JP5282480B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic camera that supports image recognition of a visually impaired person.

There are various visually impaired persons, such as color blind persons who are difficult to distinguish a specific hue, all color blind persons who are difficult to distinguish high-luminance subjects, or elderly persons who are yellowing or have deteriorated luminance due to aging. For these visually impaired persons, it is an urgent desire to be able to reliably recognize images taken with a digital camera or the like. Therefore, various methods have been considered to solve this problem. For example, red or yellow components that are difficult to color sense can be converted into blue or cyan components so that the images can be recognized by comparing the images before and after conversion, or the hue and brightness are corrected by applying correction coefficients to the image data. The method of doing etc. is considered (for example, refer patent document 1).
JP 2002-278537 A

  However, in the conventional technique in which the red component is converted into the blue component and the yellow component is converted into the cyan component, the blue component is replaced with the red component and the cyan component is replaced with the yellow component. For this reason, the color blind person must confirm the contents by comparing two images before and after image processing, which is very troublesome. In addition, the conventional technology that corrects the hue and brightness by multiplying the image data by a correction coefficient corrects the entire image data, so it is suitable for all color blind people and elderly people who have yellowing due to aging or brightness deterioration. However, there is a problem that it is not suitable for color blind people who are difficult to distinguish a specific hue.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera that can support image recognition of various visually impaired persons.

An electronic camera according to the present invention includes a photographing unit that sequentially photographs a subject image, a release button that instructs the photographing unit to start photographing, and a conversion source range storage that stores at least one setting range of hue or luminance that is difficult to see. and parts, and the destination range storage unit for storing at least one of the setting range of the visible easily hue or brightness, when the release button is half-pressed, in the image of the imaging unit is sequentially capturing, hue or luminance of at least Pixel of image data having at least one setting range of hue or luminance that is difficult to see by replacing the image data of the pixel corresponding to one conversion source range with image data corresponding to at least one conversion destination range of hue or luminance there the image data conversion unit to not exist in the image, when the release button is half-pressed, the image data Outputting the converted image data in the section on the display medium as a through image, the case where the release button is fully pressed, the image to be stored in the storage medium the converted image data by the image data converter as a captured image And an output unit.

  Preferably, a range setting unit is further provided that sets at least one set range of the conversion source range storage unit and the conversion destination range storage unit to an arbitrary range based on a user operation.

  Preferably, the range setting unit manually sets a hue setting range of the conversion source range storage unit based on a user operation.

  Preferably, the range setting unit manually sets a hue setting range of the conversion destination range storage unit based on a user operation.

  Preferably, the range setting unit manually sets the luminance upper limit value of the conversion source range storage unit based on a user operation.

In a preferred embodiment, the or imaging section for converting image data to be photographed, said selects whether to perform the brightness control of the display medium further provided selection means, the image output unit, said display by said selection means When the process for controlling the brightness of the medium is selected, the process of the image data conversion unit is prohibited, and the brightness of the display medium is controlled according to the luminance upper limit value.

  Preferably, the image output unit is provided on the display medium so that a pixel position where the image data is converted by the image data converter and a pixel position where the image data is not converted by the image data converter can be identified. It is characterized by displaying.

In a preferred embodiment, the image output unit, a pixel position which the image data is converted by the image data converting unit, that records in the storage medium in association with the image data or the pre-conversion of the image data after the conversion and wherein a call.

The electronic camera according to the present invention converts a specific hue range or luminance range in an image that is difficult for a visually impaired person to recognize into a specific hue range or luminance range that is easily recognized by a visually impaired person. It is possible to exclude specific hue ranges and luminance ranges that are difficult for disabled people to recognize. Furthermore, since the pixel position converted in the image is displayed so as to be distinguishable from the pixel position that has not been converted, the image recognition of the visually impaired can be reliably supported.

Embodiments of an electronic camera according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
<Configuration of electronic camera 101>
Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic camera 101 of an embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention. Note that the electronic camera 101 according to the present embodiment has two shooting modes: a normal shooting mode and a color identification mode for visually impaired persons. When the color identification mode is set, a visual image in these display images is displayed in a through image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110 during shooting standby or a view thumbnail image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110 during shooting of the main image. A specific hue range or luminance range that is difficult for a disabled person to convert is converted into a specific hue range or luminance range that is easily recognized by a visually impaired person, and displayed. Furthermore, the converted pixel position can be blinked and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110.

  Next, each member constituting the electronic camera 101 will be described in detail. In FIG. 1, an electronic camera 101 includes a photographing optical system 102, an image sensor 103, an AFE (analog front end) 104, a buffer memory 105, a system bus 106, an image processing circuit 107, a memory 108, and a display. A circuit 109, a liquid crystal monitor 110, a flash memory 111, a recording IF (interface) 112, a CPU (central processing unit) 113, an operation member 114, and a TG (timing generator) 115 are configured. Here, the buffer memory 105, the image processing circuit 107, the memory 108, the display circuit 109, the flash memory 111, the recording IF 112, and the CPU 113 are connected to each other via the system bus 106. The operation member 114 and the TG 116 are connected to the CPU 113, respectively. Note that the buffer memory 105 and the memory 108 are configured by a volatile storage medium such as SDRAM, and the storage medium 112b connected via the flash memory 111 and the recording IF 112 is configured by a nonvolatile storage medium. The recording IF 112 has a connector for connecting the storage medium 112b. Then, the recording IF 112 executes data writing / reading with respect to the storage medium 112b connected to the connector. The storage medium 112b may be a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, a magneto-optical disk, or the like.

  The imaging element 103 has a light receiving surface in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in a matrix. The image sensor 103 captures a subject image formed on the light receiving surface by the photographing optical system 102 and generates an image signal. In addition, in each light receiving element of the image sensor 103, one of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color filters is arranged according to a known Bayer array. Therefore, each light receiving element of the image sensor 103 outputs an image signal corresponding to each color by color separation with a color filter. The RGB three-color image signals output from the image sensor 103 are subjected to analog processing such as noise removal and amplification by the AFE 104 and A / D converted. The A / D converted digital image signal is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 105.

  The image processing circuit 107 performs color interpolation processing (processing to convert RAW image data to RGB image data), white balance processing, and the like on the image data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 105, and performs RGB processing after processing. Image data is temporarily stored in the memory 108.

  The display circuit 109 displays the RGB image data temporarily stored in the memory 108 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 113 on the liquid crystal monitor 110 as a color image. For example, at the time of shooting standby, a through image that the image sensor 103 sequentially shoots sequentially is displayed as a moving image on the liquid crystal monitor 110. Alternatively, when the release button 202 (see FIG. 2) of the operation member 114 is pressed, a view thumbnail image (freeze image) of a still image (main image) captured by the image sensor 103 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110. The Here, the through image is an image that is sequentially and sequentially photographed by the image sensor 103 in order to determine a photographing composition at the time of photographing standby, and is photographed at a resolution coarser than the resolution of the main image. The view thumbnail image is an image obtained by thinning out the resolution of the main image in accordance with the display resolution of the liquid crystal monitor 110, and is an image having a coarser resolution than the resolution of the main image, like the through image.

  The flash memory 111 stores not only image data of the actual captured image but also setting values such as a shooting mode and shooting conditions of the electronic camera 101, or a table when the CPU 113 performs processing. In particular, in the present embodiment, at least one setting range (conversion source range) of a hue or luminance that is difficult for a visually impaired person to see, and at least one setting range (conversion destination range) of a hue or luminance that a visually impaired person can easily see. Is stored in advance in the flash memory 111. Note that these setting ranges can be changed by the user operating the operation member 114. A method for changing the setting will be described in detail later.

  The CPU 113 is a processor that comprehensively controls the operation of the electronic camera 101. For example, the operation of each part of the electronic camera 101 is controlled according to the operation of the operation member 114. Further, the luminance of the backlight of the liquid crystal monitor 110 is changed according to the luminance setting value of the backlight stored in the flash memory 111 in advance. In particular, in this embodiment, the CPU 113 includes an image data conversion processing unit 151. This image data conversion processing unit 151 is an image of pixels corresponding to at least one of the hue or luminance conversion source range stored in advance in the flash memory 111 with respect to the through image or the main image captured by the image sensor 103. A process of replacing the data with image data corresponding to at least one of the hue and luminance conversion destination ranges stored in advance in the flash memory 111 is performed. A specific processing procedure will be described in detail later using a flowchart.

  2, the operation member 114 includes a power button 201, a release button 202, a zoom button 203, a cross key 204 (up key 204a, down key 204b, left key 204c, and right key 204d. ), A confirmation button 205 and the like. The user operates the electronic camera 101 by operating these operation buttons. The operation information of these operation buttons is output to the CPU 113. The CPU 113 controls the overall operation of the electronic camera 101 in accordance with operation information input from the operation member 114.

  The TG 115 outputs a timing signal to the image sensor 103 and the AFE 104 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 113. For example, when capturing a through image, a timing signal for reading an image signal corresponding to the resolution of the through image is output from the image sensor 103. Similarly, at the time of photographing the main image, a timing signal for reading an image signal corresponding to the resolution of the main image from the image sensor 103 is output to the image sensor 103 and the AFE 104.

<Operation of Electronic Camera 101>
Hereinafter, the operation of the electronic camera 101 in the color identification mode will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the electronic camera 101 in the color identification mode according to the present embodiment. The operation of the electronic camera 101 in this color identification mode is controlled by a program (image processing program) executed by the CPU 113.

  The process of the flowchart in FIG. 3 is started when the user performs a half-press operation on the release button 202 when the photographing mode of the electronic camera 101 is set to the color identification mode. When the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 3 is started, the CPU 113 instructs the TG 115 to start shooting a through image, and the through image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110.

  (Step S101) The CPU 113 starts processing in the color identification mode.

  (Step S102) The CPU 113 reads out from the flash memory 111 a hue setting range (conversion source range) in which a visually impaired person is difficult to see and a hue setting range (conversion destination range) in which a visually impaired person is easily visible. In the flash memory 111, the hue conversion source range and the conversion destination range are stored in advance as default values at the time of manufacture.

  Here, the setting of the hue that is difficult for the visually impaired to see, the setting of the hue that is easy for the visually impaired to see, or the setting of the upper limit of luminance and gamma characteristics, which will be described later, is preset by the user on the menu screen of the color identification mode can do. When the user changes the color identification mode setting, a color identification mode setting menu as shown in FIG. 4 is selected. The setting menu for the color identification mode is selected from the normal operation menu of the electronic camera 101, although not described in detail in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a setting menu for the color identification mode. A “hue conversion setting” item 701, a “brightness upper limit setting” item 702, an “OK” button 703, and a “cancel” button 704 are displayed on the LCD monitor 110. Has been. In FIG. 4, the user selects an item or operation button to be set by operating the cross key 204 included in the operation member 114. At this time, the selected menu and buttons are displayed with a thick frame, and the user can know which part is selected. Then, when the confirmation button 205 included in the operation member 114 is pressed, a setting screen for the selected item is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110.

  First, a procedure for changing the setting range of a hue that is difficult for a visually handicapped person to see will be described. When the “hue conversion setting” item 701 is selected in FIG. 4, a color identification mode setting screen as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110. In FIG. 5, the representative color of the conversion source hue and the representative color of the converted hue are displayed so that they can be compared. At this time, if there are a plurality of hue setting ranges, they are displayed in bullets as shown in FIG. In addition, for each hue range displayed in the bulleted list, a radio button (exclusive selection button) 301 for selecting a hue range (flashing color) on which the pixel position after hue conversion on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 110 is to blink. Is displayed. Further, when it is desired to customize the hue range after conversion or the hue range after conversion, the “customize” item 302 at the corresponding position is selected. When confirming the setting contents in the color identification mode setting menu, the “OK” button 303 on the screen is selected with the cross key 204, and when canceling the setting contents, the “Cancel” button 304 is selected on the screen. Then, the confirmation button 205 included in the operation member 114 is pressed. In the operation of selecting an item on the screen, the item to be selected is moved by operating the cross key 204 included in the operation member 114. At this time, the selected items and buttons are displayed with a thick frame, and the user can know which items and buttons are selected. The selection is confirmed by pressing the confirm button 205 included in the operation member 114 in the state selected with the thick frame. These basic operation methods are the same in the following description.

  Next, a menu screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110 when the “customize” item 302 is selected on the color identification mode setting screen of FIG. 5 will be described. FIG. 6 is an example of a menu screen for setting the hue range of the conversion source. The menu screen includes a hue ring 401, a cursor 402 indicating the start position of the hue range on the hue ring 401, a cursor 403 indicating the end position of the hue range, an “OK” button 404, and a “cancel” button 405. Is displayed. The user operates the cross key 204 included in the operation member 114 to select one of the operation objects (cursor 402, cursor 403, “OK” button 404, “cancel” button 405) on the screen. For example, the cursor 402 is selected and the confirm button 205 included in the operation member 114 is pressed. In this state, the user can change the position of the cursor 402 by operating the cross key 204. For example, the left key 204c of the cross key 204 moves the cursor 402 counterclockwise, and the right key 204d of the cross key 204 moves the cursor 402 clockwise. When confirming the position of the cursor 402, the confirm button 205 is pressed. Next, when the cursor 403 is selected with the cross key 204 and the confirm button 205 is pressed, the position of the cursor 403 can be changed similarly to the cursor 402, and when the confirm button 205 is pressed, the position of the cursor 403 is confirmed. To do. When confirming the setting content of the hue range of the conversion source and ending, select the “OK” button 404 with the cross key 204 and press the confirm button 205. When canceling the setting contents of the hue range of the conversion source and ending, select the “Cancel” button 405 with the cross key 204 and press the confirm button 205. In the case of cancellation, the default value is applied.

  When the menu screen of FIG. 6 ends, the menu screen of FIG. 7 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110. FIG. 7 is an example of a menu screen for setting the hue range of the conversion destination. The menu screen includes a hue ring 501, a cursor 502 indicating the start position of the hue range on the hue ring 501, a cursor 503 indicating the end position of the hue range, an “OK” button 504, and a “cancel” button 505. Is displayed. The user operates the cross key 204 included in the operation member 114 to select one of the operation objects (cursor 502, cursor 503, “OK” button 504, “cancel” button 505) on the screen, and FIG. In the same way as the cursor 402, cursor 403, “OK” button 404, and “cancel” button 405 on the menu screen for setting the conversion source hue range, the conversion destination hue range is set. When the setting content of the hue range to be converted is confirmed and the process ends, the “OK” button 504 is selected with the cross key 204 and the confirm button 205 is pressed. When canceling the setting content of the hue range of the conversion source and ending, select the “Cancel” button 505 with the cross key 204 and press the confirm button 205. In the case of cancellation, the default value is applied. If the “OK” button 504 or the “Cancel” button 505 is pressed, the screen returns to the color identification mode setting screen of FIG. 5 and the changed setting contents are reflected.

  (Step S <b> 103) The CPU 113 reads the upper limit value of the luminance that is difficult for the visually impaired to see from the flash memory 111. In the flash memory 111, an upper limit value of luminance that is difficult for the visually handicapped to see is stored in advance as a default value at the time of manufacture.

  Here, the upper limit value of the brightness that is difficult for the visually handicapped person to see can be set to an arbitrary value in advance in the brightness upper limit setting menu. When the “brightness upper limit setting” item 702 is selected in FIG. 4, a brightness upper limit setting screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110. On the screen, a gray scale 601, a cursor 602, an “OK” button 603, and a “Cancel” button 604 are displayed. The user operates the cross key 204 included in the operation member 114 to select one of the operation targets (cursor 602, “OK” button 603, “cancel” button 604) on the screen. For example, the cursor 602 is selected and the confirm button 205 included in the operation member 114 is pressed. In this state, the user can change the position of the cursor 602 by operating the cross key 204. For example, the left key 204c of the cross key 204 moves the cursor 602 in the left direction of the screen (black side), and the right key 204d of the cross key 204 moves the cursor 602 in the right direction of the screen (white side). Then, when confirming the position of the cursor 602, the confirm button 205 included in the operation member 114 is pressed. In this state, the cursor 602, “OK” button 603, and “Cancel” button 604 are returned to a state in which the cross key 204 can be selected. When the setting content of the brightness upper limit value is confirmed and the process ends, the “OK” button 603 is selected with the cross key 204 and the confirm button 205 is pressed. When canceling the setting contents of the luminance upper limit value and ending, the “cancel” button 604 is selected with the cross key 204 and the confirm button 205 is pressed. In the case of cancellation, the default value is applied. For example, if the default value of the luminance upper limit value is the maximum luminance value, this corresponds to no luminance correction.

  Here, when the “OK” button 603 is pressed and the menu screen of FIG. 8 ends, the menu screen of FIG. 9 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110. FIG. 9 is an example of a menu screen for selecting gamma characteristics when converting the luminance of the image data so that the luminance upper limit value set on the menu screen of FIG. 8 is obtained. The menu screen includes three types of gamma characteristics “bright” 610, “standard” 611, and “dark” 612, a sample image 613 showing a gamma correction example according to the selection of these gamma characteristics, and “OK” "Button 614 and" cancel "button 615 are displayed. The user operates the cross key 204 included in the operation member 114 to operate on the screen (“bright” 610, “standard” 611, “dark” 612, “OK” button 614, “cancel” button 615). Select one of the following. For example, the user operates the cross key 204 to select “brighter” 610 and presses the confirm button 205 included in the operation member 114. In this state, the sample image 613 on the menu screen is changed to a bright gamma characteristic. When the gamma characteristic selection content is confirmed and the process ends, the “OK” button 614 is selected with the cross key 204 and the confirm button 205 is pressed. When canceling the selected content of the gamma characteristic and ending, the “Cancel” button 615 is selected with the cross key 204 and the confirm button 205 is pressed. In the case of cancellation, a default value (for example, a standard gamma characteristic) is applied.

  When the selection of the gamma characteristic is completed on the menu screen of FIG. 9, the menu screen of FIG. 10 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110. FIG. 10 is an example of a menu screen for selecting processing contents to which the luminance upper limit value and the gamma characteristic set on the menu screens of FIGS. 8 and 9 are applied. In the menu screen, an “image data correction using the upper limit of luminance” item 620, a “brightness correction of the monitor using the upper limit of luminance” item 621, an “OK” button 622, and a “cancel” button 623 are displayed. Yes. The user operates the cross key 204 included in the operation member 114 to operate the operation target on the screen (“image data correction using the upper limit of luminance” item 620, “correction of monitor brightness using the upper limit of luminance” item 621, “ One of the “OK” button 622 and the “Cancel” button 623) is selected. For example, the cross key 204 is operated to select the “image data correction based on the upper limit of luminance” item 620 and press the confirm button 205 included in the operation member 114. Alternatively, the “monitor brightness correction by the brightness upper limit value” item 621 is selected, and the confirmation button 205 included in the operation member 114 is pressed. When the selection of the processing content is confirmed and the process ends, the “OK” button 622 is selected with the cross key 204 and the confirm button 205 is pressed. When canceling the selection of the processing content and ending, the “Cancel” button 623 is selected with the cross key 204 and the confirm button 205 is pressed. In the case of canceling, processing of a default value (for example, “image data correction by luminance upper limit value” item 620) is selected.

  Here, the luminance upper limit value will be described. FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a relationship between a luminance range 351 that can be handled by the electronic camera 101 and a luminance range 352 that can be discriminated by a visually impaired person such as color blindness. A normal image taken by the electronic camera 101 has an 8-bit gradation luminance range 351 from, for example, a black level 0 to a white level 255. However, a visually handicapped person such as color blind can only determine the luminance range 352 from the black level 0 to the upper limit luminance value α. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a process of level-compressing the luminance range 351 of the 8-bit gradation from the black level 0 to the white level 255 to the luminance range 352 from the black level 0 to the upper limit luminance value α is performed. As the level compression method, for example, the gamma characteristic as shown in FIG. 11B is selected, and the output is changed from the black level 0 to the luminance upper limit value α with respect to the input from the black level 0 to the white level 255. Level compression is performed so that For example, in FIG. 11B, when the gamma characteristic 353 is selected, the overall image is corrected to a bright feeling. When the gamma characteristic 354 is selected, it is corrected to a dark feeling as a whole. When the gamma characteristic 355 is selected, the brightness is corrected to an intermediate level between the gamma characteristic 353 and the gamma characteristic 354. In the present embodiment, the gamma characteristic 355 is a standard gamma characteristic.

  (Step S104) The CPU 113 reads the backlight luminance setting value of the liquid crystal monitor 110 from the flash memory 111, and controls the luminance of the backlight. In the flash memory 111, the brightness setting value of the backlight of the liquid crystal monitor 110 is stored in advance as a default value at the time of manufacture.

  Here, when the “image data correction by the brightness upper limit value” item 620 is selected on the menu screen of FIG. 10, the CPU 113 sets the brightness upper limit value and the gamma characteristic set in FIGS. 8 and 9. Image data is corrected, and a default value is used as a backlight luminance setting value of the liquid crystal monitor 110. When the “monitor brightness correction by the brightness upper limit value” item 621 is selected, the CPU 113 corrects the image data with the brightness upper limit value and the gamma characteristic set in FIGS. 8 and 9 as default settings. First, the luminance setting value of the backlight of the liquid crystal monitor 110 is changed so that the luminance upper limit value set in FIG.

  (Step S <b> 105) The CPU 113 corresponds to the pixel range of the conversion source hue stored in the flash memory 111 in the image data of the through image captured in the memory 108 (corresponding to the address of the pixel of the image sensor 103). Is identified. Here, for the sake of easy understanding, the resolution of the through image is assumed to be VGA size (640 × 480 pixels).

  (Step S106) The CPU 113 specifies the blinking color set by the radio button on the color identification mode setting screen of FIG.

  (Step S <b> 107) The CPU 113 performs a process of converting the image data at the pixel position corresponding to the conversion source hue range into the conversion destination hue range stored in the flash memory 111. This process is executed by the image data conversion process 151 in the CPU 113 of FIG. At this time, the CPU 113 converts the hue with reference to the hue conversion data (see FIG. 12A) set in the flash memory 111 in advance. For example, in FIG. 12, it is assumed that the hue range of the conversion source is set to a 90 ° hue range from 315 ° to 0 ° through 45 ° corresponding to red / orange. Further, it is assumed that the hue range of the conversion destination is set to a hue range of 20 ° from 50 ° to 70 ° corresponding to yellow. In this case, the conversion source hue is converted to the conversion destination hue at a ratio of 2/9. For example, when the hue of the conversion source is 10 °, 10 × 2 / 9≈2.2, and the hue of the conversion destination is 52.2 ° by calculation of 50 ° + 2.2 = 52.2 °. In the above calculation, the number of significant digits is set to the first decimal place. However, it differs depending on the resolution of the hue table (hue range that can be handled) in FIG.

  Here, it is assumed that the image data that can be handled by the electronic camera 101 is a data range (luminance and hue) of a hue table as shown in FIG. For example, the hue table is composed of a two-dimensional table of luminance (256 levels) in the vertical axis direction and hue (512 levels) in the horizontal axis direction. In this case, for each of 256 × 512 cells, RGB values corresponding to the luminance and hue at that position are stored. For example, when converting pixel data of (luminance: 215 and hue: 64) into (luminance: 123 and hue: 87), first refer to the hue table of FIG. The value of each RGB color at the time of luminance: 215 and hue: 64) is obtained, and a pixel in the captured image having RGB data matching the obtained RGB value is specified. Next, with reference to the hue table of FIG. 12B, the values of each RGB color at the time of conversion destination image data (luminance: 123 and hue: 87) are obtained, and the obtained values of each RGB color are specified first. What is necessary is just to replace as RGB data of a pixel.

  In this way, the image data conversion process 151 in the CPU 113 uses the hue table shown in FIG. 12B stored in advance in the flash memory 111 to set the hue conversion data and gamma table selection data (luminance) set in advance. Image data conversion processing according to the upper limit value and gamma table) can be performed. However, if the monitor brightness correction is set, luminance value data conversion is not performed.

  (Step S108) The CPU 113 instructs the display circuit 109 to blink the pixel position corresponding to the blinking color set by the radio button on the color identification mode setting screen in FIG. For example, in the display screen example shown in FIG. 13, the portion of the window 252 of the house 251 of the image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110 is blinked. A specific method for blinking is, for example, a process in which the data value of the corresponding pixel position in the display memory of the liquid crystal monitor 110 in the display circuit 109 is rewritten alternately at 50% and 100% at intervals of 1 second. It can be realized by repeating.

  (Step S109) The CPU 113 determines whether or not a through image of the next frame is input to the memory. If the through image of the next frame has been input, the process returns to step S105 and the same processing is repeated. When the through image of the next frame is not input, the process proceeds to step S110.

  (Step S110) The CPU 113 determines whether or not the release button 202 included in the operation member 114 has been fully pressed. When the release button 202 is fully pressed, the process proceeds to step S112. If the release button 202 is not fully pressed, the process proceeds to step S111.

  (Step S111) The CPU 113 determines whether or not the half-press of the release button 202 included in the operation member 114 is released. When the half-press of the release button 202 is released, the process proceeds to step S122. If the half-press of the release button 202 has not been released, the process returns to step S109.

  (Step S112) The CPU 113 executes a main photographing process. In the main photographing process, the main image is taken into the memory 108 as in the case of the through image, but the resolution is different from that of the through image. For example, the resolution of the main image is (1280 × 960 pixels) with respect to the resolution of the through image (640 × 480 pixels).

  (Step S <b> 113) The CPU 113 specifies a pixel position corresponding to the hue range of the conversion source stored in the flash memory 111 in the image data of the main image captured in the memory 108.

  (Step S114) The CPU 113 specifies the blinking color and the blinking pixel position set by the radio button on the color identification mode setting screen of FIG.

  (Step S <b> 115) The CPU 113 performs processing for converting the image data at the pixel position corresponding to the hue range of the conversion source into the hue range of the conversion destination stored in the flash memory 111. As in step S107, the CPU 113 performs hue conversion using a hue table (see FIG. 12) stored in advance in the flash memory 111.

  (Step S116) The CPU 113 creates reduced image data (view thumbnail image data) for the view thumbnail image to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110 from the image data of the main image after hue conversion. For example, when the resolution of the view thumbnail image is the same as the resolution of the through image (640 × 480 pixels), when the resolution of the main image is (1280 × 960 pixels), the image data of the main image is thinned out to ¼. Create thumbnail image data.

  (Step S117) The CPU 113 specifies the blinking color and the blinking pixel position set by the radio button on the color identification mode setting screen in FIG. 5 in the view thumbnail image data.

  (Step S118) The CPU 113 generates and stores an image file of the main image. At this time, the CPU 113 associates the blinking pixel position in the main image data specified in step S114 and the blinking pixel position in the view thumbnail image data specified in step S117 with each image data and stores them as one image file. The image file storage destination may be the flash memory 111 built in the electronic camera 101 or the storage medium 112b connected via the recording IF 112. The image file format uses an image file format such as the EXIF standard.

  Here, a configuration example of the generated image file will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 14, the image file mainly includes a header portion, a thumbnail image data portion, a view thumbnail image data portion, and a main image data portion. The thumbnail image data is, for example, (120 × 160 pixels) image data that has been processed by the same image compression processing method (JPEG compression or the like) as the main image data. In the header portion, information common to each manufacturer such as a shooting date, shooting information unique to the manufacturer, and the like are described. In the case of the present embodiment, the blinking pixel position in the main image data and the blinking pixel position in the view thumbnail image data specified in step S117 are described as manufacturer-specific information. Note that information such as the hue range of the conversion source and the hue range of the conversion destination, the luminance upper limit value, and the gamma characteristic may also be described in the header portion. Thereby, it is possible to restore the original image data from the converted image data.

  (Step S119) The CPU 113 instructs the display circuit 109 to display the view thumbnail image data on the liquid crystal monitor 110. At this time, the blinking pixel position of the view thumbnail image data is blinked and displayed. A specific method for blinking is as described in step S108.

  Here, when the captured image is enlarged and displayed, the CPU 113 reads the main image data and the blinking pixel position in the main image data from the image file stored in the flash memory 111 or the storage medium 112b, and displays the display circuit 109. The predetermined position of the main image data is enlarged and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110. At the same time, the CPU 113 causes the blinking pixel position of the main image data displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110 to blink. The blinking method is as described in step S108.

  (Step S120) The CPU 113 ends the series of processing. However, the state of step S119 is maintained until the user performs the next operation. That is, a captured image is displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal monitor 110, and the pixel position after the hue conversion continues to blink.

  (Step S121) The processing after this processing step is processing when it is detected in step S111 that the half-press of the release button 202 is released. The CPU 113 returns the hue conversion setting changed in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 stored in the flash memory 111 to the default setting.

  (Step S122) The CPU 113 returns the settings such as the luminance upper limit value and the gamma characteristic stored in the flash memory 111 and changed in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 to the default settings.

  (Step S123) The CPU 113 returns the brightness setting of the backlight whose setting is changed in FIG. 10 stored in the flash memory 111 to the default setting.

  (Step S124) The CPU 113 ends the series of processing of photographing, storing and displaying in the color identification mode. When the user presses the release button 202 halfway again, the same processing is repeated from the processing step S101.

Thus, the electronic camera 101 according to this embodiment, in such shooting the through image and the captured image and view a thumbnail image, the specific hue range and brightness range Blind hardly recognized in the image, the visual It can be converted into a specific hue range or luminance range that is easily recognized by a disabled person. As a result, it is possible to obtain each image data that does not include a specific hue range or luminance range that is difficult for a visually impaired person to recognize. Further, since the pixel position that has undergone hue conversion in each image blinks and is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110, it is possible to distinguish between the pixel position that has undergone hue conversion and the pixel position that has not undergone hue conversion. Image recognition can be supported.

  Further, in the electronic camera 101 according to the present embodiment, the pixel position subjected to the hue conversion is added to the image file and stored for each of the main image and the view thumbnail image, so that the flash memory 111, the storage medium 112b, etc. When the image file stored in is read out and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110, it can be blinked immediately. Further, even when the image is magnified, the pixel position subjected to hue conversion for the main image data is stored in the header portion of the image file. Therefore, when the image is magnified and displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 110, the pixel position subjected to the hue conversion is blinked and displayed. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the CPU 113 of the electronic camera 101 executes the process of the color identification mode according to the flowchart of FIG. 3 is shown. However, an image processing program that performs the process according to the flowchart of FIG. It may be executed on the computer. The image processing program may be recorded and distributed on a storage medium such as a CD, or may be electronically downloaded to a personal computer via the Internet or the like.

  The present invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or the main features thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner. The present invention is defined by the claims, and the present invention is not limited to the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic camera 101 according to an embodiment. 1 is an external view of an electronic camera 101. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process of color identification mode. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the selection menu selection screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a color identification mode setting screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the setting range screen of the hue range of the conversion origin. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the setting screen of the hue range of a conversion destination. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the setting screen of a brightness | luminance upper limit. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the selection screen of a gamma characteristic. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the screen which selects image data correction | amendment and the brightness correction of a monitor. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a brightness | luminance upper limit and a gamma characteristic. It is explanatory drawing which shows hue conversion data and a hue table. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed by blinking. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structural example of an image file.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Electronic camera 102 ... Shooting optical system 103 ... Image pick-up element 104 ... AFE
105 ... Buffer memory 106 ... System bus 107 ... Image processing circuit 108 ... Memory 109 ... Display circuit 110 ... LCD monitor 111 ... Flash memory 112 ... Recording IF
113 ... CPU 114 ... operating member 115 ... TG 112b ... storage medium 201 ... power button 202 ... release button 203 ... zoom button 204 (ad) ... cross Key 205 ... Confirm button

Claims (8)

A shooting section for sequentially shooting the subject images;
A release button for instructing the photographing unit to start photographing;
A conversion source range storage unit that stores a setting range of at least one of hue or luminance that is difficult to see;
A conversion-destination range storage unit that stores a setting range of at least one of hue or luminance that is easy to see;
When the release button is pressed halfway , image data of pixels corresponding to at least one hue or luminance conversion source range in an image sequentially captured by the photographing unit is converted into at least one hue or luminance conversion destination range. An image data conversion unit that replaces the image data with image data corresponding to the image data so that pixels of the image data having a setting range of at least one of hue and luminance that are difficult to see exist in the image;
When the release button is half-pressed, the image data converted by the image data converter is output as a through image to a display medium . When the release button is fully pressed, the image data is converted by the image data converter. An electronic camera , comprising: an image output unit that stores image data as a captured image in a storage medium . The electronic camera according to claim 1,
An electronic camera , further comprising a range setting unit that sets at least one set range of the conversion source range storage unit and the conversion destination range storage unit based on a user operation. The electronic camera according to claim 2,
The range setting unit, an electronic camera, characterized in that the setting range of the hue of the conversion source range storage unit, set manually based on a user operation. The electronic camera according to claim 2,
The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the range setting unit manually sets a hue setting range of the conversion destination range storage unit based on a user operation. The electronic camera according to claim 2,
The range setting unit, the setting of the brightness upper limit value of the conversion source range storage unit, an electronic camera, characterized in that the manually set based on a user operation. The electronic camera according to claim 5,
Further provided selection means for the imaging unit or to convert the image data to be photographed, selects whether to perform the brightness control of the display medium,
The image output unit prohibits the process of the image data conversion unit when the selection unit selects the process of controlling the brightness of the display medium, and determines the brightness of the display medium according to the luminance upper limit value. An electronic camera characterized in that it performs depth control. The electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The image output unit displays the pixel position where the image data is converted by the image data conversion unit and the pixel position where the image data is not converted by the image data conversion unit on the display medium in a distinguishable manner. And an electronic camera . The electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The image output unit, a pixel position where the image data has been converted by the image data converting unit, that records in the storage medium in association with the image data or the pre-conversion of the image data after the conversion
Electronic camera, wherein a call.