JP5495878B2 - Imaging apparatus, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus such as a digital camera having a function of correcting an exposure value and an auto bracket function of taking a plurality of shots while changing the exposure value, a control method thereof, a program, and a computer-readable storage medium.

  In recent years, digital cameras have become popular in the market, and there are many cameras that can shoot under various shooting conditions such as shutter speed, aperture, and exposure.

  In addition, there is an application function of exposure correction that can automatically shoot images with different brightness in stepwise exposure and select an image with the most preferable brightness later. Shooting using this function is called auto exposure bracket shooting (hereinafter referred to as AEB shooting), and many cameras have this function.

  A camera that can use both the exposure correction function and the AEB shooting function has also been proposed.

  There has also been proposed a camera in which a touch panel is provided in the image display unit and the setting items are operated by touching with a finger.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an invention related to area specification by a finger trajectory on a touch panel provided in a digital camera. Patent Document 1 has a function of comparing the touching finger trajectory on the touch panel with a predetermined gesture action and determining an area to be specified by the determined gesture action and an operation to be performed on the specified area. Is disclosed.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for setting an exposure correction value and a bracket value in a camera that can use both an exposure correction function and an auto bracket function. In Patent Document 2, by displaying the instruction unit related to the exposure correction information and the instruction unit related to all the bracket steps in association with each other, it is possible to confirm at a glance all the auto bracket steps corresponding to the exposure correction information and the number of times of auto bracket shooting. I am doing so.

JP 2003-319244 A Japanese Patent No. 02646491

  However, in the conventional camera, when the exposure correction function and the AEB shooting function are used together, it is necessary to set the exposure correction value and the bracket value of AEB shooting independently, so that the operation is complicated. There was a problem of becoming.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and makes it possible to easily and intuitively set a correction value for shooting conditions such as exposure and a bracket value for an auto bracket function using a touch panel. With the goal.

The imaging apparatus according to the present invention has a detection unit capable of detecting a plurality of touch positions on the touch panel, and when the first touch is detected by the detection unit, a specific point is determined based on the touch position of the first touch. After setting the correction value of the shooting condition and detecting the first touch, when the second touch is detected while the first touch is continued, the touch position of the first touch is detected. Setting means for setting a bracket value used for bracket shooting under the specific shooting condition based on the distance of the touch position of the second touch, and based on the correction value and the bracket value set by the setting means Imaging processing means for performing imaging processing .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily and intuitively set the correction value of the shooting condition such as exposure and the bracket value of the auto bracket function using the touch panel, and the operability can be improved.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart of the main routine of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a detailed flowchart of an exposure correction / AEB shooting setting process. It is a detailed flowchart of an exposure correction / AEB shooting setting process. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the image display part in a standby state. It is a detailed flowchart of a photometry / ranging process. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the image display part in a photometry state. It is a detailed flowchart of imaging processing. It is a detailed flowchart of a dark capture process. It is a detailed flowchart of a development process. It is a figure for demonstrating a touchscreen.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera which is an imaging apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment has an exposure correction function for correcting an exposure value and an AEB shooting function for shooting a plurality of times while changing the exposure value.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes a photographing lens, 12 denotes a shutter having a diaphragm function, 14 denotes an image sensor that converts an optical image into an electrical signal, and 16 denotes an A / D converter that converts an analog signal output from the image sensor 14 into a digital signal. A timing generation circuit 18 supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26, and is controlled by the memory control circuit 22 and the system control circuit 50.

  An image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 16 or the data from the memory control circuit 22. Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined calculation processing using image data related to imaging, and supplies the calculation result to the system control circuit 50. Based on the calculation result, the system control circuit 50 controls the exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 to perform TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure). Processing, EF (flash pre-emission) processing is realized. Further, the image processing circuit 20 also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing using image data relating to imaging.

  A memory control circuit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation circuit 18, the image processing circuit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression circuit 32. The data output from the A / D converter 16 is supplied to the memory control circuit 22 via the image processing circuit 20 or directly to the memory control circuit 22, and thereby written in the image display memory 24 or the memory 30. It is.

  Reference numeral 24 denotes an image display memory, 26 denotes a D / A converter, and 28 denotes an image display unit including a TFT-LCD or the like. The image display unit 28 is a rear monitor disposed on the back surface (opposite to the imaging surface) of the digital camera 100. The display image data written in the image display memory 24 is supplied to the image display unit 28 via the D / A converter 26, whereby an image is displayed on the image display unit 28. An electronic viewfinder function can be realized by sequentially displaying images related to imaging on the image display unit 28. In addition, a playback display function and various display functions can be used by using the image display unit 28.

  Reference numeral 30 denotes a memory for storing captured still images and moving image data, and has a sufficient storage capacity for storing a predetermined number of still images and moving image data for a predetermined time. By using this memory 30, a large number of images can be stored at high speed even in continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot. The memory 30 can also be used as a work area for the system control circuit 50. A compression / decompression circuit 32 compresses or decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like, reads an image stored in the memory 30, performs compression processing or decompression processing, and processes the processed data. Write to memory 30.

  Reference numeral 40 denotes an exposure control unit that controls the shutter 12 having an aperture function, and can perform flash light control in cooperation with the flash device 400. A distance measuring control unit 42 controls focusing of the photographing lens 10. The exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 are controlled by the system control circuit 50 based on the calculation result obtained by the image processing circuit 20 calculating image data related to imaging. Thereby, TTL exposure control and distance measurement control are realized.

  A zoom control unit 44 controls zooming of the photographing lens 10, and a barrier control unit 46 controls the operation of the barrier (protection unit) 102. A connector 48 is also called an accessory shoe. The connector 48 includes an electrical contact with the flash device 400 and mechanical fixing means.

  A system control circuit 50 controls the entire digital camera 100, and a memory 52 stores constants, variables, programs, and the like for operation of the system control circuit 50.

  An output unit 54 includes a liquid crystal display device, a speaker, and the like, and displays an operation state, a message, and the like using characters, images, sounds, and the like according to execution of a program by the system control circuit 50. The output unit 54 is installed at a single or a plurality of positions near the operation unit of the digital camera 100 so as to be easily visible, and is configured by a combination of an LCD, an LED, a sound generation element, and the like. A part of the output unit 54 is installed in the optical viewfinder 104. Among the display contents of the output unit 54, what is displayed on the LCD or the like includes single shot / continuous shooting display, self-timer display, compression rate display, number of recorded pixels, number of recorded images, number of remaining images that can be captured, shutter Speed display, Aperture value display, Exposure compensation display, Flash display, Red-eye reduction display, Macro shooting display, Buzzer setting display, Clock battery level display, Battery level display, Error display, Multi-digit number information display and recording There are a display / removal state display of the medium 200, a communication I / F operation display, a date / time display, and the like. Among the display contents of the output unit 54, what is displayed in the optical viewfinder 104 includes in-focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, exposure correction display, and the like.

  Reference numeral 56 denotes an electrically erasable / recordable non-volatile memory, such as an EEPROM.

  Reference numerals 60, 62, 64, 66, and 68 denote operation means for inputting various operation instructions of the system control circuit 50. For example, a switch or a dial, a touch panel, pointing by eye-gaze detection, a voice recognition device, or the like. It can be composed of combinations.

  More specifically, reference numeral 60 denotes a mode dial switch, which can set the shooting mode. The mode dial switch 60 has an OFF position that disables the camera, a program AE mode, and a fully automatic mode.

  Reference numeral 62 denotes a shutter switch SW1, which is turned on during the operation of a shutter button (not shown) and instructs the start of operations such as AF processing, AE processing, AWB processing, and EF processing. Reference numeral 64 denotes a shutter switch SW2, which is turned on when the operation of the shutter button is completed, and instructs the start of a series of processing operations including exposure processing, development processing, and recording processing. In the exposure process, the image data is written into the memory 30 through the signal read from the image sensor 14 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22. The development process is performed using an operation in the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22. In the recording process, the image data is read from the memory 30, compressed by the compression / decompression circuit 32, and written to the recording medium 200.

  Reference numeral 66 denotes a touch panel control unit that controls the touch panel 68, and can perform exposure and AEB level setting operations by touching the touch panel 68. Reference numeral 68 denotes a touch panel, which is configured integrally with the image display unit 28. For example, the touch panel 68 is configured such that the light transmittance does not hinder the display of the image display unit 28, and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the image display unit 28. Then, the input coordinates on the touch panel 68 are associated with the display coordinates on the image display unit 28. Thereby, it is possible to configure the GUI as if the user can directly operate the screen displayed on the image display unit 28. The touch panel 68 only needs to provide a direct operational feeling for the display surface of the image display unit 28, and any type of touch panel 68 may be used. As a touch panel system, there are various systems such as a resistive film system, a capacitive system, a surface acoustic wave system, an infrared system, an electromagnetic induction system, an image recognition system, and an optical sensor system. The touch panel 68 and the touch panel control unit 66 determine whether or not there are a plurality of touches on the touch panel 68 at the same time, and whether or not there are a plurality of touches on the touch panel 68 at different times. It can be detected.

  The operation means for inputting various operation instructions of the system control circuit 50 is not directly related to the present invention, but includes a macro button, a flash setting button, and the like.

  A power control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches a block to be energized, and the like. The power supply control unit 80 detects the presence / absence of a battery, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level, controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control circuit 50, and requires the necessary voltage. It is supplied to each part including the recording medium for a period. Reference numeral 82 denotes a connector, 84 denotes a connector, and 86 denotes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, NiMH battery, or Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

  Reference numeral 90 denotes an interface for connecting to the recording medium 200, and 92 denotes a connector for connecting to the recording medium 200. Reference numeral 98 denotes an attachment / detachment detection unit that detects whether or not the recording medium 200 is attached to the connector 92.

  Reference numeral 102 denotes a barrier (protection unit), which covers the imaging unit including the photographing lens 10 of the digital camera 100, thereby preventing the imaging unit from being stained or damaged. Reference numeral 104 denotes an optical viewfinder. By using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to perform shooting without using an electronic viewfinder function constituted by the image display unit 28. In the optical viewfinder 104, a part of the output unit 54, for example, an element for performing focus display, camera shake warning display, flash charge display, shutter speed display, aperture value display, and exposure correction display is arranged. Yes. Reference numeral 200 denotes a removable recording medium such as a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card.

  Reference numeral 400 denotes a flash device. Reference numeral 402 denotes a connector for connecting the flash device 400 to the accessory shoe of the digital camera 100. A light emitting unit 404 has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function.

  Here, AEB shooting with the digital camera according to the present embodiment will be briefly described. In AEB shooting, three images are shot with the exposure value set to a standard exposure value, a minus correction value (referred to as a minus bracket value), and a plus correction value (referred to as a plus bracket value), respectively.

  The settable range is a range of ± 3 steps with the standard exposure value as a reference. For example, in AEB shooting with a bracket value of ± 3 steps, shooting is performed with the appropriate exposure value obtained by the camera as the standard exposure value. Further, shooting is performed with an exposure value obtained by applying a -3 step exposure correction to the standard exposure value as a minus bracket value and an exposure value obtained by applying a +3 step exposure correction to the standard exposure value as a plus bracket value. That is, three images can be taken.

  It is also possible to perform AEB shooting with exposure correction applied. In this case, shooting with the minus bracket value and the plus bracket value can be performed with the exposure correction value subjected to exposure correction as a reference (centered). For example, in AEB shooting with an exposure correction value of +1 step and a bracket value of ± 2 steps, shooting is performed with an exposure value obtained by applying a +1 step exposure correction to an appropriate exposure value obtained by the camera as a standard exposure value. Further, as a minus bracket value, photographing is performed with an exposure value that is subjected to exposure correction of −2 steps with respect to the standard exposure value (−1 step with respect to the appropriate exposure value obtained by the camera). Further, photographing is performed with an exposure value that is subjected to exposure correction of +2 steps with respect to the standard exposure value as a plus bracket value (+3 steps with respect to the appropriate exposure value obtained by the camera). That is, three images can be taken.

  Next, the operation of the main routine of the digital camera 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S201, the system control circuit 50 initializes flags, control variables, and the like in accordance with power-on associated with battery replacement. In step S201, the exposure correction value is initialized to ± 0 steps, the minus bracket value for AEB shooting is initialized to ± 0 steps, and the plus bracket value is initialized to ± 0 steps.

  In step S202, the system control circuit 50 determines the set position of the mode dial switch 60. When the mode dial switch 60 is set to “power OFF”, the process proceeds to step S203, and when the mode dial switch 60 is set to other than “power OFF”, the process proceeds to step S204.

  In step S203, the system control circuit 50 performs a predetermined end process, and returns to step S202. The predetermined end process includes changing the display of each display unit to the end state. In addition, the barrier 102 is closed to protect the imaging unit. In addition, recording of necessary parameters, setting values, and setting modes including flags and control variables in the nonvolatile memory 56 is included. Further, the power supply control unit 80 includes shutting off unnecessary power sources of the respective parts of the digital camera 100 including the image display unit 28.

  In step S <b> 204, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the touch panel 68 is touched by the touch panel control unit 66. If it is determined that the touch panel 68 is touched, the process proceeds to step S205. If it is determined that the touch panel 68 is not touched, the process proceeds to step S206.

  In step S205, the system control circuit 50 performs exposure correction / AEB shooting setting processing. Details of the exposure correction / AEB shooting setting process will be described later with reference to FIGS. Here, an exposure correction and an AEB level setting change operation are performed, and when the processing ends, the process returns to step S202.

  In step S <b> 206, the system control circuit 50 performs display in the standby state of the digital camera 100 using the image display unit 28. A display example is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows a case where the exposure correction is ± 0. Then, the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S207, the system control circuit 50 checks the state of the shutter switch SW1. If the shutter switch SW1 is OFF, the process returns to step S202. If the shutter switch SW1 is ON, the process proceeds to step S208.

  In step S208, the system control circuit 50 performs a distance measurement process to adjust the focus of the photographing lens 10 according to the distance to the subject, and also performs a light measurement process to determine an aperture value and a shutter time. In this photometric process, the flash is set if necessary. Details of the photometry / ranging process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S <b> 209, the system control circuit 50 performs display in the photometric state of the digital camera 100 using the image display unit 28. A display example is shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a case where the shutter speed is 1/1000, the aperture value is F5.6, and the exposure correction is ± 0. Then, the process proceeds to step S210.

  In step S210, the system control circuit 50 checks the state of the shutter switch SW1. If the shutter switch SW1 is OFF, the process returns to step S202. If the shutter switch SW1 is ON, the process proceeds to step S211, and the state of the shutter switch SW2 is further confirmed. If the shutter switch SW2 is OFF, the process returns to step S208. If the shutter switch SW2 is ON, the process proceeds to step S212.

  In step S212, the system control circuit 50 performs an exposure process and a photographing process. In the exposure process, image data related to imaging by the imaging device 14 is transmitted via the A / D converter 16, the image processing circuit 20, and the memory control circuit 22, or via the A / D converter and the memory control circuit 22. Write to memory 30. In the photographing process, a photographing process including a developing process for reading out the image data written in the memory 30 using the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, the image processing circuit 20 and performing various processes is executed. Details of this photographing process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S213, the system control circuit 50 performs a dark capturing process of accumulating noise components such as dark current of the image sensor 14 for the same period of time as the main photographing with the shutter 12 closed, and reading out the noise image signal after the accumulation. . By performing correction calculation processing using the dark image data captured by this dark capture processing, it is possible to reduce image quality degradation such as dark current noise generated by the image sensor 14 and pixel defects due to scratches inherent to the image sensor 14. . Details of the dark capturing process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S <b> 214, the system control circuit 50 reads out part of the image data written in the predetermined area of the memory 30 via the memory control circuit 22. Then, WB (white balance) integration calculation processing and OB (optical black) integration calculation processing necessary for performing the development processing are performed, and the calculation results are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50. Thereafter, the system control circuit 50 reads the captured image data written in a predetermined area of the memory 30 using the memory control circuit 22 and, if necessary, the image processing circuit 20. Then, using the calculation results stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52, various development processes including AWB processing, gamma conversion processing, and color conversion processing are performed. Further, in the development processing, dark correction calculation processing for canceling dark current noise and the like of the image sensor 14 is also performed by performing subtraction processing using the dark image data captured in the dark capturing processing. Details of this development processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S <b> 215, the system control circuit 50 reads image data written in a predetermined area of the memory 30. Then, image compression processing according to the set mode is performed by the compression / decompression circuit 32, and the compressed image data is written in the empty image portion of the image storage buffer area of the memory 30. Then, the process returns to step S202.

  Here, details of the exposure correction / AEB shooting setting process in step S205 of FIG. 2 will be described. First, the touch panel 68 of this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to Fig.11 (a), (b). In FIG. 11A, a shutter speed display unit 1101 that displays a shutter speed on the upper left side, an aperture value display unit 1102 that displays an aperture value on the upper right side, and an exposure correction and AEB shooting setting on the lower side. An exposure correction / AEB shooting setting area 1103 is displayed. In the exposure correction / AEB shooting setting area 1103, scales from -3 to +3 are displayed. When a predetermined area is touched, a correction value corresponding to the scale is set.

  FIG. 11B shows the relationship between the touch position, the selected area, and the calculated correction value. For example, when the touch position is within the area a shown in FIG. 11A, the area a is selected, and the correction value is calculated as -3 steps. When the touch position is within the area g shown in FIG. 11A, the area g is selected, and a correction value of ± 0 steps is calculated. When the touch position is within the area m shown in FIG. 11A, the area m is selected and the correction value is calculated as +3 steps.

In the present embodiment, three values of <minus bracket value>, <median value (exposure correction value)>, and <plus bracket value> are based on an operation by touching a plurality of positions on the display screen of FIG. Set as follows.
(1) In the case of only one point touch, the touch position = <median value (exposure correction value)> is set.
(2) If there are two touches at the same time (two touches at the same time, or if the second touch is also made within a short time after one touch), the left touch of the two touch positions Set position = <minus bracket value>, right touch position = <plus bracket value>.
(3) When two points are touched at different times (when the second point is touched after a certain amount of time after touching one point), the first point touch position = <median value (exposure correction) Value)>. Also, the touch position of the second point is set to the first bracket value (one of <minus bracket value> and <plus bracket value>) according to the direction of the second point with respect to the first point. Also, on the side opposite to the direction of the second point with respect to the first point, the position of the absolute value of the distance between the first point and the second point = second bracket value (<minus bracket value> and <plus bracket value>) Set to the other).

In the case of (1), since it is an operation of using one finger to touch one point, it is not an operation for designating “width”, and only the exposure correction value is set.
In the case of (2), it can be considered that two points are operated simultaneously with two fingers or the like, and the operation is an attempt to specify “width”. Therefore, an intuitive operation is realized by setting the width of two points as the width of the minus bracket value to the plus bracket value.
In the case of (3), after specifying the exposure correction value as in (1), it can be considered that the operation is to attempt to set the bracket value again. Therefore, even if the second touch is detected, the first point is held as an exposure correction value, and the second point position is set so as to designate a bracket value on one side. In this case, unlike the case of (2), the distance between the first and second touch positions is not the width of the minus bracket value to the plus bracket value, but the width of the exposure correction value to the bracket value on one side. . Therefore, the other bracket value is set to the same absolute value on the opposite side to the bracket value designated by the second touch. Thereby, an intuitive operation is also realized.

  The details of the above-described setting method in the exposure correction / AEB shooting setting process will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 are detailed flowcharts of the exposure correction / AEB shooting setting process in step S205 of FIG. In step S301, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to detect the number touched in step S204.

  In step S302, the system control circuit 50 determines the number of touches detected in step S301. If the number touched is one point, the process proceeds to step S303, and if the number touched is two, the process proceeds to step S321.

  In step S303, the system control circuit 50 starts a timer for measuring the time from when the first point is touched to when the second point is touched. In step S304, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to detect the first touch position. In step S305, the system control circuit 50 selects an area from the first touch position. The relationship between the first touch position and the selected area is as shown in FIG. In step S306, the system control circuit 50 calculates a correction value from the region selected in step S305. The relationship between the selected region and the calculated correction value is as shown in FIG. In step S307, the system control circuit 50 sets the exposure correction value with the correction value calculated in step S306.

  In step S <b> 308, the system control circuit 50 displays a message using the output unit 54. For example, by displaying a message that “AEB shooting settings can be made by touching the second point”, it is possible to notify that the AEB shooting setting can be made by touching the second point even after the first point touch. it can.

  In step S309, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to determine whether or not there is a second touch. If there is a second touch, the process proceeds to step S341. If there is no second touch, the process proceeds to step S310.

  In step S310, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to determine whether or not the touch is stopped (released). If the touch is stopped, the process proceeds to step S311; otherwise, the process returns to step S309. In step S311, the system control circuit 50 ends the exposure correction / AEB shooting setting process.

  In step S321, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to detect the first touch position and the second touch position. In step S322, the system control circuit 50 obtains a touch position on the left side of the first touch position and the second touch position and selects an area. The relationship between the touch position on the left side and the selected area is as shown in FIG. In step S323, the system control circuit 50 calculates a correction value from the region selected in step S322. The relationship between the selected region and the calculated correction value is as shown in FIG. In step S324, the system control circuit 50 sets a minus bracket value with the correction value calculated in step S323.

  In step S325, the system control circuit 50 obtains a touch position located on the right side of the first touch position and the second touch position and selects an area. The relationship between the right touch position and the selected area is as shown in FIG. In step S326, the system control circuit 50 calculates a correction value from the region selected in step S325. The relationship between the selected region and the calculated correction value is as shown in FIG. In step S327, the system control circuit 50 sets a plus bracket value with the correction value calculated in step S326.

  In step S328, the system control circuit 50 calculates the average value (median value) of the minus bracket value set in step S324 and the plus bracket value set in step S327. In step S329, the system control circuit 50 sets the exposure correction value with the median value calculated in step S328.

  In step S330, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to determine whether or not the first point has been pressed again. If it has been pressed again, the process returns to step S321. If it has not been pressed again, the process proceeds to step S331.

  In step S331, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to determine whether or not the touch of both points is stopped (released). If the touch of both points is stopped, the process proceeds to step S332; otherwise, the process returns to step S330. In step S332, the system control circuit 50 ends the exposure correction / AEB shooting setting process.

  In step S341, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the second point is touched within one second after the first point is touched. If the second point is touched within one second, the process proceeds to step S321. If the second point is touched after one second has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S342.

  In step S342, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to detect the second touch position. In step S343, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the second touch position is on the right side. If the second point touch position is on the right side, the process proceeds to step S344; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S361.

In step S344, the system control circuit 50 selects an area from the second touch position. The relationship between the second touch position and the selected area is as shown in FIG. In step S345, the system control circuit 50 calculates a correction value from the region selected in step S344. The relationship between the selected region and the calculated correction value is as shown in FIG. In step S346, the system control circuit 50 sets a plus bracket value with the correction value calculated in step S345. In step S347, the system control circuit 50 uses the exposure correction value set in step S307 and the shooting plus bracket value set in step S346.
Correction value = Exposure correction value + (Exposure correction value-AEB shooting plus bracket value)
Calculate with the following formula. In step S348, the system control circuit 50 sets a minus bracket value with the correction value calculated in step S347.

  In step S349, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to determine whether or not the second point has been pressed again. If it has been pressed again, the process returns to step S342. If it has not been pressed again, the process proceeds to step S350. In step S350, the system control circuit 50 controls the touch panel control unit 66 to determine whether or not touching has been stopped (released) at both points. If the touch of both points is stopped, the process proceeds to step S332; otherwise, the process returns to step S349.

In step S361, the system control circuit 50 selects an area from the second touch position. The relationship between the second touch position and the selected area is as shown in FIG. In step S362, the system control circuit 50 calculates a correction value from the region selected in step S361. The relationship between the selected region and the calculated correction value is as shown in FIG. In step S363, the system control circuit 50 sets a minus bracket value with the correction value calculated in step S362. In step S364, the system control circuit 50 uses the exposure correction value set in step S307 and the minus bracket value set in step S363.
Correction value = Exposure correction value + (Exposure correction value−AEB shooting minus bracket value)
Calculate with the following formula. In step S365, the system control circuit 50 sets a plus bracket value with the correction value calculated in step S364.

  As described above, when the touch panel 68 is touched, exposure correction and AEB shooting can be set (step S205). When the number of touches is one (step S302), the first touch position is detected (step S304), and an exposure correction value can be set according to the touched position (steps S304 to S307). For example, when the area e is touched, e is selected as the area in step S305, a correction value of −1 is calculated in step S306, and the exposure correction value is set to −1 in step S307.

  When the number of touches is two, that is, when two points are touched simultaneously (step S302), the first and second touch positions are detected (step S321). Then, a minus bracket value is set according to the left touch position (steps S322 to S324), and a plus bracket value is set according to the right touch position (steps S325 to S327). Further, an exposure correction value is set based on the plus bracket value and the minus bracket value (steps S328 to S329). For example, when two locations in the region e and the region m are touched, e is selected as the region in step S322, the correction value is calculated as −1 in step S323, and the AEB shooting minus bracket value is calculated in step S324. -1 stage is set. In step S325, m is selected as the region. In step S326, the correction value is calculated as +3 steps. In step S327, the AEB shooting plus bracket value is set as +3 steps. In step S328, the correction value is calculated as +1 step. The In step S329, the exposure correction value is set to +1 level.

  When the second point is touched after the first point is touched and exposure correction is set (step S309), the operation is varied depending on the elapsed time from the first point touch to the second point touch. If the second point is touched within 1 second (not limited to the example within 1 second, it may be within a predetermined time) after touching the first point (YES in step S341), the two points are touched simultaneously. The same processing as that performed is performed (steps S321 to S331).

  If the second point is touched after 1 second from the first point touch (No in step S341), the minus bracket value and the plus bracket value are set according to the touch position of the second point (step S341). S342 to step S365). Specifically, when the touch position of the second point is on the right side (Yes in step S343), a plus bracket value is set according to the touch position of the second point (steps S344 to S346), and the exposure correction value and the plus bracket are set. A minus bracket value is set from the value (steps S347 to S348). When the second touch position is on the left side (No in step S343), a negative bracket value is set according to the second touch position (step S361 to step S363), and the exposure correction value and the negative bracket value are set. To set a plus bracket value (steps S364 to S365).

  For example, when the inside of the area i is touched and the inside of the area m is touched after 1 second or more has elapsed, i is selected as the area in step S305, the correction value is calculated as +1 level in step S306, and the exposure is performed in step S307. The correction value is set to +1 step, the area m is selected in step S344, the correction value is calculated to +3 step in step S345, the AEB shooting plus bracket value is set to +3 step in step S346, and the correction value is corrected in step S347. The value is calculated as -1 step, and the minus bracket value is set as -1 step in step S348. For example, when the area i is touched and the area e is touched after one second or more has elapsed, i is selected as the area in step S305, the correction value is calculated in +1 step in step S306, and exposure is performed in step S307. The correction value is set to +1 step, e is selected as the area in step S361, the correction value is calculated as -1 step in step S362, the AEB shooting minus bracket value is set to -1 step in step S363, and step S364. In step S3, the correction value is calculated as +3 step. In step S365, the AEB shooting plus bracket value is set to +3 step. As described above, by touching two points, the exposure correction setting and the AEB shooting setting can be performed simultaneously.

  FIG. 6 shows a detailed flowchart of the photometry / ranging process in step S208 of FIG. In step S <b> 601, the system control circuit 50 reads out a charge signal from the image sensor 14 and sequentially reads it into the image processing circuit 20 as image data via the A / D converter 16. Using the sequentially read image data, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined calculations used for TTL AE processing, EF processing, and AF processing. In each of the above processes, a necessary portion of the total number of captured pixels is extracted and used for calculation. Thereby, in each process of TTL type AE, EF, AWB, and AF, it is possible to perform an optimal calculation suitable for each mode of the center weight mode, the average mode, and the evaluation mode. In the AE process, the exposure correction value, the minus bracket value, and the plus bracket value set in step S205 are added. In the AE process, when the shooting mode is the program AE mode, a combination of the shutter speed and the aperture value is calculated using a standard program diagram.

  In step S602, the system control circuit 50 determines whether the exposure (AE) is appropriate based on the calculation result in the image processing circuit 20. If the exposure (AE) is not appropriate, the process proceeds to step S603, and the exposure control unit 40 is caused to execute AE control. In step S604, the system control circuit 50 determines whether flash emission is necessary using the measurement data obtained by AE control. If flash emission is necessary, the system control circuit 50 sets the flash flag in step S605. The flash device 400 is charged by setting.

  If it is determined in step S602 that the exposure (AE) is appropriate, the measurement data and / or setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50. In step S606, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the AWB is appropriate using the calculation result in the image processing circuit 20 and the measurement data obtained by the AE control. If not appropriate, the image processing circuit 20 is caused to execute AWB control for adjusting color processing parameters. If it is determined in step 606 that the AWB is appropriate, the measurement data and / or setting parameters are stored in the internal memory or the memory 52 of the system control circuit 50.

  In step S608, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the distance measurement (AF) result is in focus using the measurement data obtained by the AE control and the AWB control. When it is determined that the result of distance measurement (AF) is not in focus, the process proceeds to step S609, and the distance measurement control unit 42 is caused to execute AF control. If it is determined that the result of the distance measurement (AF) is in focus, the measurement data and / or the setting parameters are stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52, and the photometry / range measurement processing routine (step S208). Exit.

  FIG. 8 shows a detailed flowchart of the photographing process in step S212 of FIG. In step S <b> 801, the system control circuit 50 performs a charge clear operation of the image sensor 14. In step S802, charge accumulation of the image sensor 14 is started. In step S803, the shutter 12 is opened by the exposure control unit 40. In step S804, exposure of the image sensor 14 is started.

  In step S805, the system control circuit 50 refers to the flash flag to determine whether flash is necessary. If necessary, the flash is emitted. If not necessary, the process proceeds to step S807.

  In step S807, the system control circuit 50 waits for the end of exposure of the image sensor 14 according to the photometric data, and then in step S808, the exposure controller 40 closes the shutter 12 to end the exposure of the image sensor 14.

  In step S809, the system control circuit 50 waits for the set charge accumulation time to elapse, and then in step S810, the system control circuit 50 ends the charge accumulation by the image sensor 14. Next, in step S811, a charge signal is read out from the image sensor 14 and then passed through the A / D converter 16, the image processing circuit 20, and the memory control circuit 22, or via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22. Then, it is written in a predetermined area of the memory 30 as photographed image data. When the series of processing is finished, the photographing processing routine (step S212) is finished.

  FIG. 9 shows a detailed flowchart of the dark capturing process in step S213 of FIG. In step S901, the system control circuit 50 starts charge accumulation of the image sensor 14 with the shutter 12 closed in step S902 after performing the charge clear operation of the image sensor 14. In step S903, the system control circuit 50 waits for the set predetermined charge accumulation time to elapse, and then in step S904, the system control circuit 50 ends the charge accumulation of the image sensor 14. In step S 905, the charge signal is read from the image sensor 14, via the A / D converter 16, the image processing circuit 20, and the memory control circuit 22, or via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22. Then, it is written in a predetermined area of the memory 30 as dark image data.

  By performing development processing using this dark capture data, it is possible to reduce image quality degradation such as pixel current loss due to dark current noise generated by the image sensor 14 or scratches inherent to the image sensor 14. This dark image data is held in a predetermined area of the memory 30 until a new dark capturing process is performed or the digital camera 100 is turned off.

  Alternatively, by adopting a configuration in which a part or all of the memory 30 is configured by a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM or a hard disk and the dark image data is written to the nonvolatile memory, a new dark capturing process is performed. This dark image data may be stored.

  This dark image data is used when an image relating to photographing is read from the image sensor 14 and development processing is performed. When the first speed process is completed, the dark capturing process routine (step S213) ends.

  FIG. 10 shows a detailed flowchart of the development processing in step S214 of FIG. The system control circuit 50 reads the captured image data and dark image data written in the memory 30, and performs luminance signal processing in step S1001. In step S1002, the system control circuit 50 performs color processing. In step S1003, the thumbnail image processing is sequentially performed, and then the processed image data is written in the memory 30. When the series of processing is finished, the development processing routine (step S214) is finished.

  In the AEB shooting, the exposure value is changed and S212 to S215 are performed for the required number of sheets.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the setting of the exposure correction value and the setting of the bracket value for AEB shooting is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. A shooting condition correction function that corrects the appropriate setting value related to the shooting condition calculated based on the measured value, and an auto bracket function that automatically shoots multiple frames with multiple setting values including the corrected shooting condition correction value The present invention can be applied to any imaging device having the same. For example, the present invention can be applied to an imaging device having a light control correction function related to flash photography and a light control auto bracket function. In this case, the flash photography can be performed with the three brightness settings of the dimming correction value, plus bracket value, and minus bracket value. The dimming correction value, the brass bracket value, and the minus bracket value can be set by the same operation method as the exposure correction value, minus bracket value, and plus bracket value in the above-described exposure correction, respectively.

  Similarly, the present invention can be applied to the correction value in bracket photography related to the shutter speed, aperture value, white balance, and ISO sensitivity, and the setting of the plus bracket value and the minus bracket value.

  Note that the digital camera 100 may be controlled by a single piece of hardware, or the entire apparatus may be controlled by a plurality of pieces of hardware sharing the processing. Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Furthermore, each embodiment mentioned above shows only one embodiment of this invention, and it is also possible to combine each embodiment suitably.

  In the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to any imaging apparatus including a touch panel.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program code. It is a process to be executed. In this case, the program and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

10: photographing lens, 12: shutter, 14: image sensor, 16: A / D converter, 18: timing generation circuit, 20: image processing circuit, 22: memory control circuit, 24: image display memory, 26: D / A converter, 28: image display unit, 30: memory, 32: image compression / decompression circuit, 40: exposure control unit, 42: distance measurement control unit, 44: zoom control unit, 46: barrier control unit, 48: connector 50: System control circuit, 52: Memory, 54: Display unit, 56: Non-volatile memory, 60: Mode dial switch, 62: Shutter switch SW1, 64: Shutter switch SW2, 66: Touch panel control unit, 68: Touch panel, 80: power supply control unit, 82: connector, 84: connector, 86: power supply unit, 90: interface, 92: connector, 98: attachment / detachment detection unit, 00: digital camera, 102: barrier, 104: optical viewfinder, 200: recording medium 400: flash unit, 402: connector, 404: light-emitting portion

Claims (13)

Detecting means capable of detecting a plurality of touch positions on the touch panel;
When the first touch is detected by the detecting means, a correction value for a specific photographing condition is set based on the touch position of the first touch, and after detecting the first touch, When the second touch is detected while the first touch is continued, the specific shooting condition is determined based on the distance between the touch position of the first touch and the touch position of the second touch. Setting means for setting a bracket value used for bracket shooting ;
An imaging apparatus comprising: an imaging processing unit that performs an imaging process based on the correction value set by the setting unit and the bracket value . The setting means, based on the distance between the touch position of the first touch and the touch position of the second touch, determines from the correction value a plus side bracket value having an absolute value corresponding to the distance and a negative value. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least two bracket values of the side bracket value are set. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for controlling the display means to display a guide indicating that a bracket value can be set according to the second touch. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display control unit controls the guide so that the guide is displayed after the first touch is detected. In the case where the second touch is detected after a lapse of a predetermined time from the first touch, the setting means determines the correction value based on the touch position of the first touch. And a bracket value used for bracket shooting based on the distance between the touch position of the first touch and the touch position of the second touch,
The detection unit detects two touches at the same time, or the first touch is detected, and then the second touch is detected within a predetermined time while the first touch continues. In this case, the minus bracket value is set based on one of the two touched points, and the plus bracket value is set based on the other position. 5. The imaging device according to any one of 4. The detection unit detects two touches at the same time, or the first touch is detected, and then the second touch is detected within a predetermined time while the first touch continues. 6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the setting unit sets a correction value corresponding to a center position of two touched points. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific photographing condition is exposure, and the correction value is an exposure correction value. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific imaging condition is white balance. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific imaging condition is ISO sensitivity. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific shooting condition is at least one of dimming, shutter speed, and aperture value for strobe shooting. A detection step capable of detecting a plurality of touch positions on the touch panel;
When the first touch is detected by the detection step, a correction value of a specific shooting condition is set based on the touch position of the first touch, and after detecting the first touch, When the second touch is detected while the first touch is continued, the specific shooting condition is determined based on the distance between the touch position of the first touch and the touch position of the second touch. A setting step for setting a bracket value used for bracket shooting ;
A control step for controlling to perform a photographing process based on the correction value and the bracket value set in the setting step;
A method for controlling an imaging apparatus, comprising: The program for functioning a computer as each means of the imaging device described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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