position detection device 9 zoom lens control circuit 10 motor driver 12 zoom lens position detection device 14 face image Recognition circuit 15 Zoom control circuit 16 Electronic zoom circuit 17 EVF image control circuit 18 EVF 19 Subject recognition circuit 20 Subject registration circuit 21 Zoom lens 22 Focus lens 30 Lens barrel control circuit 51 Lens barrel 52 Gimbal mechanism 53 Actuator 54 Angle sensor 55 Angular velocity sensor 58 Stationary state detection circuit 59 Adder 60 Actuator drive circuit 61 Image sensor 62 Signal processing circuit 63 Display device 91 Sensor 92 Tripod 93 Housing 94 Sensor 96 Fixed device 101 Representative point memory 102 Absolute value calculation 115 CT area gate circuit 116 CT area Cumulative addition circuit 117 CT area reliability judgment Path 118 motion vector determination circuit 119 CT area offset setting circuit 137 video memory 138 motion vector detection device 139 control circuit 156 synchronization separation circuit 157 clock generation circuit 158 synchronization signal generation circuit 164 field memory (RY) 165 field memory (B- Y) 166 Field memory (Y) 167 Image shaking detection unit 168 Write system memory controller 169 Read system memory controller 182 First phase locked loop (first PLL) 183 Second phase locked loop (second PLL) 184 4fsc generation circuit 185 Read system clock selection switch 186 Phase comparator 187 Voltage controlled oscillator 188 910 frequency divider 189 Phase comparator 190 Low pass filter (LPF) 191 Voltage controlled oscillator 192 910 frequency divider 201 Address controller 203 Representative point memory 206 Absolute Value operation circuit 207 Cumulative addition circuit 208 Movement Vector determination circuit 221 Electromagnetic conversion unit 223 Playback signal processing unit 224 Record signal processing unit 226 Time axis fluctuation / image shake correction unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (31) Priority claim number Japanese Patent Application No. 4-318485 (32) Priority date November 27, 1992 (1992.11.127) (33) Priority claim country Japan (JP) (72) Inventor Takashi Nakajima 1 Baba Zojo Station, Nagaokakyo-shi, Kyoto Prefecture Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Imaging System Development Laboratory (72) Inventor Shigeki Tsuji 1 Baba Zojo, Nagaokakyo-shi, Kyoto Prefecture Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Video System Development (56) References JP-A-61-101176 (JP, A) JP-A-3-182189 (JP, A) JP-A-2-39275 (JP, A) JP-A-50-58935 (JP, A) JP-A-6-6666 (JP, A)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An optical zoom means for optically zooming, an electronic zoom means for enlarging a video signal, and an area corresponding to a specific color in the screen based on a color signal component of the video signal corresponding to the screen. A specific color region extracting unit to be extracted, a feature amount detecting unit that detects and outputs a feature amount of the extracted region, and determines whether or not the extracted region is a desired subject based on an output of the feature amount detecting unit. Judgment means, and a magnification of the optical zoom by the optical zoom means is determined based on the size of the area determined as the subject, and the electronic zoom is cut out by the electronic zoom means based on the position in the screen of the area determined as the subject. By determining the position,
An image pickup apparatus comprising: control means for performing image enlargement control such that an area determined as a subject is located substantially at the center of a screen and has a predetermined size. 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays an image before the image is enlarged by the optical zoom unit or the electronic zoom unit. 3. The method according to claim 3, wherein the characteristics of the subject are registered in advance.
Registration means capable of storing
The imaging device according to claim 1 . 4. Focusing the position of the subject on the screen
Move the subject in the screen as the area used for control
Detection area that moves the area used for focus control according to
The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a change unit.