JP3829857B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus capable of continuous shooting.

  In recent years, there has been remarkable progress in the field of digital camera technology in the photographic industry, and with this, digital cameras have emerged as a product group, and the conventional silver halide camera is no longer in number of digital cameras. It is becoming.

  The background of the rise of digital cameras in this way is that images can be confirmed immediately, personal computers (hereinafter referred to as personal computers) and printer devices have rapidly spread, and the development of communication networks.

  In other words, with a conventional silver salt camera, it is not possible to confirm the completion of a photo immediately after taking a picture, and it is not possible to re-take with a film once used, which is economically efficient. It was not a thing. Also, to send it to a remote location, it had to be by mail.

  On the other hand, in the case of digital cameras, you can check the shot image on the spot where it was taken, capture it to a PC, print it out with a printer, or send an image to a remote acquaintance through a network such as the Internet. You can enjoy it in various ways.

  In addition, since the captured images are digitally stored in the memory electronically, unnecessary images such as failed images and images that you do not like can be deleted on the spot, making it possible to effectively use the memory. .

  Here, in the use of such a digital camera, the most frequently photographed image includes a human photograph such as a commemorative photo taken when traveling or a snapshot taken in daily life.

  In particular, an important point in taking these portraits is a photo opportunity, that is, a timing to release the shutter.

  With regard to this photo opportunity, the conventional silver salt camera and digital camera are greatly affected by the skill of the photographer, and the timing of the moment is missed, which greatly affects the quality of the photo.

  In order to solve this problem, some high-end models of silver halide cameras have built-in motor drives or can be equipped with them. I selected the photo that I liked most. Also, there are models with a continuous shooting function in digital cameras, and by using such a function, a device has been devised to capture the best possible photo opportunity.

A digital camera having a continuous shooting mode capable of continuously shooting a plurality of photos is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to erase a plurality of images shot in the continuous shooting mode. However, a particular image, that is, a favorite image out of the plurality of images shot in the continuous shooting mode. You can't immediately enjoy how to leave photos, delete unwanted photos, use memory effectively, and send only those photos you like to remote acquaintances via a network such as the Internet. is there.
JP-A-11-341421

Is a photograph of young children being most photographed among the human image, in such a case, depending on the shooting who is at present not take a pretty good look photo.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and provides an imaging apparatus capable of capturing the best shutter chance and capturing a lively expression of a subject .

Imaging apparatus of the present invention includes an imaging element, a shutter, a taking lens for forming an image of a subject and more on the imaging element to the shutter over an image display unit, and an image memory for recording image data, the image Image display control means for controlling transmission of the image data recorded in the memory to the image display section, and information addition means for adding a shooting start signal to the image data recorded in the image memory. The image display control means controls to output the image data recorded in advance in the image memory to the image display unit, and releases the shutter at the moment based on the shooting start signal added to the image data. Is to control.

In addition, the imaging apparatus of the present invention makes it possible to shift the imaging start signal added by the information adding means back and forth .

According to the present invention, the image display unit or the speaker unit is provided, and when shooting, the display unit can be visually recognized from the subject, or the sound from the speaker unit can be heard, so that the subject is more lively. It is possible to give a facial expression. In addition, by putting a shooting start signal in the sound heard from the subject, shooting at a predetermined moment is ensured, and even an inexperienced camera operator can shoot without missing a photo opportunity. .

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a digital camera of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as a camera) will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration when the camera according to the present embodiment is used. In the figure, 1 is a camera body, 2 is a shutter button, 3 is a speaker unit, 4 is a display unit, 12 is a lens, 6 is a digital electronic camera fixing means such as a tripod, 11 is a strobe, and 20 is an operator as a subject. is there. The image display unit 4 also serves as a viewfinder during normal photographing, and is configured with a liquid crystal screen or the like.

  FIG. 2 shows a side view of the camera 1, and the image display unit 4 is configured to be reversed as shown in the figure, FIG. 2 (b) shows normal shooting, and the image display unit 4 is on the photographer side. It can be seen from. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the display unit 4 is inverted, a state in which the display unit 4 is visible from the lens 12 side, and shows a state at the time of self-timer photographing in the present embodiment. In addition, when the image is reversed above the camera 1 as in the configuration of FIG. 2, if the display is switched so as to be displayed when the image is reversed, the top and bottom of the image can be viewed when viewed from the direction of arrow A in the figure. Will not reverse.

  FIG. 3 shows the top surface, back surface (surface opposite to the lens) and bottom surface of the camera 1, 8 is an optical viewfinder, 9 is a memory slot for inserting a memory for recording a photographed image, and 10 is auxiliary. An auxiliary memory slot 5 for using the memory is an operation unit. Here, a recording medium such as an SD card can be considered as the memory.

  Although the captured image can be confirmed on the display unit 4 during normal photographing, the optical viewfinder 8 can be used with the display function of the display unit 4 turned off in order to reduce power consumption.

  FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of signal processing in the camera 1. In the figure, a solid-state image pickup device (CCD) 30 is an image pickup device that converts an image incident through a lens 12 into an electric signal, and is driven and controlled by a CCD drive control means 31. The analog signal processing unit 32 is a processing unit that performs analog signal processing such as gamma processing on the video signal obtained by the CCD 30. The A / D conversion unit 33 is a conversion unit that converts the analog video signal output from the analog signal processing unit 32 into a digital signal.

  The digital signal processing unit 34 is a signal processing unit that performs digital signal processing such as noise removal and edge enhancement on the video signal converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion unit 33. The buffer memory 35 temporarily stores the image signal that has passed through the digital signal processing means 34. The image once recorded in the buffer memory 35 is controlled to be written into the image recording means 37 such as an internal memory or a recording medium in accordance with a command of the image recording control means 36, and the image recorded in the image recording means 37 is an image. The image is displayed on the image display unit 4 in accordance with a command from the display control means 38.

  A command transmitted from the remote control 7 is received by the remote control receiving unit 40, timer information set by the operation unit 5 is received by the timer setting unit 41, and a signal from the shutter 2 is received by the shutter control unit 42. In addition, a network information transmission / reception unit 48 that transmits / receives information via a communication network such as the Internet is provided. All of the information is controlled by a built-in microcomputer 50 to control the camera 1 or to the display unit 4. Is displayed.

  Next, an operation when photographing using the camera having the above configuration will be described.

  First, it is set so that an image prepared in advance is displayed on the image display unit 4. For example, an image previously captured by the camera 1 is set, image data that has been captured in a nonvolatile memory is captured and set in the camera 1, an image obtained through a network such as the Internet is captured, or the camera 1 An image prepared in advance can be displayed.

  That is, in FIG. 4, the image data stored in the image memory 46 is displayed on the image display unit 4 by the image display control unit 38, and the image captured from the external memory 47 is displayed by the image display control unit 38. Or after the image data taken in from the network information transmitting / receiving unit 48 is recorded in the image memory 46, it can be displayed on the image display unit 4.

  At this time, the microcomputer 50 displays the image data in conjunction with the information from the timer setting unit 41 and the command from the shutter control unit 42.

  Here, the operator 20 considers the person who is the subject together with him and selects an image to be set in advance. For example, in the case of being with a child, an image of an animated character that the child is interested in can be set, and in the case of being with a grandchild, a face photo of the mother can be set. Furthermore, the display image is not limited to a still image, and can be a moving image that the mother calls to her child. In such a case, if the size of the image data is large, the above-described auxiliary memory slot 10 can be used to display a moving image stored in an SD card or the like as the external memory 47.

  Furthermore, the operator 20 can store several types of images in a storage unit such as an SD card in advance, and can select which image to use as appropriate according to the person who is the subject.

  Next, the self-timer is set by the operation unit 5. Here, the time (waiting time) from when the shutter button 2 is pressed until the first shooting is performed, the number of shots, and the shooting interval are set. In some cases, the strobe can be turned ON / OFF. The set information is detected by the microcomputer 50, and the camera 1 is controlled according to these setting conditions.

  For example, the waiting time is set to 10 seconds, the number of shots is set to 3, and the shooting interval is set to 0.3 seconds. At this time, the operator 20 fixes the camera 1 and at the same time performs the above setting, and then moves to the shooting location after waiting for the shutter button 2 to be held.

  The first shooting is performed 10 seconds after the shutter button 2 is pressed. At this time, an image preset by the operator 20 is displayed on the display unit 4. Since the image displayed at this time is an image in which the subject is interested, there is a low possibility that the subject will turn sideways or look at the camera.

  Subsequently, a total of three images are taken at 0.3 second intervals.

  Next, the operator 20 can check the three images taken by the image display unit 4 of the camera 1, leave the most favorite image, and delete other images by means of deleting.

  Further, when the above-described shooting is continuously performed, each image continuously shot by one shutter operation can be displayed on the image display unit 4.

  For example, when shooting with sunset, it is necessary to finish shooting within a short time. Therefore, after taking 3 shots (scene A), the sunset is shot from the front of the person who is the subject, and then continuously taking 4 shots with the sunset back (scene B). Assuming that five shots (scene C) are taken at an angle irradiated from the side of the subject, three scenes A are first displayed on the display unit 4 after the shooting is finished, and then four scenes B are displayed. Finally, five scenes C are displayed, and a favorite image can be selected as appropriate.

  In other words, after taking the first three pictures, it takes time if the photographer returns to the position of the camera and carefully selects the favorite picture from the three pictures. You miss a photo opportunity. Therefore, in the same state, the process proceeds to the next four condition setting and shooting operations. Similarly, after taking the last five pictures, the best images of each scene can be carefully examined and selected together. .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to shoot without missing a photo opportunity by using the self-timer function and simultaneously shooting continuously.

  Even if the subject is a commemorative photo when the subject is an infant or a child, an image showing the subject's interest is displayed on the display unit 4, so that the subject has a lively expression without facing sideways. Can be taken.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the first embodiment uses a self-timer function and an image data display function, whereas this embodiment uses a speaker. It is a point of using the reproduction function of the used audio data.

  In FIG. 4, the audio data sent from the external memory 47 storing the audio data to the microcomputer 50 via the audio information control means 49 is sent to the speaker unit 3 in conjunction with the command sent from the shutter control unit 42. Is reproduced as audio information. The handling of image data is the same as in the first embodiment.

  That is, in the first embodiment, it is possible to further improve the degree of attention of the subject with respect to the camera 1 by outputting sound linked to the image displayed on the display unit 4 from the speaker unit 3.

  For example, when taking a picture of a baby, you can take a picture of a more lively expression by outputting a sound such as “… Chan, take a picture. Yes cheese” along with the image of the mother. It becomes possible.

  Of course, it is not necessary that the image is always played back while the sound is flowing. For example, an image that surprises the subject at the last moment when the sound data is played. May be displayed. By combining such audio data and image data, it is possible to bring out expressions that the subject does not usually show.

  As described above, when a speaker is used, the sound can be heard in conjunction with the displayed image, so the effect is greater.

  In addition, as a different shooting method when using the above-described speaker, voice data is input in advance, and the voice data and the shutter of the camera 1 are linked to take a picture that captures more photo opportunities. I can do it.

  For example, when practicing a dance, put the data of the theme song of the dance as audio data, and add a signal corresponding to “bookmark” to the part corresponding to the moment you want to shoot in the song data. By doing so, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the shutter is released at the moment when the “bookmark” portion is reproduced while the music data is being reproduced from the speaker.

  Then, you can shoot without missing the moment of “determined pose”. In this case, the shooting intervals need not be equal and can be used not only for dancing but also for golf swing self-checks.

  At this time, the distance between the reproduction of the “bookmark” portion of the audio data and the moment when the shutter is released may be shifted in advance by a predetermined time in consideration of the distance between the camera and the subject. For example, if the distance between the camera 1 and the subject is about 3 meters, it takes about 0.01 seconds for the sound to be sensed by the subject, so the timing for releasing the shutter is 0.01 from the moment when the “bookmark” portion is reproduced. It is also possible to capture the timing more accurately by delaying the second.

  In the present embodiment, it is not always necessary to use the self-timer function. For example, when shooting a moving subject like the dance described above, the photographer simply holds the camera 1 and looks at the subject. Since the shutter is automatically released at an appropriate timing by simply following the operation, even an operator unfamiliar with the camera operation can take a picture capturing the timing.

  Here, various methods can be considered as the method of adding the “bookmark” information. For example, in FIG. 4, the image display unit 4 or the audio information control unit 49 from the external memory 47 in FIG. By reproducing the information from the speaker unit 3 and operating the operation unit 5 at the moment when the user wants to release the shutter, the bookmark information is sent from the information adding means 51 to the microcomputer 50 and the “bookmark” information is added. I can do it.

  Furthermore, after viewing the first shooting result, it is also possible to shift the “bookmark” information back and forth in increments of 0.05 seconds, for example. By taking such a configuration, it is possible to perform shooting with more timing. It becomes possible.

  The present invention is useful as a photographing apparatus that can effectively use a memory because an unwanted image can be erased from a plurality of photographed images photographed by one shutter operation.

Schematic which shows the form of imaging | photography in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. Side view of the digital camera of the present invention The figure which shows the structure of the digital camera of this invention The block diagram which shows the flow of the signal in the digital camera of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera 2 Shutter button 3 Speaker part 4 Image display part 5 Operation part 7 Remote control 9 Memory slot 11 Strobe 12 Lens 20 Operator (photographer)
30 CCD
35 Buffer memory 47 External memory

Claims (2)

An imaging element, a shutter and a taking lens for forming an image of a subject and more on the imaging element to the shutter over an image display unit, and an image memory for recording image data, the image data recorded in the image memory Image display control means for controlling transmission to the image display section, and information addition means for adding a shooting start signal to the image data recorded in the image memory,
At the time of shooting, the image display control means controls to output the image data recorded in advance in the image memory to the image display unit, and at the moment based on the shooting start signal added to the image data. An image pickup apparatus that is controlled to release a shutter . The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging start signal added by the information adding unit can be shifted back and forth.

Images