JP4806471B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus capable of adjusting the angle of view and a shooting method thereof, and more particularly, to an imaging method for automatically adjusting the angle of view with respect to a target subject.

With the development of various digital technologies, imaging devices such as digital cameras and digital videos for taking digital images are now widely used. CCD (Charge Coupled Device)
High-definition images can be taken by improving the number of pixels of a solid-state imaging device such as a CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor. Furthermore, it is also common to have an optical zoom lens and have an autofocus function, so that even those who are not familiar with the camera can freely set the zoom magnification to wide angle or telephoto and change the angle of view while focusing. This makes it easy to shoot images that match.

  However, setting the composition at the time of shooting is particularly difficult for beginners of shooting, and if the target subject is too large or too small, or the irrelevant foreground is shown wider than the subject, the image will be displayed after shooting. When observing, the photographer may not be able to photograph with the composition intended by the photographer.

  Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, a camera equipped with a zoom lens is used to automatically shoot at a plurality of zoom magnifications in addition to the zoom magnification set at the time of shooting, and images of wide angle, telephoto and intermediate angles of view are obtained. An imaging method has been proposed in which images can be obtained at a time and the photographer can select an image with an appropriate angle of view after shooting.

  In Patent Document 2, a digital camera equipped with a zoom lens is used to change the zoom magnification to a wider angle than the zoom magnification set at the time of shooting. The image of the range and the zoom magnification set by the photographer, and the image of the photographing range shifted from the intended photographing range of the photographer are automatically cut out and generated, and the photographer can select an image of the appropriate photographing range. A method has been proposed.

Further, in Patent Document 3, a person is a subject, and a facial feature detected using means for detecting facial features such as eyes, ears, and nose is positioned within a reference region in the frame. There has been proposed a method for controlling the position and size of a face to be photographed by controlling the position and posture of the camera with a moving mechanism.
JP-A-6-22263 JP 2004-109247 A JP 2005-117316 A

  However, the method proposed in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the position of the subject in the image, and only takes pictures while changing the zoom magnification. There is a possibility that the subject is biased downward or cut off at the edge of the image.

  In addition, in the method proposed in Patent Document 2, an image is cut out. Therefore, if a conventional solid-state imaging device is used as it is, an obtained image is inferior in definition to the conventional one. On the other hand, in order to maintain the fineness of the conventional image, the solid-state imaging element must be made larger than the conventional one, and the enlargement of the imaging apparatus is inevitable.

  In the method proposed in Patent Document 3, a camera fixed at one place is used, and a moving mechanism for controlling the position and posture of the camera is provided with many motors such as a rotary motor and a tilt motor. Because it is a large one, it is not suitable for carrying around.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an imaging apparatus in which a subject subject is arranged in an appropriate size and a plurality of images with a variety of angles of view can be easily obtained and can be easily carried, and such an imaging method. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus of the present invention includes an imaging unit that outputs an imaging signal, a face detection unit that detects a face area of a person who is a subject from an image based on the imaging signal, and the face area includes the face area A zoom control unit that controls a zoom magnification so as to be a predetermined size in the image, a shift control unit that shifts a position of the face region so that the face region is a predetermined position in the image, A composition setting unit in which a plurality of reference compositions in which the face area in the image has a predetermined size and position is preset, and the size and position of the face area in the image are detected when the image is taken A determination unit that determines whether the size and position of the face area in the image is along each of the plurality of reference compositions, and the composition determined by the determination unit to be along the reference composition The effective composition is At least in the case where the horizontal center is a plurality of composition shifted to the left or right direction, the zoom control unit and said to be suitable from the horizontal center to each of the plurality of effective composition shifted to the left or right Photographing is performed by controlling the shift control unit .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically obtain an image in which a target subject is arranged in an appropriate size and position with respect to a plurality of angles of view with an imaging device that is easy to carry. Therefore, even if the image is shot at the angle of view set by the photographer, the position and size of the person is biased or the image is halfway. Since the image is photographed automatically, it is possible to reduce photographing failures.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera or a digital video that performs the shooting method of the present invention will be described as an example. The imaging device may be capable of capturing a moving image as long as it can capture a still image.

(Configuration of imaging device)
First, the internal configuration of the imaging apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the imaging apparatus.

  The imaging apparatus of FIG. 1 includes a solid-state imaging device (image sensor) 1 such as a CCD or CMOS sensor that converts incident light into an electrical signal, and a zoom lens and a zoom lens that form an optical image of a subject on the image sensor 1. Lens unit 18 having a motor that changes the focal length of the optical zoom, that is, the optical zoom magnification, AFE (Analog Front End) 2 that converts an image signal that is an analog signal output from image sensor 1 into a digital signal, and an external input. A microphone 3 for converting the obtained sound into an electrical signal, an image processing unit 4 for performing various image processing including face detection processing on an image signal to be a digital signal from the AFE 2, and an audio signal as an analog signal from the microphone 3 Is converted into a digital signal, and JPEG (Joi) is applied to the image signal from the image processing unit 4 when shooting a still image. nt Photographic Experts Group (compression method) When recording moving images, compression coding such as MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) compression method is applied to the image signal from the image processing unit 4 and the audio signal from the audio processing unit 5. A compression processing unit 6 that performs processing, a driver unit 7 that records a compression-coded signal compression-encoded by the compression processing unit 6 in an external memory 20 such as an SD card, and a compression read out from the external memory 20 by the driver unit 7 A decompression processing unit 8 that decompresses and decodes the encoded signal, a display unit 9 that displays an image based on an image signal obtained by decoding by the decompression processing unit 8, and an audio signal from the decompression processing unit 8 is an analog signal. In order to make the operation timing of each block coincide with the audio output circuit unit 10 for converting to the sound output unit, the speaker unit 11 for reproducing and outputting audio based on the audio signal from the audio output circuit unit 10 A timing generator (TG) 12 that outputs a timing control signal, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 13 that controls the drive operation of the entire imaging apparatus, and stores each program for each operation and stores data at the time of program execution A memory 14 for temporary storage; an operation unit 15 for inputting instructions from a user including a shutter button for still image shooting; a bus line 16 for exchanging data between the CPU 13 and each block; And a bus line 17 for exchanging data between the memory 14 and each block. In the lens unit 18, the CPU 13 controls the focus, aperture, optical zoom magnification, and optical axis shift by driving the motor in accordance with the image signal detected by the image processing unit 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the lens unit 18 includes a shift lens 18 b provided between the imaging lens 18 a and the image sensor 1 and movable in parallel to the light receiving surface of the image sensor 1. Yes. The position of the shift lens 18 b can be controlled by the CPU 13, and the optical axis of the light incident from the imaging lens 18 a can be shifted so as to be a predetermined position of the image sensor 1.

(Basic operation of the imaging device)
Next, a basic operation at the time of still image shooting of this imaging apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when the user turns on the power of the imaging apparatus (STEP 101), the shooting mode of the imaging apparatus, that is, the drive mode of the image sensor 1 is automatically set to the preview mode (STEP 102). In the preview mode, an image signal that is an analog signal obtained by the photoelectric conversion operation of the image sensor 1 is converted into a digital signal by the AFE 2, subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 4, and compressed by the compression processing unit 6. An image signal for the current image is temporarily recorded in the external memory 20. The compressed signal is expanded by the expansion processing unit 8 via the driver unit 7, and an image having an angle of view at the zoom magnification of the lens unit 18 set at the present time is displayed on the display unit 9.

  Subsequently, the user sets the zoom magnification with the optical zoom so that the desired angle of view is obtained with respect to the subject to be imaged (STEP 103). At that time, the CPU 13 controls the lens unit 18 based on the image signal input to the image processing unit 4 to perform optimum exposure control (Automatic Exposure; AE) and focus control (Auto Focus; AF) (STEP 104). ). When the user determines the shooting angle of view and composition and presses the shutter button of the operation unit 15 halfway (STEP 105), AE and AF optimization processing is performed (STEP 106).

  After the shooting AE / AF is set, when the shutter button is fully pressed (STEP 107), the timing generator 12 sends timing control signals to the image sensor 1, the AFE 2, the image processing unit 4, and the compression processing unit 6, respectively. Is synchronized, and the operation timing of each unit is synchronized, and it is detected whether or not there is a face of a predetermined size or larger in the image signal input in the image processing unit 4 (STEP 108). This face detection process will be described later. If a face larger than a predetermined size is not detected, normal shooting is performed. If a face larger than a predetermined size is detected, angle bracket shooting described later is performed.

  When a face larger than a predetermined size is not detected in the image signal, the drive mode of the image sensor 1 is set to the still image shooting mode (STEP 125), and the image signal which is an analog signal output from the image sensor 1 is set. RawDATA is converted into a digital signal by AFE2 and once written in the memory 14 (STEP 126). This digital signal is read from the memory 14 and subjected to various image processing such as signal conversion processing for generating a luminance signal and a color difference signal in the image processing unit 4, and the signal subjected to the image processing is subjected to JPEG in the compression processing unit 6. After compression into (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format (STEP 127), the compressed image is written into the external memory 20 (STEP 124), and the photographing is completed. Thereafter, the camera returns to the playback mode to enter the shooting standby state (STEP 102).

(Face detection process)
Next, face detection processing of this imaging apparatus will be described. The image processing unit 4 includes a face detection device 40 and can detect a person's face from an input image signal. The configuration and operation of the face detection device 40 will be described below.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the face detection device 40. The face detection device 40 is stored in the memory 14 and reduced image generation means 42 that generates one or a plurality of reduced images based on the image data obtained by the AFE 2, each hierarchical image composed of the input image and the reduced image, and the memory 14. A face determination unit 45 that determines whether or not a face exists in the input image using a face detection weight table, and a detection result output unit 46 that outputs a detection result of the face determination unit 45 are provided. When a face is detected, the detection result output means 46 outputs the detected face size and position with reference to the input image.

  The weight table stored in the memory 14 is obtained from a large number of teacher samples (face and non-face sample images). Such a weight table can be created using, for example, a known learning method called Adaboost (Yoav Freund, Robert E. Schapire, “A decision-theoretic generalization of on-line learning and an application to boosting” ", European Conference on Computational Learning Theory, September 20, 1995.).

Adaboost is an adaptive boosting learning method. Based on a large number of teacher samples, Adaboost selects multiple weak classifiers that are effective for identification from among a plurality of weak classifier candidates. This is a learning method for realizing a highly accurate classifier by weighting and integrating. Here, a weak classifier refers to a classifier that has a higher discrimination ability than a coincidence but is not high enough to satisfy sufficient accuracy. When a weak classifier is selected, if there is a weak classifier that has already been selected, the learning is focused on the teacher sample that is misrecognized by the selected weak classifier. To select the most effective weak classifier.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a hierarchical image obtained by the reduced image generating means 42. In this example, a plurality of hierarchical images that are generated when the reduction ratio R is set to 0.8 are shown. In FIG. 5, 50 indicates an input image, and 51-55 indicate reduced images. Reference numeral 61 denotes a determination area. In this example, the determination area is set to a size of 24 pixels vertically and 24 pixels horizontally. The size of the determination area is the same for the input image and each reduced image. In this example, as indicated by an arrow, a face image matching the determination area is detected by moving the determination area from left to right on the hierarchical image and performing horizontal scanning from the top to the bottom. I do. However, the scanning order is not limited to this. The reason why the plurality of reduced images 51 to 55 are generated in addition to the input image 50 is to detect faces of different sizes using one kind of weight table.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the face detection process. The face detection processing by the face determination unit 45 is performed for each hierarchical image, but since the processing method is the same, only the face detection processing performed on the input image 50 will be described here. In FIG. 6, 50 indicates an input image, and 61 indicates a determination region set in the input image.

  The face detection process performed for each hierarchical image is performed using an image corresponding to the determination region set in the image and a weight table. The face detection process includes a plurality of determination steps that sequentially shift from a rough determination to a fine determination. When a face is not detected in a certain determination step, the process does not proceed to the next determination step, and the determination area includes It is determined that no face exists. In all the determination steps, only when a face is detected, it is determined that a face exists in the determination area, and the determination area is scanned to shift to determination in the next determination area. In this way, the position and size of the detected face are output by the detection result output means 46. Such face detection processing is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-053304, which is a patent application filed by the present applicant.

(Basic operation of the imaging device)
The operation during movie shooting will be described. In this imaging apparatus, when the operation unit 15 instructs to perform an imaging operation, an image signal that is an analog signal obtained by the photoelectric conversion operation of the image sensor 1 is output to the AFE 2. At this time, the image sensor 1 receives the timing control signal from the TG 12 to perform horizontal scanning and vertical scanning, and output an image signal serving as data for each pixel. In the AFE 2, when raw data of an analog image signal is converted into a digital signal and input to the image processing unit 4, various image processing such as signal conversion processing for generating a luminance signal and a color difference signal is performed. Is done.

  Then, the image signal subjected to the image processing by the image processing unit 4 is given to the compression processing unit 6. At this time, an audio signal which is an analog signal obtained by inputting the sound into the microphone 3 is converted into a digital signal by the audio processing unit 5 and given to the compression processing unit 6. As a result, the compression processing unit 6 compresses and encodes the image signal and the audio signal, which are digital signals, based on the MPEG compression encoding method, gives the image signal and the audio signal to the driver unit 7, and records them in the external memory 20. At this time, the compressed signal recorded in the external memory 20 is read out by the driver unit 7 and applied to the expansion processing unit 8 to be subjected to expansion processing to obtain an image signal. This image signal is given to the display unit 9 to display a subject image that is currently photographed through the image sensor 1.

  When performing the imaging operation in this way, the timing generator 12 gives a timing control signal to the AFE 2, the image processing unit 4, the audio processing unit 5, the compression processing unit 6, and the decompression processing unit 8, and the image sensor 1 An operation synchronized with the imaging operation for each frame is performed.

  When an instruction to reproduce a moving image or an image recorded in the external memory 20 is given through the operation unit 15, the compressed signal recorded in the external memory 20 is read out by the driver unit 7 and is decompressed by the decompression processing unit 8. Given to. Then, the decompression processing unit 8 decompresses and decodes the image signal and the audio signal based on the MPEG compression encoding method. Then, the image signal is given to the display unit 9 to reproduce the image, and the audio signal is given to the speaker unit 11 via the audio output circuit unit 10 to reproduce the audio. Thereby, the moving image based on the compressed signal recorded in the external memory 20 is reproduced together with the sound. Further, when the compressed signal is composed of only the image signal, only the image is reproduced on the display unit 9.

(View angle bracket shooting)
Next, angle bracket shooting will be described. In the imaging apparatus of the present invention, by combining an optical zoom, a face detection function, and an optical axis shift function, an image of a single or a plurality of angles of view with a composition in which a person in an image has a predetermined size at a predetermined position is automatically obtained. Can be taken at once. Hereinafter, this photographing method is referred to as angle-of-view bracket photographing.

  When a face larger than a predetermined size is detected in the image signal in STEP 108 of FIG. 3, the ratio of the face to the focal length and the image height at the time when the shutter button is pressed is calculated (STEP 109).

  Next, the focal length (zoom magnification, angle of view) and the amount of shift of the optical axis necessary for shooting the loose shot (LS), middle shot (MS), and tight shot (TS) are calculated (STEP 110). Here, LS refers to the whole body of the person, MS refers to the upper body of the person, and TS refers to the angle of view and composition aimed at raising the face. A shot that does not have the required focal length within the variable range of the focal length of the lens of the lens unit 18 is extracted and removed from the subject of imaging (STEP 111).

  FIG. 7 shows a relationship diagram between the variable range of the focal length of the lens of the lens unit 18 and the calculated focal length necessary for photographing LS, MS, and TS. In FIG. 7, the focal length is shorter on the left side and longer on the right side. In either case, the current focal length set by the user is arbitrary as long as the focal length of the lens is variable. In the case of (1), the focal lengths necessary for LS, MS, and TS imaging are all within the variable range of the focal length of the lens, and there is no shot to be excluded from the imaging target. (2) is an example in the case where the person is far away, and the focal length necessary for photographing the TS is longer than the variable range of the focal length of the lens, and the TS is a shot excluded from the photographing target. Further, when the person is far away, the MS is also excluded from the subject of photographing. (3) is an example when a person is close, and the focal length necessary for LS shooting is shorter than the variable range of the focal length of the lens, and LS is a shot excluded from the shooting target. Further, when a person is near, the MS is also excluded from the subject of photographing.

  The drive mode of the image sensor 1 is set to the still image shooting mode (STEP 112), and RawDATA of the image of the angle of view set by the user, which is held in the image processing unit 4, is converted into a digital signal and written to the memory 14 ( (STEP 113).

  If LS photographing is possible (STEP 114), the zoom magnification of LS calculated in STEP 110 is automatically set, and the optical axis is shifted so that the face is at a predetermined position of the image (STEP 115). The RAW DATA in LS obtained by photographing in step 115 is converted into a digital signal and written in the memory 14 (STEP 116). If LS imaging is not possible, the process proceeds to MS imaging.

  If MS imaging is possible (STEP 117), the MS zoom magnification calculated in STEP 110 is automatically set, and the optical axis is shifted so that the face is at a predetermined position of the image (STEP 118). The RAWDATA at the MS obtained by photographing at step 118 is converted into a digital signal and written in the memory 14 (STEP 119). If MS shooting is not possible, the process shifts to TS shooting.

  If TS photographing is possible (STEP 120), the zoom magnification of TS calculated in STEP 110 is automatically set, and the optical axis is shifted so that the face is at a predetermined position of the image (STEP 121). RAWDATA in TS obtained by photographing in step 121 is converted into a digital signal and written in the memory 14 (STEP 122). If TS shooting is not possible, the process proceeds to generation of a compressed image.

  The image processing unit 4 performs various image processing on the digital signal of the image of the angle of view set by the user and the image of the maximum of three angles of view automatically taken, that is, the maximum of four images, and each of them is JPEG format. After compression (STEP 123), the compressed image is written in the external memory 20 (STEP 124), and the photographing is completed. Thereafter, the camera returns to the playback mode to enter the shooting standby state (STEP 102).

  Note that the step of converting RawDATA of the image of the angle of view set by the user of STEP 113 into a digital signal and writing it into the memory 14 may be omitted. When STEP 113 is omitted, a maximum of three images are captured by one shutter operation. A series of image files taken at the same time may be managed as one file group in the imaging apparatus or may be managed as separate independent files. You may make it selectable. If it is a single file group, all the images in this group can be erased all at once, such as when shooting itself is unnecessary, and if it is a separate independent file, only unnecessary shots are erased. You can select and erase each case. Further, as a method of setting the face at a predetermined position of the image, a method by trimming (cutting out) a captured image may be used instead of the method of shifting the optical axis.

  Next, the ratio of the face to the height of the image in LS, MS, and TS, and the position in the face image will be described. The ratios and positions described below are examples and may be changed as appropriate.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the face area and the angle of view of the LS, MS, and TS, and the angle of view set by the user may be within this range or outside this range. As described above, LS is the whole body of the person, MS is the upper body of the person, and TS is the angle of view and composition for the face up, as shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11, respectively. It is an image. Here, the vertical length or height of the image is H, the height of the face area is FH, and the distance from the line parallel to the horizontal direction of the image passing through the center of the image to the center of the face area is SH.

  In LS, the composition is such that almost the whole body of a person can be accommodated in an image, so that the focal length is calculated by setting the height FH of the face area in the range of H / 9 ≦ FH ≦ H / 7, for example. Then, the position of the face area is set so that, for example, the center of the face area is above the upper third of the image, and SH> H / 6 so that the body can fit in the image in as wide a range as possible. Further, H / 2 ≧ FH / 2 + SH, that is, SH <(H−FH) / 2, so that the tip of the head does not deviate from the image. Therefore, in this case, SH is determined in the range of H / 6 <SH <(H−FH) / 2, and the position of the face area, that is, the shift amount of the optical axis is determined.

  In the MS, the composition is such that the upper body of the person fits in the image. For example, the focal length is calculated by setting FH in the range of H / 5 ≦ FH ≦ H / 3. Then, the position of the face area is set to SH> 0 so that the center of the face area is in the upper half of the image, for example, so that the body fits in the image as wide as possible. Further, SH <(H−FH) / 2 so that the tip of the head does not deviate from the image. Therefore, in this case, the shift amount of the optical axis is determined by determining SH in the range of 0 <SH <(H−FH) / 2.

  In TS, in order to obtain a composition in which the entire face of a person can be accommodated in a larger image, for example, FH is set in a range of H / 3 ≦ FH ≦ 2H / 3 and is used as a reference for calculating a focal length. The position of the face area is set to SH> 0 so that the center of the face area is the upper half of the image, for example. Further, SH <(H−FH) / 2 so that the tip of the head does not deviate from the image. Therefore, in this case, SH is determined in the range of 0 <SH <(H−FH) / 2, and the position of the face area, that is, the shift amount of the optical axis is determined.

It is preferable that SH is larger for the wide-angle shot and smaller for the telephoto shot. This is to prevent the face from being at the top of the image in the shot at the wide angle of view and the face from being too high from the center of the image in the shot at the telephoto side. Thus, for example, SH> H / 5 is preferable for LS, and SH <H / 8 is preferable for TS. Table 1 shows setting examples of LS, MS, and TS based on H, FH, and SH.

  In this way, by shooting with angle-of-view bracketing, even in a composition where the position and size of a person is biased or halfway in an image shot at the angle of view set by the photographer, multiple ideals Since images with a specific angle of view and composition are automatically taken, it is possible to reduce shooting failures.

  In the above description, the target subject is a person and only one person has been described. However, the target subject may be a plurality of people. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, after detecting a plurality of faces in STEP 108, the largest FH is set as FHmax, and FHall, which is the height of the area including the face area of all members, is calculated. The angle of view is calculated based on the difference in height (FHall−FHmax) between the area including the face area of all persons and the face area with the maximum FH, while taking the face area with the maximum FH as a reference. And the ratio of H- (FHall-FHmax). Note that SH is based on the center of the area including the face area of all members.

When the target subject is a plurality of persons, the setting range of FHmax for LS, MS, and TS is H− (FHall−FHmax) when the target subject is a single person. Replace it. SH is the same as when the subject is a single person. Table 2 shows setting examples of LS, MS, and TS based on H, FHmax, FHall, and SH.

  In the above description, the angle-of-view bracket shooting in which the target subject is the center in the horizontal direction of the image has been described. However, the angle-of-view bracket shooting according to the present invention is not limited to this, and the subject subject may be shifted to the left and right in the horizontal direction of the image due to the shift of the optical axis by the shift lens 18b. . At least one of the composition that is the center of the target image in the horizontal direction and the composition that is shifted to the left and right in the horizontal direction may be taken at a plurality of angles of view. The image may be taken at an angle of view. FIG. 13 shows the nine images (a) to (i) in the composition in which the subject subject for each angle of view of LS, MS, and TS is left, center, and right with respect to the horizontal direction of the image. An example is shown. In this case, the optical axis shift amount for each composition is calculated in STEP 110, and the optical axis is moved to the left and right and in the center in STEP 115, STEP 118, and STEP 121, and photographing is performed.

Note that when the subject angle set in the field of view and composition set by the user is shifted to the left or right in the horizontal direction, it is opposite to the shifted direction due to the limit of the shift range of the optical axis by the shift lens 18b. Shooting may not be possible with a composition in which the target subject is shifted to the side. For example, when the angle of view and composition set by the user are close to the image (a) in FIG. 13, the shift amount of the optical axis for making the composition of the image (c) or the image (f) may be out of the shift range. . In that case, the composition may be removed from the object of photographing in STEP 111.

  In this embodiment, the default angle of view that is automatically set by angle bracket shooting is LS, MS, and TS, but may be four or more. It may be possible to set which angle of view is used for angle-of-view bracket shooting. Further, the shift of the optical axis is not limited to that performed using the shift lens 18b, but may be performed by moving the image sensor 1 parallel to the light receiving surface.

  The present invention can be applied to an imaging apparatus having an optical zoom function, a face detection function, and an optical axis shift function.

These are block diagrams which show the internal structure of the imaging device of this invention. These are the schematic diagrams which show the relationship between the lens for image formation, a shift lens, and an image sensor. These are the flowcharts for demonstrating the basic operation | movement and angle-of-view bracket imaging | photography of the imaging device of this invention. These are block diagrams which show the structure of a face detection apparatus. Is an example of a hierarchical image obtained by the reduced image generating means. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining face detection processing; These are the relationship diagrams of the variable range of the focal length of a lens, and the focal length required for imaging | photography of LS, MS, and TS calculated. These are figures which show the relationship between the face area and the angle of view of LS, MS, and TS. Is an example of an LS image. Is an example of an MS image. Is an example of a TS image. These are the figures for demonstrating the face area at the time of detecting the face of several persons. Is an example of an image having a composition in which the target subject for each angle of view of LS, MS, and TS is right, center, and left in the horizontal direction of the image.

1 Image sensor 2 AFE
Reference Signs List 3 microphone 4 image processing unit 5 audio processing unit 6 compression processing unit 7 driver unit 8 expansion processing unit 9 display unit 10 audio output circuit unit 11 speaker unit 12 timing generator 13 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Memory 15 Operation part 16 Bus line 17 Bus line 18 Lens part 18a Imaging lens 18b Shift lens 20 External memory 40 Face detection device 42 Reduced image generation means 45 Face determination means 46 Detection result output means 50 Input image 51 Reduced image 52 Reduced image 53 Reduced image 54 Reduced image 55 Reduced image 61 Determination area

Claims (1)

An imaging unit that outputs an imaging signal;
A face detection unit for detecting a face area of a person as a subject from an image based on the imaging signal;
A zoom control unit that controls a zoom magnification so that the face area has a predetermined size in the image;
A shift control unit for shifting the position of the face area so that the face area is at a predetermined position in the image;
A composition setting unit in which a plurality of reference compositions in which the face area in the image has a predetermined size and position are preset;
When photographing the image, the size and position of the face area in the image are detected, and it is determined whether or not the size and position of the face area in the image conform to each of the plurality of reference compositions. A determination unit;
The composition determined by the determination unit to be in accordance with the reference composition is regarded as an effective composition. An image pickup apparatus for taking a picture by controlling the zoom control unit and the shift control unit so as to be suitable for each of a plurality of effective compositions shifted in a right direction or a right direction.