JP5578262B2 - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, imaging apparatus, and information processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, an imaging device, and an information processing system.

  When editing a moving image captured by an imaging apparatus such as a digital video camera, it is common to perform editing using a personal computer (hereinafter, PC). A film roll display is a technique for grasping the outline of a moving image when editing the moving image. Film roll display is a display method in which a plurality of frame images are selected from recorded moving images at predetermined time intervals, and the frame images are displayed as thumbnail images arranged in time series (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). .

JP 2007-134771 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-166988

  However, the editing of moving images by the PC as described above is often performed after a lapse of time from the imaging date. For this reason, it is time consuming to cut out and edit a necessary part of a moving image, and the work efficiency is poor. Specifically, since the storage of moving images captured in the past is ambiguous, the user checks the necessary portion by playing the moving image from the beginning, and then performs the extraction (editing) of the necessary portion. I had to. For example, consider a case where, after a long time has elapsed from the date of image capture, the user determines whether a moving image is necessary and wants to delete an unnecessary portion of the moving image. In this case, the user has to reproduce the moving image from the beginning, check the contents of the moving image over time, and determine the part to be deleted. In particular, when the recording time of a moving image is long, such editing work is very inefficient and complicated.

  The same can be said from the viewpoint of moving image reproduction. For example, if the recording time of a moving image is long and only a part of the moving image deserves to be seen, if the time has passed since the date of imaging, the user should preferentially view which section of the moving image I didn't know if it was a part, and I had to play the video from the beginning. Even if the film roll display is used, if none of the thumbnail images is a scene that the user wants to see, it has been necessary to reproduce the moving image and check the contents over time. As described above, even when a moving image is reproduced, it is inefficient to search for a section where the user wants to view a moving image.

  On the other hand, if an index is added to a moving image in a lively scene or the like during capturing of the moving image, it is convenient when editing / reproducing the moving image thereafter. However, even if an index is added only to an arbitrary time point of a moving image during imaging, it is not known which range before and after the index is a necessary part. Therefore, in the end, the user had to determine the necessary section after looking at the moving images before and after the index was added. In addition, in order to add an index to a section instead of a certain time point of a moving image, a complicated operation is forced on the user, such as requiring a plurality of operations.

  In view of the above circumstances, it is desirable that an index can be added to a partial section of a moving image instead of a single point in time of the moving image with a simple operation during moving image capturing.

According to this disclosure,
A display control unit for displaying a moving image on the display unit;
An object recognizing unit for recognizing an object in the moving image corresponding to the position when the position is detected by a position detecting unit that detects a position where the operating body is in contact with or close to the display unit;
In response to the detection of the position, the moving image section including the time point when the position is detected and the moving image section including the object recognized by the object recognition unit is defined as an index section. A section setting section to be set;
An information processing apparatus is provided.

In addition, according to the present disclosure,
Recognizing an object in the moving image corresponding to the position when the position is detected by a position detecting unit that detects a position where the operating body is in contact with or close to the display unit that displays the moving image. When,
In response to the detection of the position, a section of the moving image including the time point when the position is detected and the section of the moving image including the recognized object is set as an index section; ,
An information processing method is provided.

In addition, according to the present disclosure,
A display unit for displaying a moving image being captured;
A position detection unit that detects a position in which the operating body is in contact with or close to the display unit during imaging of the moving image;
An object recognition unit that recognizes an object in the moving image corresponding to the position when the position is detected by the position detection unit;
In response to the detection of the position, the moving image section including the time point when the position is detected and the moving image section including the object recognized by the object recognition unit is defined as an index section. A section setting section to be set;
An imaging device is provided.

In addition, according to the present disclosure,
An imaging unit that captures a moving image;
A display unit for displaying the moving image;
A display control unit for displaying the moving image on the display unit;
A position detection unit for detecting a position where the operating body is in contact with or close to the display unit;
An object recognition unit that recognizes an object in the moving image corresponding to the position when the position is detected by the position detection unit;
In response to the detection of the position, the moving image section including the time point when the position is detected and the moving image section including the object recognized by the object recognition unit is defined as an index section. A section setting section to be set;
An information processing system is provided.

  According to the present disclosure, when the position is detected by the position detection unit that detects the position where the operating body is in contact with or close to the display unit that displays the moving image, the position corresponding to the position in the moving image is detected. When the object is recognized and the position is detected, the moving image section including the time point when the position is detected and the moving image section including the recognized object is an index. Set as interval. Accordingly, it is possible to set the index section of the moving image in which the target object is shown with reference to the time point when the position of the display unit designated by the operation tool is detected by one user operation on the position detection unit.

  As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to add an index to a partial section of a moving image instead of a single point in time of the moving image by a simple operation during capturing of the moving image.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a front side of an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external configuration on the back side of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the live view screen which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the setting method of the index area which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the setting method of the index area which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the setting method of the index area which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the recording confirmation screen which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a correction | amendment of the index area in the recording confirmation screen which concerns on the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a change of the correction | amendment of the index area which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a change of the correction | amendment of the index area which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the processing method at the time of the imaging end by the imaging device which concerns on the embodiment, and video recording. It is a flowchart which shows the processing method at the time of the imaging end by the imaging device which concerns on the embodiment, and video recording. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the live view screen which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this indication. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the live view screen which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the live view screen which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the live view screen which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this indication. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the live view screen which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the recording confirmation screen which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the live view screen which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the trace length which concerns on the same embodiment, and the time length of an addition area.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

The description will be made in the following order.
1. First embodiment (setting an index section according to an index instruction)
2. Second Embodiment (Index Section Setting Using Object Recognition)
3. Third embodiment (setting index intervals according to user gestures)
4). Summary

<1. First Embodiment>
[Configuration of imaging device]
First, the configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing the external configuration of the front side and the back side of the imaging apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the imaging apparatus 10 according to this embodiment. FIG.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is configured by, for example, a digital video camera and has a function of capturing and recording a moving image. However, the imaging apparatus according to the present disclosure is not limited to the example of the video camera, and any electronic device capable of recording a moving image obtained by continuously imaging a subject, for example, a digital still camera having a moving image imaging function, The present invention can also be applied to a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a portable video / music player, a game machine, and the like.

  The case 12 constituting the exterior of the imaging device 10 has a length in the front-rear direction and a height in the vertical direction that are larger than the width in the left-right direction. In the present specification, left and right refer to the state in which the imaging device 10 is viewed from the rear, the subject side is referred to as the front in the optical axis direction of the imaging optical system, and the imaging element side is referred to as the rear.

  A lens barrel 16 in which the imaging optical system 14 is incorporated is extended in the front part of the upper part of the case 12 so that the front part of the lens barrel 16 faces the front surface of the case 12. An imaging element 18 (see FIG. 3) that captures a subject image guided by the imaging optical system 14 is provided at the rear end of the lens barrel 16.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a display panel 20 is provided on the left side of the case 12 so as to be openable and closable. When the display panel 20 is closed, the display panel 20 is accommodated in the accommodating recess 1202. The display panel 20 is an example of a display unit for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup device 18. For example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL display (Organic Electro Luminescence Display), or the like is used. Consists of. Note that a speaker 22 (see FIG. 3) for outputting reproduced audio data is provided on the bottom wall of the housing recess 1202.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a grip belt 26 extending in the front-rear direction is provided on the right side surface of the case 12. Further, a housing portion 24 for detachably housing a disc-shaped recording medium 2 (see FIG. 3) for recording image data and audio data is provided on the right side portion of the case 12. Opened and closed. The disc-shaped recording medium 2 is, for example, an optical disc such as a Blu-ray disc (Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark)), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a CD (Compact Disc). In addition to the optical disk, the recording medium for recording the captured image may be any removable medium such as a semiconductor memory such as a magneto-optical disk or a memory card 4 (see FIG. 3). Alternatively, it may be a built-in recording medium such as a hard disk built in the imaging apparatus 10.

  In addition, a microphone 28 for collecting sound is provided on the front surface of the case 12. An electronic viewfinder device 29 in which a small display device 2902 (see FIG. 3) is incorporated is provided on the upper rear portion of the case 12. A battery 25 is detachably mounted on the lower back side of the case 12.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the imaging device 10 has, for example, a power switch 30A, a still image imaging button 30B, and a zoom switch 30C as operation units for instructing execution of various functions related to imaging. Further, a mode switching switch 30D, a moving image capturing button 30E, an index button 30F, and the like are provided. The moving image capturing button 30E is an operation tool for the user to instruct the imaging apparatus 10 to start / stop recording of a captured moving image, and is also used as a recording start button and a recording end button. When the user determines the composition of the subject to be imaged and presses the moving image capturing button 30E, the imaging device 10 starts the recording operation. When the user presses the moving image capturing button 30E again, the imaging device 10 ends the recording operation. To do. The recording operation is an operation for recording data of images (moving images composed of a plurality of frames) continuously captured by the image sensor 18 on a recording medium.

  Next, the internal configuration of the imaging apparatus 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the imaging device 10 includes the case 12, the imaging optical system 14, the lens barrel 16, the imaging element 18, the display panel 20, the speaker 22, the microphone 28, and various operation units 30 </ b> A to F described above. . Further, the imaging apparatus 10 includes a touch panel 40, a video signal amplification circuit 100, an image data processing unit 102, a microphone amplification circuit 104, an audio data processing circuit 105, an output amplification circuit 106, a recording / reproducing circuit 108, a control circuit 110, A recording / reproducing mechanism 112, a drive circuit 114, an interface circuit 116, a memory card slot 118, a zoom drive unit 120, a positioning unit 122, and the like are provided.

  The imaging optical system 14, the lens barrel 16, the imaging element 18, the zoom drive unit 120, and the like function as an imaging unit 200 (see FIG. 4) that images a subject and outputs an imaging signal. The imaging optical system 14 includes various lenses such as a focus lens and a zoom lens, optical components that remove unnecessary wavelengths, and optical components such as a diaphragm. The light incident from the subject is guided to the image sensor 18 through each optical component in the imaging optical system 14. The image sensor 18 is configured by a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), for example. The image sensor 18 photoelectrically converts light guided through the imaging optical system 14 and outputs an imaging signal (analog video signal) representing the captured subject image.

  The video signal amplifier circuit 100 and the image data processing unit 102 function as an image processing unit 210 (see FIG. 4) that generates image data by performing signal processing on the imaging signal generated by the imaging unit. The imaging signal generated by the imaging device 18 is amplified by the video signal amplification circuit 100 and supplied to the image data processing unit 102. The image data processing unit 102 performs predetermined signal processing on the imaging signal to generate image data (moving image data or still image data) and supplies the image data to the recording / reproducing circuit 108. The predetermined signal processing includes, for example, analog signal processing such as CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) processing, gain processing using a programmable gain amplifier (PGA), A / D conversion processing, gamma correction processing, and white balance processing. Such as digital signal processing.

  The audio signal collected by the microphone 28 is amplified by the microphone amplifier circuit 104, subjected to predetermined signal processing by the audio data processing circuit 105, and supplied to the recording / reproducing circuit 108 as audio data.

  The recording / reproducing circuit 108 and the recording / reproducing mechanism 112 record various data such as image data and audio data on the recording medium, and also reproduce the various data recorded on the recording medium (see FIG. 4). Function as. The recording / reproducing circuit 108 controls the recording / reproducing mechanism 112 based on an instruction from the control circuit 110 to record / reproduce data to / from the disc-shaped recording medium 2.

  For example, the recording / reproducing circuit 108 records the image data (moving image data or still image data) supplied from the image data processing unit 102 or the audio data supplied from the audio data processing circuit 105 according to the control of the control circuit 110. This is supplied to the reproduction mechanism 112. The recording / playback mechanism 112 records moving image data, still image data, and audio data on the disk-shaped recording medium 2.

  Further, the recording / reproducing circuit 108 receives the moving image data / still image data supplied from the image data processing unit 102 and the audio data supplied from the audio data processing circuit 105 via the interface circuit 116, as a memory card slot 118. Is recorded in the memory card 4 attached to the.

  In addition, the recording / reproducing circuit 108 supplies the moving image data / still image data supplied from the image data processing unit 102 to the display panels 20 and 2902 via the drive circuit 114 in accordance with the control of the control circuit 110, so that the image is displayed. Display.

  The recording / reproducing circuit 108 supplies moving image data / still image data supplied from the memory card 4 via the interface circuit 116 to the display panels 20 and 2902 via the drive circuit 114 to display an image. Then, the audio data supplied from the memory card 4 via the interface circuit 116 is supplied to the speaker 22 via the output amplifier circuit 106 to output audio.

  Further, the recording / reproducing circuit 108 supplies the moving image data / still image data reproduced from the disc-shaped recording medium 2 by the recording / reproducing mechanism 112 to the display panels 20 and 2902 via the drive circuit 114 to display an image. At the same time, audio data reproduced from the disc-shaped recording medium 2 by the recording / reproducing mechanism 112 is supplied to the speaker 22 via the output amplifier circuit 106 to output audio.

  The display panels 20 and 2902 function as a display unit that displays various image data (moving images and still images) supplied as described above. For example, the display panels 20 and 2902 display moving images (live view images) input from the recording / reproducing circuit 108 in real time during imaging. Thus, the user performs an imaging operation (for example, a zoom operation, a recording start instruction, a recording end instruction, an index instruction input operation, etc.) while viewing a moving image being captured by the imaging apparatus 10, and selects a desired subject. Images can be taken with a desired composition. Further, when the moving image recorded on the recording media 2 and 4 is reproduced by the recording / reproducing circuit 108, the display device 130 displays the reproduced image input from the recording / reproducing circuit 108. Thereby, the user can confirm the content of the moving image recorded on the recording media 2 and 4.

  The touch panel 40 functions as a position detection unit that detects a position where the operating body is in contact with or close to the display screen of the display panel 20. The touch panel 40 is disposed so as to overlap the display panel 20 and includes a sensor that detects a position on the display screen that is touched or approached by the operating body. Thereby, the touch panel 40 can detect the position on the display screen designated by the operating tool, the movement trajectory and the moving speed of the operating tool. The operation body used for the operation of the touch panel 40 is, for example, a user's finger, stylus, touch pen, or the like. The touch panel 40 detects, as coordinates, the position on the display screen that the operating body touches or approaches, and the coordinates detected by the touch panel 40 are transmitted to the control circuit 110 and predetermined processing is executed.

  As the touch panel, for example, any type of touch panel such as a pressure-sensitive type, an electrostatic type, and an optical type can be used. The pressure-sensitive touch panel detects a change in pressure when the panel is pressed by the operating body. The electrostatic touch panel detects an electrical signal due to static electricity caused by the contact of the operating body with the panel. The optical touch panel generally uses a method of detecting the position and moving direction of an operating body that is in contact with the panel by an optical sensor provided on the outer frame of the display panel. In-cell type optical touch panels also exist as other types of optical sensors. In the in-cell type optical touch panel, an optical sensor array is mounted on a display panel, and the position and movement trajectory of an operating body that is in contact with or close to the display panel is detected by the optical sensor array.

  The touch panel 40 is generally a contact type touch panel (for example, the pressure-sensitive type or electrostatic type touch panel described above) that detects the contact of the operating body. The user can perform various operations on the imaging apparatus 10 by pressing (that is, tapping) the surface of the touch panel 40 with a finger, a stylus, or the like, or moving the pressed finger, stylus, or the like. Can do.

  In addition, there is a non-contact type touch panel that can recognize an operating body in proximity to the touch panel even if the operating body does not directly contact the touch panel. This non-contact type touch panel can be realized by the optical touch panel, for example. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, an example of the contact-type touch panel 40 that detects a position touched by an operating body (for example, a finger) will be described. However, the position detection unit of the present disclosure is a non-contact type touch panel It is also possible to configure with a screen position detecting device.

  The control circuit 110 functions as a control unit 230 (see FIG. 4) that controls each unit of the imaging apparatus 10. The control circuit 110 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like (not shown). The ROM in the control circuit 110 stores programs for executing various control processes of the control circuit 110. The CPU operates based on the program, and executes the necessary calculation / control processing for each control described above using the RAM. The program can be stored in advance in a storage device (for example, ROM) built in the imaging apparatus 10. In addition, the program may be stored in a removable recording medium and provided to the imaging apparatus 10 or downloaded to the imaging apparatus 10 via a network such as a LAN or the Internet.

  The control of the control circuit 110 will be exemplified below. The control circuit 110 turns on and off the power of the imaging device 10 based on a user operation on the power switch 30A.

  In addition, the control circuit 110 gives a command to the image data processing unit 102 and the recording / reproducing circuit 108 based on a user operation on the still image capturing button 30B, so that the still image data supplied from the image data processing unit 102 is changed. By supplying the recording / reproducing mechanism 112 via the recording / reproducing circuit 108, still image data is recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium 2. As described above, the still image capturing button 30B functions as a so-called shutter button for capturing and recording a still image.

  In addition, the control circuit 110 gives a command to the zoom drive unit 120 based on a user operation on the zoom switch 30C, thereby moving a movable lens (not shown) of the imaging optical system 14 and moving the imaging optical system 14. Change the zoom ratio.

  In addition, the control circuit 110 gives a command to the image data processing unit 102 based on the operation of the mode switching switch 30 </ b> D, whereby the image data processing unit 102 generates moving image data, and the image data processing unit 102. To switch the still image capturing mode for generating still image data. In the moving image capturing mode, the moving image data generated by the image data processing unit 102 is recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium 2 or the memory card 4 via the recording / reproducing circuit 108. In the still image capturing mode, the image data processing unit 102 is recorded. The still image data generated in the above is recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium 2 or the memory card 4 via the recording / reproducing circuit 108. Note that the control circuit 110 can also switch to a playback mode for playing back recorded images in addition to the above two imaging modes.

  Further, the control circuit 110 starts / stops recording of moving image data by the imaging device 10 based on the first user operation on the moving image capturing button 30E. That is, the control circuit 110 is supplied from the image data processing unit 102 by giving a command to the image data processing unit 102 and the recording / reproducing circuit 108 based on a user operation (recording start instruction) on the moving image capturing button 30E. By supplying the moving image data to the recording / reproducing mechanism 112 via the recording / reproducing circuit 108, an operation of recording the moving image data on the disk-shaped recording medium 2 is started (recording is started). Further, the control circuit 110 stops the recording operation (recording end) based on the second user operation (recording end instruction) to the moving image capturing button 30E. In this manner, the moving image capturing button 30E functions as an operation member (recording start / end operation unit) for the user to instruct the imaging device 10 to start / end recording of moving images. In the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the recording start operation unit and the recording end operation unit are configured by the same operation member (moving image capturing button 30E), but both are configured by different operation members. May be.

  Further, the control circuit 110 sets an index section of a moving image based on a user operation (index instruction) on the index button 30F during a recording period from a recording start instruction to a recording end instruction. Then, the control circuit 110 generates index information representing the set index section, and records the index information in association with the moving image data. The index button 30F functions as an operation member (index operation unit) for inputting an index instruction by the user.

  The index information is time information indicating a predetermined period including an arbitrary time point specified by the user during capturing and recording of a moving image (during a recording period). For example, during moving image capturing, the user presses the index button 30F in a scene that is swelled during imaging (for example, a baseball home run scene) or a favorite scene (for example, a child's smiling scene), Enter instructions. The imaging apparatus 10 sets a partial section of a moving image captured during a predetermined period including an index instruction input time point as an index section, and records the index information. The index operation unit may be configured with a dedicated physical operation tool such as the index button 30F, or configured with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) component displayed on the display screen of the display panel 20. May be.

  The positioning unit 122 has a function of measuring the current position of the imaging device 10 and generating imaging position information indicating the imaging position of the moving image. The positioning unit 122 includes, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, an angular velocity sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a magnetic sensor. The positioning unit 122 uses such various sensors to measure the position (latitude, longitude, etc.) and orientation of the imaging device when the moving image is captured, thereby representing the imaging position when the moving image is captured. Imaging position information is generated.

  For example, the GPS sensor measures the current position (latitude, longitude) of the imaging device 10 by receiving radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites and determining the distance to each GPS satellite. The angular velocity sensor and the acceleration sensor respectively detect an angular velocity and an acceleration when the imaging device 10 moves during imaging. The magnetic sensor detects the orientation of the imaging device 10 by detecting a magnetic field around the imaging device 10. The positioning unit 122 analyzes the measurement data such as the current position, the angular velocity, the acceleration, the geomagnetism variation, and the like of the imaging device 10 detected in this manner, thereby capturing the position of the imaging device 10 when the moving image is captured (that is, imaging). Position) is obtained, and imaging position information representing the imaging position is generated.

  The control circuit 110 controls the recording / reproducing circuit 105 and the like, and records the imaging position information generated by the positioning unit 122 on the recording medium in association with the frame of the moving image captured at the imaging position. For example, the positioning unit 122 measures an imaging position at a predetermined time interval (for example, every few seconds or every several minutes) while capturing a moving image (during a recording period), and generates imaging position information representing the imaging position. The imaging position information is stored in a recording medium such as a memory in association with the frame position information of the moving image, for example. The frame position information is information representing the position of each frame constituting the moving image, and is, for example, an imaging time, a time code, the number of frames from the first frame of the moving image, or a time from the beginning of the moving image. .

  Further, the control circuit 110 generates a plurality of thumbnail images from moving images captured during the recording period by controlling the recording / reproducing mechanism 112, the recording / reproducing circuit 108, the drive circuit 114, and the like. The control circuit 110 causes the display panel 20 to display a recording confirmation screen including the display object representing the index section, the thumbnail image, etc. immediately after moving image capturing (that is, immediately after the recording end instruction). This recording confirmation screen is an auto review screen (Rec_Review screen) for confirming an index section set in a recorded moving image immediately after the end of recording of the moving image, and will be described in detail later.

[Functional configuration of imaging device]
Next, the functional configuration of the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the imaging apparatus 10 includes an imaging unit 200, an image processing unit 210, a recording / playback unit 220, a control unit 230, a display panel 20, various operation units 30 </ b> A to 30 </ b> F, The touch panel 40 which is an operation part and the positioning part 122 are provided. The control unit 230 includes an imaging control unit 232, a display control unit 234, an index setting unit 236, a memory 238, an object recognition unit 240, and a function control unit 242. Hereinafter, each functional unit of the imaging apparatus 10 will be described.

  The imaging unit 200 includes, for example, the imaging optical system 14, the lens barrel 16, the imaging element 18, and a driving circuit such as the zoom driving unit 120 illustrated in FIG. The imaging unit 200 captures an optical image of a subject with the imaging element 18 under the control of the imaging control unit 232, and outputs an imaging signal representing the image obtained by the imaging.

  The image processing unit 210 includes, for example, the video signal amplification circuit 100 and the image data processing unit 102 shown in FIG. The image processing unit 210 generates a moving image including a plurality of pieces of image data by performing predetermined signal processing on the imaging signal in accordance with control by the imaging control unit 232. The moving image is composed of moving image frames that are continuously generated at a predetermined time interval (for example, 1/60 seconds).

  The recording / reproducing unit 220 includes, for example, the recording / reproducing circuit 108 and the recording / reproducing mechanism 112 shown in FIG. 3, and records various data on the disk-shaped recording medium 2 and reproduces various data from the disk-shaped recording medium 2. Or For example, the recording / playback unit 220 records the moving image input from the image processing unit 210 on the disc-shaped recording medium 2 and controls the moving image recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium 2 under the control of the imaging control unit 232. Reproduce. Further, the recording / reproducing unit 220 records the thumbnail image generated from the moving image by the display control unit 234 on the disc-shaped recording medium 2 and reproduces the thumbnail image recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium 2.

  The control unit 230 includes, for example, the control circuit 110 illustrated in FIG. 3 and controls each unit of the imaging device 10. Each processor shown in FIG. 4 is realized by the processor of the control circuit 110 executing a computer program for realizing each function described below.

  The imaging control unit 232 controls the imaging operation of the imaging device 10. That is, the imaging control unit 232 controls the imaging unit 200, the image processing unit 210, and the recording / reproducing unit 220 as described above in accordance with user operations on the various operation units 30A to 30E, and performs imaging processing of moving images or still images. Or, recording / reproduction processing is executed. For example, when the user presses the moving image capturing button 30E and inputs a recording start instruction, the imaging control unit 232 controls the recording / reproducing unit 220 to generate a moving image generated by the imaging unit 200 and the image processing unit 210. Is started to be recorded on the disk-shaped recording medium 2 (recording start operation). On the other hand, when the user presses the moving image capturing button 30E again and inputs a recording end instruction, the imaging control unit 232 controls the recording / reproducing unit 220 to end the recording of the moving image (recording end operation). .

  Note that the imaging control unit 232 can switch the operation mode of the imaging apparatus 10 to a moving image imaging mode, a still image imaging mode, a reproduction mode, or the like based on a user operation on the mode switching switch 30D. In the moving image capturing mode and the still image capturing mode, the image capturing process by the image capturing unit 200 and the image process by the image processing unit 210 are continuously performed, and a moving image being captured (hereinafter referred to as image capturing) obtained by these processes is performed. Is also displayed on the display panel 20 as a live view screen. While viewing the live view screen of the captured image, the user determines the composition of the subject and the photo opportunity, and inputs a moving image or still image recording instruction to the imaging apparatus 10. In the moving image capturing mode, moving image data imaged and processed during the recording period from the recording start instruction to the recording end instruction by the moving image capturing button 30E is recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium 2. In the still image capturing mode, in response to a release instruction in which the user presses a still image capturing button 30B (so-called shutter button), still image data captured and processed at the timing of the release instruction is stored in the disc-shaped recording medium 2. To be recorded.

  The display control unit 234 controls the display panel 20 to display various images and data. For example, the display control unit 234 displays the live view screen of the captured image on the display panel 20 in real time while capturing the moving image. The live view screen is a screen representing a captured image obtained by the imaging process by the imaging unit 200 and the image process by the image processing unit 210. By viewing the live view screen in real time on the display panel 20, the user can determine the composition of the subject, determine the recording start / end timing, the timing to add an index, and the like.

The display control unit 234 automatically displays a recording confirmation screen for the moving image on the display panel 20 immediately after the recording of the moving image is completed. The recording confirmation screen is an auto review screen that is automatically displayed on the display panel 20 of the imaging apparatus 10 immediately after the end of recording of the moving image (that is, immediately after the recording end instruction is input). This recording confirmation screen includes an image obtained by reproducing the recorded moving image, a thumbnail image of the moving image, and the like. The thumbnail image is a still image extracted from a moving image recorded during the recording period. Such a recording confirmation screen executes an auto review function for presenting an outline of the recorded moving image to the user immediately after recording, and a predetermined function (playback, deletion, rating, etc.) for the moving image immediately after recording. Therefore, it also has an image operation function. By displaying such a recording confirmation screen, the user can confirm the contents of the recorded moving image and edit the moving image immediately after the recording of the moving image.

  The index setting unit 236 sets an index section of the moving image in response to a single user operation on the index operation unit during moving image capturing (during a recording period). Then, the index setting unit 236 generates index information representing the set index section, and stores the index information in the memory 238 in association with the moving image. The index information functions as an index that is added to a raised scene or a favorite scene in a moving image.

  As described above, during capturing of a moving image (during a recording period), the user operates the index operation unit in a lively scene or a desired scene. This user operation is, for example, pressing of the index button 30F or tapping on a GUI component (for example, the index icon 306 in FIG. 5) displayed on the live view screen of the display panel 20. The user can input an index instruction to the imaging apparatus 10 by such an operation. Then, in response to the input of the index instruction from the user, the index setting unit 236 sets a predetermined period including the input time of the index instruction, and part of the moving image including a plurality of frames captured during the predetermined period. Is set as an index interval. Then, the index setting unit 236 includes index information including time information indicating the set index section (for example, time indicating the start and end points of the index section, a time code, or the time or the number of frames from the beginning of the moving image). Is generated. Further, the index setting unit 236 stores the generated index information in a recording medium such as the memory 238 in association with the moving image.

  In this way, the index setting unit 236 sets an index section composed of a predetermined section of the moving image instead of one time point of the moving image in response to one user operation on the index operation unit during the capturing of the moving image. Index information representing the index section is stored. Thus, an index (bookmark) can be added to a section of a moving image corresponding to the time point designated by the user on the basis of an arbitrary time point designated by the user. Therefore, since an index for specifying a lively scene or a favorite scene can be added to the moving image being imaged, the scene designated by the user during image capturing can be identified as a special scene. be able to. Thus, the index information generated at the time of capturing a moving image is useful as an index when the moving image is reproduced or edited later.

  Further, the index setting unit 236 can change the time length or position of the index section to be set according to a user operation on the display screen detected by the touch panel 40. For example, when the user traces the display screen of the display panel 20 with his / her finger while capturing a moving image, the touch panel 40 detects the tracing method (for example, the tracing length or the tracing direction). Then, the index setting unit 236 sets an index section according to the tracing method detected by the touch panel 40. The tracing direction is the direction in which the display screen is traced by the operating body, and the tracing length is the length in which the display screen is traced by the operating body.

  Specifically, the index setting unit 236 sets an index section according to the tracing direction by the operating tool. For example, when the display screen is traced in the first direction (for example, right direction, upward direction, etc.) by the operating tool, the index setting unit 236 uses the segment of the frame captured in a predetermined period after the traced point as the index segment. Set as. On the other hand, when the display screen is traced in the second direction (for example, leftward or downward) by the operating tool, the index setting unit 236 displays the segment of the frame captured in a predetermined period before the traced time as an index. Set as interval.

  Further, the index setting unit 236 sets an index section according to the tracing length by the operating tool. For example, the index setting unit 236 determines the time length of the index section according to the tracing length by the operating tool. In addition, the index setting unit 236 determines a time corresponding to the tracing length by the operating body, sets a time point before the time point when the display screen is traced as a start point, and a moving image captured after the start point Is set as an index interval.

  As described above, the user can easily specify the position and time length of a desired index section according to the direction or the length of tracing the display screen. As described above, the details of the method of setting the index section according to how the user screens the display screen will be described later.

  The object recognition unit 240 analyzes the moving image being captured, thereby recognizing the object 340 displayed on the live view screen 300 of the moving image, that is, the object 340 included in the captured image 302 currently being captured. . Here, the object is an arbitrary subject included in the captured image captured by the imaging device 10, and may be an arbitrary object such as a person, an animal, a plant, a vehicle, or a building, for example. For example, when a user images a dog with the imaging device 10, the dog becomes an object. As an object recognition method by the object recognition unit 240, any known object recognition technique can be used.

  The object recognizing unit 240 recognizes the object 340 shown at the position on the display screen designated by the user during moving image capturing (see FIG. 12). Specifically, when a user designates an arbitrary position on the live view screen 300 using the operation tool while capturing a moving image, the touch panel 40 detects the position on the live view screen 300 specified by the operation tool. To do. Such user designation operation on the live view screen 300 corresponds to an index instruction. In response to the index instruction, the object recognizing unit 240 recognizes the object 340 shown at the designated position on the live view screen 300, and a moving image section composed of a plurality of frames in which the object 340 is shown. Is identified. The index setting unit 236 sets a section of a moving image including a plurality of frames in which the object recognized by the object recognition unit 240 is reflected as an index section. In this way, by setting an index section using object recognition, the user can easily select a moving image in which a desired object 340 is shown by specifying the object 340 on the live view screen 300. An index can be added to the section.

  The index section setting method by the index setting unit 236 has been described above. The display control unit 234 causes the display panel 20 to display information indicating the index section set by the index setting unit 236. For example, during capturing of a moving image, the display control unit 234 associates a display object 320 representing the index section set during the capturing on the live view screen 300 with the time axis of the recording time of the moving image. Display (see FIG. 5). Further, the display control unit 234 displays a thumbnail image 330 captured at an arbitrary point in the index section (for example, an index instruction input time point or an index section start point or end point) on the live view screen 300. Also good. As described above, the display control unit 234 displays the display object 320 representing the index section on the live view screen 300 while capturing a moving image. Thereby, the user can confirm the time length and position of the index section set during imaging in real time. The display of the index section during capturing of the moving image will be described later (see FIG. 5).

  Further, immediately after the recording of the moving image is completed, the display control unit 234 displays the recording confirmation screen 400 on the display panel 20 (see FIG. 7 and the like). When the recording confirmation screen 400 is displayed, the display control unit 234 displays a display object 420 representing the index section set during moving image capture on the recording confirmation screen 400 as the recording time of the moving image. Display in association with the time axis. The display object 420 is displayed based on the index information stored in the memory 238. Further, the display control unit 234 may display a thumbnail image 430 captured at an arbitrary point in the index section (for example, an index instruction input time point, index section start point or end point) on the recording confirmation screen 400. Good. In this way, by displaying the display object 420 representing the index section on the recording confirmation screen 400 after the recording is completed, the user can confirm the time length and position of the index section added to the moving image at the time of imaging after recording. The index section can be corrected on the recording confirmation screen 400. The display and correction of the index section after the end of video recording will be described later (see FIG. 8 and the like).

  The display control unit 234 sets the moving image based on the index information stored in the memory 238 when displaying the thumbnail images 330 and 430 on the live view screen 300 and the recording confirmation screen 400. A thumbnail image representing one or two or more index sections thus generated is generated. At this time, the display control unit 234 specifies a frame corresponding to an arbitrary point in the index section represented by the index information (for example, the start point or end point of the index section, the input time point of the index instruction, etc.), The thumbnail images 330 and 430 representing the index section may be extracted.

  The function control unit 242 controls the recording / playback unit 220 and the like to execute a predetermined function on the recorded moving image. The function control unit 242 executes a predetermined function for a part or all of the moving image based on a user operation on the touch panel 40. The predetermined function is an arbitrary function that can be executed on the image data of the moving image. For example, deletion, reproduction, evaluation value assignment (that is, rating), playlist creation, etc. of at least a part of the moving image It is a function. The function control unit 242 may perform these predetermined functions on all of the recorded moving images, or may perform only on a partial section of the moving images. As described above, the function control unit 242 functions as a deletion unit, a playback unit, a rating unit, a playlist creation, and the like.

  The function control unit 242 executes a predetermined function on the moving image recorded on the recording medium 2 in response to a user operation on the recording confirmation screen 400 immediately after the recording ends. For example, consider a case where the user designates a delete icon 450C (see FIG. 7) from one or more function icons 450 displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400 while the recording confirmation screen 400 is displayed. In this case, the touch panel 40 detects a user operation on the delete icon 450C displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400. The function control unit 242 deletes sections other than the index section of the moving image recorded on the recording medium 2 in response to a user operation on the delete icon 450C. At this time, the function control unit 242 can specify an image section other than the index section of the moving image based on the index information in the memory 238. In this way, the user uses the touch panel 40 to select a desired function icon in the recording confirmation screen 400, thereby executing functions such as deletion, playback, and rating on the moving image immediately after the recording ends. be able to.

  In addition, the function control unit 242 executes a predetermined function on the moving image being captured and recorded in response to a user operation on the live view screen 300 being captured. For example, when an index section is added to a moving image during image capturing, the function control unit 242 selects a section of a moving image captured before the index section from among the moving images recorded on the recording medium 2. Is automatically deleted. As a result, the image capturing apparatus 10 can automatically delete an unnecessary image section before the index section only by adding an index section to the necessary section of the moving image during imaging. .

[Example of live view screen]
Next, a display example of the live view screen 300 displayed during moving image capturing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example of the live view screen 300 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a live view screen 300 is displayed on the display screen of the display panel 20 while a moving image is being picked up by the image pickup apparatus 10 (during a recording period). The live view screen 300 is a screen for displaying an image currently captured by the imaging apparatus 10 (that is, the captured image 302) in real time. An index icon 306 is displayed on the captured image 302 of the live view screen 300. The index icon 306 is a GUI button for adding an index to a moving image during imaging, and has the same function as the physical index button 30F described above. The user taps an index icon 306 on the live view screen 300 at an arbitrary time point during capturing of a moving image, thereby inputting an index instruction to the image capturing apparatus 10 and assigning an index to the moving image at that time point. Can be added. The display / non-display of the index icon 306 on the live view screen 300 can be switched according to the user setting.

  In addition, on the lower side of the live view screen 300, a time bar 310, a display object 320 indicating an index section set during imaging, and a thumbnail image 330 are displayed superimposed on the captured image 302.

  The time bar 310 is an example of a display object that represents the time axis of the recording time of a moving image being captured. The time bar 310 in the illustrated example is configured by a slider bar having a point-like slider 312. The slider 312 in the time bar 310 moves from the left side of the screen to the right side as the recording time elapses. The position of the slider 312 represents the recording time from the beginning of the moving image to the captured image 302 being captured (that is, the recording time from the recording start time to the present). The user can grasp the current recording time of the moving image being captured by looking at the position of the slider 312 in the time bar 310. It should be noted that the time bar 310 may be scrolled so that the scale of the time bar 310 is constant and the slider 312 representing the current time point is always placed at the center in the horizontal direction of the screen. Alternatively, the scale of the time bar 310 may be reduced as the recording time elapses so that the entire time bar 310 is always displayed in the live view screen 300.

  The display object 320 represents an index section set during moving image capturing. The display object 320 representing the index section (hereinafter referred to as the index section object 320) is displayed in association with the time bar 310 representing the time axis of the video recording time. In the example shown in the drawing, two index section objects 320A and 320B each representing two index sections set during capturing of one moving image are displayed on the upper side of the time bar 310. The relative position of the index section object 320 with respect to the time bar 310 indicates which position on the time axis of the recording time the index section represented by the index section object 320 corresponds to. The user can grasp the position and time length of the index section set during imaging by comparing the index section object 320 and the time bar 310.

  Furthermore, the index section object 320 includes a point 322 that represents a point in time when the user inputs an index instruction. This point 322 represents a point in time during which the user inputs an index instruction by operating the index button 30F or the index icon 306 during moving image capturing. In the example shown in the figure, two points 322A and 322B are displayed, and it can be seen that two index instructions are input during the capturing of one moving image. The user can grasp the point in time when the index is added to the moving image by viewing the point 322 in the index section object 320. Further, in the illustrated example, the points 322A and 322B are arranged at the right end of the index section objects 320A and 320B, and it can be seen that the input point of the index instruction is the end point of the index section.

  The thumbnail image 330 is a still image representing the index section. The thumbnail image 330 is an image of a frame captured at an arbitrary time point within the index interval of the moving image (for example, the start point, the end point, or the input time point of the index instruction). In the illustrated example, a frame of the captured image 302 captured at the input time of the index instruction (corresponding to the point 322) is used as the thumbnail image 330. However, a frame captured at the start point or end point of the index section may be displayed as the thumbnail image 330 of the index section. In the example shown in the figure, thumbnail images 330A and 330B are popped up from points 322A and 322B for the two index section objects 320A and 320B, respectively. The user can check the representative image of the set index section on the live view screen 300 by looking at the thumbnail image 330.

  The display example of the live view screen 300 has been described above with reference to FIG. Next, the operation of the imaging apparatus 10 when an index is added during the capturing of moving images by the imaging apparatus 10 will be described.

  As described above, the imaging device 10 is provided with an index operation unit for adding an index to an arbitrary time point of a moving image in a scene that is raised during imaging or a desired scene. The index operation unit is the index button 30F, the touch panel 40 for detecting a user operation on the index icon 306, or the like.

  When the user (imager) of the image capturing apparatus 10 feels that the scene being imaged is exciting, he / she operates the index operation unit and inputs an index instruction to the image capturing apparatus 10. When an index instruction is input by the user, the imaging apparatus 10 sets an index section with reference to the time when the index instruction is input, and records index information representing the index section in the memory 238. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the imaging device 10 displays a time bar 310, an index section object 320, and a thumbnail image 330 on the live view screen 300 displayed on the display panel 20. As described above, the time bar 310 represents the time axis of the recording time, the index section object 320 represents the set index section, and the thumbnail image 330 is the captured image 302 when the index instruction is input.

  As described above, in the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, an index is not added to only one frame imaged at the time when the index instruction is input, but a predetermined time including the time when the index instruction is input. An index is added to a section made up of a plurality of frames imaged during the period. The reason is as follows. In moving image capturing, even when the user inputs an index instruction at one time point, it is considered that the scene being imaged is exciting from before and after the input time point. For example, when the father wants to image a child's smile with the imaging device 10, the father inputs an index instruction after the child laughs. However, the actual excitement scene (scene of a child's laughing face) begins even before the father inputs an index instruction. In such a case, it is preferable to add an index to an image captured before the input time of the index instruction.

  Therefore, the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment sets a predetermined period including the time point based on the time point when the index instruction is input by the user operation, triggered by a single user operation on the index operation unit. A section of a moving image composed of a plurality of frames imaged during the predetermined period is automatically set as an index section.

  The time length of the index section is set to, for example, a preset predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds, 10, 30 seconds, etc.). The imaging apparatus 10 automatically sets an index period having a predetermined equal time length with reference to an index instruction input time point.

  6A to 6C are conceptual diagrams illustrating an index section automatic setting method by the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. 6A to 6C show examples in which the time length of the index section is fixed to a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds).

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 6A, the imaging apparatus 10 sets the index section to 10 seconds before the index instruction input time point. In this case, the end point of the index section corresponds to the input time point of the index instruction. Such a setting method is useful when a scene that has already been captured before the input of the index instruction is a lively scene.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 6B, the imaging apparatus 10 sets the index section to 10 seconds after the input time of the index instruction. In this case, the start point of the index section corresponds to the input time point of the index instruction. Such a setting method is useful when imaging a scene that rises after an index instruction is input.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 6C, the imaging apparatus 10 sets the index section to 10 seconds before and after the index instruction input time point. In this case, the middle point of the index section corresponds to the input time point of the index instruction. This setting method is useful when there is a rising scene before and after the index instruction is input, and the index instruction is input at the peak of the increase.

  As described above, the imaging device 10 according to the present embodiment handles an index representing a swell scene or the like in a moving image as a section, not as a point. Then, the imaging apparatus 10 automatically sets an index section with reference to an index instruction input time point. Accordingly, when the user operates the index operation unit only once, an appropriate index section is automatically set by the imaging device 10 based on the operation time point. Therefore, the user does not need to perform a plurality of operations to set the index section, which is convenient. Note that the user can set the index section setting method and the time length of the index section shown in FIGS.

  Further, during capturing of a moving image, an index section object 320 representing the index section set as described above is displayed on the live view screen 300 together with the time bar 310 and the thumbnail image 330. Thereafter, when a predetermined time Ts1 has elapsed from the start of the display, the imaging device 10 automatically deletes the time bar 310, the index section object 320, the thumbnail image 330, and the like from the live view screen 300.

  As described above, the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment displays the live view screen 300 including the index section object 320 and the like mapped on the time axis of the moving image while the moving image is captured. Thereby, the user can confirm the time length and position of the automatically set index section in real time immediately after inputting the index instruction.

[Display example of recording confirmation screen]
Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a display example of the recording confirmation screen 400 displayed immediately after the end of video recording according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a view showing a display example of the recording confirmation screen 400 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a recording confirmation screen 400 is automatically displayed on the display screen of the display panel 20 immediately after the recording of the moving image by the imaging device 10 (immediately after the input of the recording end instruction). That is, when the user presses the recording end button (moving image capturing button 30E) to end the capturing and recording of the moving image, the imaging apparatus 10 displays the recording confirmation screen 400 on the display panel 20.

  The recording confirmation screen 400 is an auto review screen that is automatically displayed on the display panel 20 of the imaging apparatus 10 immediately after the recording of a moving image. Here, “immediately after the end of recording instruction (immediately after the end of recording)” means “immediately after the processing time necessary for generating and displaying the recording confirmation screen 400 has elapsed since the input of the recording end instruction”. However, for example, it is preferable that the recording confirmation screen 400 be displayed within a few seconds (for example, 1 second) from the time when the recording end instruction is input. The recording confirmation screen 400 automatically disappears after an arbitrary predetermined time Ts2 has elapsed since it was automatically displayed immediately after the end of recording, unless a user operation for executing a predetermined function is performed on the touch panel 40. Transition to the recording standby screen. The transition of the screen displayed on the display panel 20 before and after the end of recording is as follows.

(1) During the recording period in the recording mode, the live view screen 300 during imaging and recording is displayed. On the live view screen 300, the index section object 320 and the like described above are automatically displayed for a predetermined time Ts2 in response to the input of the index instruction, and then the index section object 320 and the like are hidden.
(2) Immediately after a recording end instruction is input during a recording period and recording is ended, a recording confirmation screen 400 is automatically displayed. When there is no user operation on the recording confirmation screen 400, the recording confirmation screen 400 is automatically deleted after a predetermined time Ts2 has elapsed since the display start of the recording confirmation screen 400.
(3) In the recording standby mode (non-recording period) after the recording confirmation screen 400 is erased, a recording standby screen (not shown) which is a live view screen during imaging by the imaging device 10 is displayed.

  The contents of the recording confirmation screen 400 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, on the recording confirmation screen 400, a playback image 402 of an arbitrary frame extracted from the recorded moving image (for example, the final image of the moving image) is displayed.

  Further, on the lower side of the recording confirmation screen 400, a time bar 410, a display object 420 representing an index section, and a thumbnail image 430 are displayed superimposed on the playback image 402. The display object 420 is a display object that represents all index sections set during imaging (hereinafter referred to as index section object 420). The time bar 410, the index section object 420 and the thumbnail image 430 displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400 shown in FIG. 7 are the time bar 310, the index section object 320 and the thumbnail image 430 displayed on the live view screen 300 shown in FIG. The thumbnail image 330 has substantially the same functional configuration as the thumbnail image 330.

  The time bar 410 is an example of a display object that represents the time axis of the recording time of a recorded moving image. The time bar 410 in the illustrated example is configured by a slider bar having a point-like slider 412. The position of the slider 412 represents the recording time from the beginning of the moving image to the reproduced image 402 displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400 (that is, the recording time from the recording start time to the present). The user can grasp the position (frame position) on the time axis of the reproduced image 402 by looking at the position of the slider 412 in the time bar 410. When the user taps the slider 412 and slides left and right within the time bar 410, the imaging apparatus 10 detects the position of the slider 412 and the frame corresponding to the position of the slider 412 in the moving image. The playback image 402 is displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400. Thereby, the user can confirm the reproduced image 402 at an arbitrary position on the time axis of the recorded moving image. It should be noted that the time bar 410 may be scrolled so that the scale of the time bar 410 is constant and the slider 412 representing the current time point is always arranged at the center in the horizontal direction of the screen. Alternatively, the scale of the time bar 410 may be reduced as the playback time elapses so that the entire time bar 410 is always displayed in the recording confirmation screen 400.

  The index section object 420 is displayed in association with the time bar 410 that represents the time axis of the video recording time. In the example shown in the drawing, two index section objects 420A and 420B each representing two index sections set during capturing of one moving image are displayed on the upper side of the time bar 410. The relative position of the index section object 420 with respect to the time bar 410 indicates which position on the time axis of the recording time the index section represented by the index section object 420 corresponds to. The user can grasp the position and time length of the index section set during imaging by comparing the index section object 420 and the time bar 410.

  Furthermore, the index section object 420 includes a point 422 that represents a point in time when an index instruction is input by the user. In the example shown in the figure, two points 422A and 422B are displayed, and it can be seen that two index instructions are input during the capturing of one moving image. The user can grasp the point in time when the index is added to the moving image by looking at the point 422 in the index section object 420.

  The thumbnail image 430 is a still image representing an index section, and the thumbnail image 430 is an image of a frame captured at an arbitrary time point within the index section of the moving image (for example, a start point, an end point, or an index instruction input time point). is there. In the illustrated example, thumbnail images 430A and 430B are popped up from points 422A and 422B for the two index section objects 420A and 420B, respectively. The user can confirm the representative image of the set index section on the recording confirmation screen 400 by viewing the thumbnail image 430.

  As described above, the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment displays the recording confirmation screen 400 including the index section object 420 and the like mapped on the time axis of the moving image immediately after the recording of the moving image. As a result, the user can check the time lengths and positions of all index sections set for the moving image during imaging while the recording immediately after the end of the recording of the moving image is clear. Further, the user can check whether the index section automatically set by the imaging device 10 is appropriate on the recording confirmation screen 400 and can correct the index section to a user-desired section.

  Below, with reference to FIGS. 8-10, the correction process of the index area on the recording confirmation screen 400 is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modification example of the index section on the recording confirmation screen 400 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show a modification example of index section correction.

  As shown in FIG. 8, flag marks 424 representing the start and end points of the index section are displayed at both ends of the index section object 420 displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400. The flag mark 424 is an example of a display object that represents the start point and end point of the index section. In the illustrated example, flag marks 424A, 424B, 424C, and 424D representing the start and end points of the respective index sections are displayed on both ends of the two index section objects 420, respectively.

  The user taps the flag mark 424 of the index section object 420 corresponding to the index section to be corrected on the recording confirmation screen 400 with his / her finger, and moves the flag mark 424 left and right while tracing the recording confirmation screen 400. At this time, in accordance with the movement of the flag mark 424, the reproduced image 402 on the recording confirmation screen 400 also changes to an image of a frame corresponding to the position on the time axis of the flag mark 424. Accordingly, the user can accurately correct the start point or end point of the index section to a desired position while viewing the reproduced image 402 on the recording confirmation screen 400.

  In response to the user operation, the imaging apparatus 10 corrects the start point or end point of the index section corresponding to the flag mark 424 operated by the user. The index section correction process will be described in detail. The touch panel 40 detects the flag mark 424 designated by the user operation, and its movement amount and movement direction. The index setting unit 236 identifies the start point or end point of the index section corresponding to the detected flag mark 424, and corrects the start point or end point to a position corresponding to the detected movement amount and movement direction. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, when the user moves the flag mark 424B to the left, the end point of the index section represented by the index section object 420 is corrected, and the time length of the index section is shortened.

  FIG. 9 is a modified example in which the flag mark 424 in FIG. 8 is replaced with a thumbnail image 430. The thumbnail images 430 </ b> C and 430 </ b> D are images of the start point and end point frames of the index section corresponding to the index section object 420, respectively. FIG. 10 shows a modification example in which the flag mark 424 in FIG. 8 is replaced with a GUI button 440. The user designates the thumbnail image 430 and the GUI button 440 on the recording confirmation screen 400 and moves them in a desired direction by a desired amount of movement, so that the index is displayed in the same manner as in the case of the flag mark 424. You can modify the section.

  As described above, on the recording confirmation screen 400, the user starts and ends the climax scene that the user actually recognizes the start and end points of the index section automatically set by the imaging device 10. Can be corrected. Since the recording confirmation screen 400 is displayed when the user's memory is clear immediately after the end of the recording of the moving image, the user can accurately correct the index section automatically set by the imaging device 10 to a desired section. In this way, by accurately correcting the index section immediately after recording, it becomes an accurate guideline when editing a moving image later.

  The recording confirmation screen 400 includes (a) an auto review function for presenting an index section set for a recorded moving image to the user immediately after recording, and (b) correcting the index section immediately after recording. And (c) an editing function for executing a predetermined function (playback, deletion, rating, etc.) on at least a part of the moving image immediately after recording. As described above, the auto review function (a) and the correction function (b) are realized by the index section object 420 displayed in the recording confirmation screen 400 in association with the time axis of the recording time. The editing function (c) is realized by a function icon 450 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400.

  Here, referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 again, a moving image editing function using the function icon 450 on the recording confirmation screen 400 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a plurality of function icons 450 are displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400. The function icon 450 is a GUI component that triggers execution of a predetermined function (for example, reproduction, rating, deletion, etc.) on the recorded moving image. In the example of FIG. 8, three function icons 450, that is, a playback icon 450A, a rating icon 450B, and a deletion icon 450C are displayed on the right side of the recording confirmation screen 400.

  The reproduction icon 450A is a function icon for reproducing only the index section of the moving image recorded on the recording medium 2. The rating icon 450B is a function icon for assigning an evaluation value to an index section of a moving image recorded on the recording medium 2. The delete icon 450C is a function icon for deleting a section other than the index section from the moving image recorded on the recording medium 2.

  The user can cause the function corresponding to the selected function icon 450 to be executed on the recorded moving image by designating the function icon 450 on the recording confirmation screen 400. As described above, the touch panel 40 is provided on the display panel 20 of the imaging apparatus 10, and the touch panel 40 detects a position (screen position) on the recording confirmation screen 400 specified by the user. The touch panel 40 can detect a selection operation of the function icon 450 and the like.

  While the recording confirmation screen 400 is displayed, the imaging apparatus 10 detects the presence / absence of the user operation using the touch panel 40. As a result, when the position detected by the touch panel 40 during the display of the recording confirmation screen 400 corresponds to the display position of one of the function icons 450, it can be said that the user has selected the function icon 450. In this case, the imaging apparatus 10 determines that the execution instruction for the function corresponding to the function icon 450 is input, and corresponds to the function icon 450 for the index section of the recorded moving image or other sections. Perform the function.

  For example, when the user designates (tap) the playback icon 450A while the recording confirmation screen 400 is being displayed, the imaging apparatus 10 only selects the image data in the index section from the moving image recorded on the recording medium 2 based on the index information. Are extracted, only the image data of the index section is reproduced, and the reproduced image is displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400. As a result, the user can see only the image of the index section composed of the climax scene among the recorded moving images, and can efficiently confirm the section of the moving image to be viewed.

  When the user designates (tap) the rating icon 450B while the recording confirmation screen 400 is being displayed, the imaging apparatus 10 evaluates the index section of the moving image recorded on the recording medium 2 by the user. Assign a value. For example, the imaging device 10 displays a screen (not shown) for inputting an evaluation value in accordance with the designation of the rating icon, and gives the evaluation value designated in the input screen to the moving image. It may be. The evaluation value can be given in multiple stages from level 1 to level 5, for example. The input evaluation value information is stored in the recording medium 2 or the like in association with the moving image. Such evaluation value information is useful when a moving image is subsequently reproduced or edited.

  When the user specifies (tap) the delete icon 450C while the recording confirmation screen 400 is displayed, the imaging apparatus 10 deletes the image data of the moving image other than the index interval from the recording medium 2. In this case, the imaging device 10 may directly delete the image data of the sections other than the index section of the moving image in response to a user operation on the delete icon 450C. Alternatively, the imaging apparatus 10 displays a confirmation dialog (not shown) for confirming whether or not to delete, and when user confirmation is obtained, image data of a section other than the index section of the moving image. May be deleted. As a method for deleting a moving image, for example, in addition to a method for completely deleting moving image data recorded on the recording medium 2, the moving image data is moved to a deletion list and held for a predetermined period. There is a method of deleting later, or a method of actually saving moving image data but not presenting the data to the user.

  As described above, by a simple user operation of tapping the function icon 450 on the recording confirmation screen 400, an index section that is a section to be viewed in the recorded moving image is reproduced, or an unnecessary section other than the index section is displayed. Can only be deleted. The user can easily perform editing operations such as reproducing only the index section or recording only the index section on the recording medium 2 simply by specifying the function icon 450 on the recording confirmation screen 400. Also, only the image data in the index section, which is a necessary part for the user, among the captured moving images can be recorded on the recording medium 2. Therefore, a necessary moving image can be efficiently recorded without using the recording area of the recording medium 2 wastefully.

The index section correction function and the moving image editing function in the recording confirmation screen 400 have been described above with reference to FIGS. According to the recording confirmation screen 400 according to the present embodiment, the user can correct the index section set during imaging to a desired section while the memory immediately after recording the moving image is clear. A highly accurate index section can be added to a moving image. Furthermore, since an index section of a predetermined time length is added to the moving image instead of an index point at one time point, when the moving image is played back and edited after shooting, the index section is used as a guide for a short time. Can efficiently play and edit moving images.
Furthermore, according to the recording confirmation screen 400, the user can reproduce and edit a moving image on the basis of the index section while the memory immediately after recording the moving image is clear. In addition, reproduction and editing operations for such moving images can be realized by a simple user operation of designating a function icon 450 using the touch panel 40.

  In the conventional imaging apparatus, when a recorded moving image is selected and edited later, it is necessary to reproduce the moving image from the head and confirm the contents thereof, which is a very complicated and inefficient operation. On the other hand, according to the recording confirmation screen 400 according to the present embodiment, while the user's memory immediately after recording is clear, only the moving image index section is reproduced, and unnecessary portions other than the moving image index section are deleted. You can do editing work. Therefore, reproduction and editing operations are easy and very convenient. Further, if the index section of the moving image is partially rated on the recording confirmation screen 400 immediately after the recording, it is convenient when the moving image is reproduced and viewed or edited later.

[Processing flow by imaging device]
Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the imaging and image processing flow by the imaging device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a processing method at the time of image capturing and recording end by the image capturing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, when the recording start button (moving image capturing button 30E) is pressed by the user and a recording start instruction is input (S100), the imaging apparatus 10 starts a moving image recording operation. (S102). In this moving image recording operation, the imaging device 10 images a subject and records a plurality of frames obtained by the imaging on the disk-shaped recording medium 2. In addition, the imaging apparatus 10 displays a live view screen 300 (see FIG. 5) representing the captured image 302 currently being captured on the display panel 20.

  During the recording period, the imaging apparatus 10 determines whether or not a single user operation is performed on the index operation unit (for example, the index button 30F and the touch panel 40), that is, whether or not an index instruction is input from the user. Is detected (S104). The user can input an index instruction to the imaging apparatus 10 by pressing the index button 30F or tapping the index icon 306 on the live view screen 300.

  Next, in response to the input of the index instruction, the imaging device 10 sets a section of the moving image captured during a predetermined period including the time point when the index instruction is input as the index section (S106). For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the imaging apparatus 10 sets an index period so as to include an input time point of an index instruction, and sets an index period including a plurality of frames captured during the index period.

  Further, the imaging apparatus 10 displays an index image representing the index section set in S104 on the live view screen 300 (S108). The index image includes the time bar 310, the index section object 320, and the thumbnail image 330 described with reference to FIG. By displaying the index image on the live view screen 300, the user can check the index section set according to the index operation in S104 during imaging. Thereafter, when the display time of the index image on the live view screen 300 reaches the predetermined time Ts1 (S110), the imaging device 10 deletes the index image from the live view screen 300 (S112).

  The moving image recording process and the index section setting and display processes S104 to S112 are continued until a recording end instruction is input by the user (S114). That is, during the recording period, the imaging device 10 detects whether or not a recording end instruction is input by the user, that is, whether or not the recording end button (that is, the moving image capturing button 30E) is pressed. (S114). When a recording end instruction is input, the imaging apparatus 10 ends the recording operation (S116) and displays a recording confirmation screen 400 (see FIG. 7) regarding the recorded moving image (S118). The recording confirmation screen 400 includes the time bar 410, the index section object 420, the thumbnail image 430, and the like described with reference to FIG. With this recording confirmation screen 400, the user can confirm again all the index sections set during recording immediately after the end of recording.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11B, during the display of the recording confirmation screen 400, the imaging device 10 detects whether or not the index section correction operation has been performed by the user (S120). As shown in FIG. 8, the user can correct the start point or end point of the index section by operating the index section object 420 on the recording confirmation screen 400. When a user operation for correcting the index section is performed, the imaging apparatus 10 corrects the index section and updates the index information in the memory 238 according to the user operation, and supports the corrected index section. The index section object 420 to be displayed is displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400 (S122).

  When a user operation is performed on the function icon 450 on the recording confirmation screen 400 while the recording confirmation screen 400 is displayed, the imaging apparatus 10 displays a moving image in accordance with the user operation on the function icon 450. Edit (S124). For example, when the reproduction icon 450A on the recording confirmation screen 400 is designated, only the index section of the recorded moving image is reproduced. When the delete icon 450C on the recording confirmation screen 400 is designated, a section other than the index section is deleted from the recorded moving image.

  Thereafter, when the display time of the recording confirmation screen 400 reaches the predetermined time Ts2 without performing the index section correction operation (S120) or the moving image editing operation (S124) (S126), the imaging apparatus 10 Then, the moving image and the index information are associated and recorded in the recording medium 2 (S128). When the moving image is edited in S124, the edited moving image (for example, image data only in the index section) is recorded. If the index section is corrected in S122, index information representing the corrected index section is recorded.

  Further, the imaging apparatus 10 shifts to the recording standby state, automatically deletes the recording confirmation screen 400, and displays the recording standby screen (S130). The recording standby screen is a live view screen displayed in the recording standby mode, and displays an image being captured by the imaging apparatus 10. It is not always necessary to shift to the recording standby mode after displaying the recording confirmation screen 400 as described above. For example, when the user has performed an editing operation for a predetermined time or more using the recording confirmation screen 400, the mode may be shifted to an editing mode for editing a moving image. This edit mode means a function dedicated to editing in the playback mode.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the display time of the recording confirmation screen 400 reaches the predetermined time Ts2, the moving image and the index information are recorded and the recording confirmation screen 400 is automatically deleted. As another example, a GUI button for ending the display of the recording confirmation screen 400 is provided on the recording confirmation screen 400, and when the user designates (tap) the GUI button, the imaging device 10 displays the moving image and the index. Information may be recorded on the recording medium, and the recording confirmation screen 400 may be erased to return to the recording standby state.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The imaging apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment sets a section in which an object designated by the user on the live view screen 300 is shown as an index section during moving image capturing. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the index section setting method, and the other functional configurations are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. .

[Index section setting by object recognition]
First, with reference to FIG. 12, a method for setting an index section using object recognition according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example when an index section is set by designating the object 340 shown in the captured image 302 on the live view screen 300 according to the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12, during capturing of a moving image, a captured image 302 of a subject being captured by the image capturing apparatus 10 is displayed on the live view screen 300 in real time. In the captured image 302 on the live view screen 300, an object 340 (a dog in the illustrated example) that the user wants to capture is shown. The object is an arbitrary object to be imaged by the imaging apparatus 10, for example, a person, a human face, an animal, a plant, a vehicle, a building, a landscape, and the like.

  When the user designates (tap) the object 340 in the captured image 302 with a finger during the capturing of the moving image, the imaging apparatus 10 displays the object 340 displayed at the position on the live view screen 300 specified by the user. recognize. And the imaging device 10 sets the area in which the object 340 is reflected among the moving images imaged during a recording period as an index area. The operation when setting the index section using object recognition in this way will be described in detail below.

  First, while capturing a moving image, the user designates the object 340 displayed on the live view screen 300 using the operation tool while viewing the live view screen 300. An operation for specifying the object 340 by the user is an operation for inputting an index instruction to the imaging apparatus 10. In response to the designation of the object 340 with respect to the live view screen 300, the touch panel 40 detects the position on the live view screen 300 designated by the user. Then, the imaging apparatus 10 recognizes the object 340 shown in the screen position detected by the touch panel 40 by analyzing the frame of the captured image 302 at that time. Then, the object recognition unit 240 identifies a plurality of frames in which the object 340 is shown from the moving images captured during the recording period. Then, the imaging apparatus 10 sets a section of a moving image including a plurality of frames in which the object 340 is reflected as an index section. If the index section is a section in which the object 340 is shown, the index section extends before and after the input time of the index instruction by the user (when the object 340 is tapped). That is, the index section is a section that has already been captured before the input time of the index instruction (a portion corresponding to the index section object 320 in FIG. 12) and a section that is captured after the input time (not shown in FIG. 12). .)including.

  When the index section is set by the object recognition, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the imaging apparatus 10 displays an index image related to the set index section on the live view screen 300 for a predetermined time Ts1. The index image includes an object model 345 in addition to the time bar 310, the index section object 320, and the thumbnail image 330 described above. The object model 345 is an animated display model of the recognized object 340. By viewing such an index image, the user can confirm the position and time length of the index section in which the designated object 340 is shown. The recognized object 340 can be confirmed by the object model 345.

  As described above, the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment uses the object recognition to automatically cut out only the section in which the user-specified object 340 is shown and set the index section. Thus, the user can add an index to the moving image section in which the desired object 340 is shown by simply performing an operation of designating the object 340 on the live view screen 300. Therefore, when a moving image is played back and edited after imaging, a section in which a desired object 340 is shown can be easily distinguished from other sections. Further, the user can reproduce only a section in which the object 340 is shown, or delete other sections (that is, a section in which the object 340 is not shown). In addition, since an index instruction can be input by a user operation on an arbitrary position on the touch panel 40, it is not necessary to provide an index-dedicated operation unit (index button 30F, index icon 306) as in the first embodiment. .

[Delete the section where the object is not shown]
Next, a method for deleting a part of a moving image using the delete icon 450C on the recording confirmation screen 400 after imaging will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example when a section other than the index section is deleted on the recording confirmation screen 400 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the function icon 450 is displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400 displayed after the end of recording. Of these, the delete icon 450C is an operation button for collectively deleting sections other than the index section in the recorded moving image. When the user designates (tap) the delete icon 450C while the recording confirmation screen 400 is displayed, the imaging apparatus 10 deletes image data of a section other than the index section from the temporarily recorded moving image, and performs indexing. Only the image data of the section is recorded on the recording medium 2.

  Specifically, in the example of FIG. 13, an index section is set by object specification described with reference to FIG. 12 during capturing of a moving image, and an object 340 is displayed on a recording confirmation screen 400 displayed after the recording of the moving image is completed. This is an example of deleting a section that is not shown. As shown in FIG. 13, two index section objects 420 </ b> A and 420 </ b> B are displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400. Thereby, two index sections are set during imaging, and it can be seen that an object 340 (for example, a dog) designated by the user during imaging is shown in each index section.

  In such a recording confirmation screen 400, when the user taps the delete icon 450C, the imaging apparatus 10 uses the index information recorded in the memory 238 during imaging and the index section in which the object 340 is reflected, and the others. Specify the interval. Then, the imaging apparatus 10 deletes a section (corresponding to the shaded portion 414 in the time bar 410 in FIG. 13) in which the object 340 is not shown in the temporarily recorded moving image, and the object 340 is shown. A section (corresponding to the index section object 420 in FIG. 13) is recorded in the recording medium 2.

  As described above, in response to a simple user operation of tapping the delete icon 450C, an unnecessary section where the object 340 (subject) specified by the user during imaging is not displayed is deleted and the object 340 is displayed. Only necessary sections are recorded. Accordingly, the user simply designates the object 340 on the live view screen 300 in FIG. 12 during imaging, and after the imaging, designates the delete icon 450C on the recording confirmation screen 400 in FIG. It is possible to cut out and record only existing image sections. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform a moving image editing operation in a short time.

[Automatic deletion of sections where objects are not shown]
Next, a method for automatically deleting a part of a moving image on the live view screen 300 during imaging will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display example when the section captured before the index section is automatically deleted on the live view screen 300 according to the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 14, when a user designates (tap) an object 340 displayed on the live view screen 300 during capturing of a moving image, the image capturing apparatus 10 performs object recognition by object recognition as in FIG. 12. The section in which the object 340 is shown is set as the index section. Furthermore, the imaging apparatus 10 automatically deletes the moving image section captured before the index section in accordance with the setting of the index section associated with the designation of the object 340. Here, the section of the moving image captured before the index section refers to the section from the beginning of the moving image being captured to the start point of the set index section (in the hatched portion 314 in the time bar 310 in FIG. 14). It corresponds.)

  As described above, the imaging device 10 automatically deletes a portion of the moving image that has already been captured and recorded before the index interval when the index interval is set by object recognition during imaging. Thereby, even if the user does not perform a deletion operation during capturing of a moving image, an unnecessary section captured before the index section can be automatically deleted.

  Such automatic deletion is useful in the following use cases, for example. For example, it is assumed that the user holds the imaging device 10 during a recording operation in order to capture an image of a moving object A (for example, a child running at an athletic meet, a running train, etc.). In this case, when the moving object A enters the imaging range of the imaging device 10, the user taps the object A displayed on the live view screen 300. Then, the imaging apparatus 10 sets a section in which the object A is shown as an index section, and automatically deletes data of a part that was picked up before the object A is shown. Thereby, the imaging device 10 can record only the image data of the section in which the object A desired by the user is shown on the recording medium.

  In the example of FIGS. 12 to 14, the example of the dog is given as the object 340 and the section in which the dog is shown is set as the index section. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. For example, by designating a person's face as the object 340, a section in which the person's face is shown may be set as the index section. Further, by combining the object recognition technique and the smile detection technique, a section in which a person's smile is reflected can be set as the index section.

<3. Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The imaging device 10 according to the third embodiment sets an index interval according to a user's gesture (how to trace the display screen) with respect to the touch panel 40 during imaging of a moving image. The third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in the index section setting method, and the other functional configurations are substantially the same as those in the first and second embodiments. Detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, the touch panel 40 can detect not only the position on the display screen specified by the operating tool (for example, the user's finger) but also the method of tracing the display screen by the operating tool (for example, the tracing direction and the tracing length). . Therefore, when the user traces the display screen during imaging, the imaging apparatus 10 can detect the tracing method using the touch panel 40 and can change the setting method of the index section according to the tracing method.

  For example, the imaging device 10 sets the index section based on the point in time when the display screen is traced according to the direction of the display screen being dragged by the operating tool. Moreover, the imaging device 10 sets the time length and the start point of the index section according to the tracing length of the display screen by the operating tool. Thus, by setting an index section according to how the user traces, it is possible to increase variations of index sections that can be set by the imaging apparatus 10 in response to a single user operation on the display screen. Thereby, the user can instruct the imaging apparatus 10 to set a desired index section by a simple operation. A specific display example will be described below.

[Set index section according to screen direction]
First, with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17, a method for setting an index section in the live view screen 300 according to the third embodiment according to the tracing direction with respect to the display screen will be described. FIG. 15 is a display example when the object 340 is traced in the left direction on the live view screen 300, and FIG. 16 is a display example when the object 340 is traced in the right direction on the live view screen 300. is there. FIG. 17 is a display example of the recording confirmation screen 400 representing the index section set in FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 15, when the user traces the object 340 included in the captured image 302 on the live view screen 300 with the finger in the left direction while capturing a moving image, the imaging device 10 first displays the touch panel. 40, the traced position on the live view screen 300 and the tracing direction are detected. Next, the imaging apparatus 10 recognizes the object 340 shown at the traced position on the live view screen 300. In this case, an operation of the user tracing the display screen (touch panel 40) corresponds to an index instruction input operation, and the traced time corresponds to an index instruction input time. The process for recognizing the object 340 is the same as in the second embodiment.

  Next, the imaging device 10 traces from the start point (corresponding to the point 324) of the section in which the object 340 is captured among the moving images already captured before the traced time (corresponding to the point 322). The interval up to is set as the index interval. Here, the start point of the section in which the object 340 is shown corresponds to the frame in which the object 340 is first recognized in the moving image. Thereafter, the imaging apparatus 10 displays an index display such as an index section object 420 representing the set index section on the live view screen 300.

  As described above, when the object 340 is traced to the left on the live view screen 300, the object 340 is reflected in the moving image captured before the traced time (when the index instruction is input). Is set as an index interval. Such a setting method is useful, for example, when the user thinks that the imaging of the object 340 may be terminated during imaging of the desired object 340 and to capture a little more just in case.

  On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 16, when the user traces the object 340 included in the captured image 302 on the live view screen 300 with the finger in the right direction while capturing a moving image, the imaging apparatus 10 displays the touch panel. 40, the traced position and the tracing direction on the live view screen 300 are detected, and the object 340 shown at the traced position is recognized. Next, the imaging device 10 includes a segment from a traced time point (corresponding to the point 322) to an end point (corresponding to the point 326) of the segment in which the object 340 is captured among moving images captured after the traced time point. Is set as an index interval. Here, the end point of the section in which the object 340 is shown corresponds to the frame in which the object 340 is last recognized in the moving image.

  In the example of FIG. 16, when the object 340 is traced to the right, the end point of the index section (corresponding to the point 326) is indeterminate, so the imaging apparatus 10 starts the index section (corresponding to the point 322). Set only. Further, immediately after being traced, the imaging apparatus 10 displays only the point 322 representing the start point of the index section object 420 on the live view screen 300, and further displays the index section object 420 on the right side as the imaging time elapses. Is displayed as an extension. Thereafter, when the object 340 is out of the imaging range and the object 340 is not shown in the captured image 308, the imaging apparatus 10 sets the end point of the index section (corresponding to the point 326), and the index representing the entire index section that has been confirmed. The section object 420 is displayed.

  As described above, when the index section is set by tracing the object 340 in the right direction on the live view screen 300 in FIG. 16, the final result is displayed on the recording confirmation screen 400 shown in FIG. You can check the index section. In the live view screen 300 of FIG. 17, an index section object 420 representing the index section set by the right tracing operation is displayed. The left end point 422 of the index section object 420 represents the start point of the index section (index instruction input time point), and the right end point 426 represents the end point of the index section.

  As described above, when the object 340 is traced in the right direction on the live view screen 300, the object 340 is displayed among the moving images captured after the traced time (index instruction input time). A section is set as an index section. Such a setting method is useful, for example, when it is desired to capture all of the subsequent objects 340 when a swelling scene of the object 340 arrives while the desired object 340 is being captured.

[Setting the index section according to the length of the screen trace]
Next, with reference to FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a method for setting an index section in the live view screen 300 according to the third embodiment according to the tracing length with respect to the display screen will be described. FIG. 18 is a display example when the object 340 is traced on the live view screen 300. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the tracing length and the time length of the additional section.

  As shown in FIG. 19, when a user traces an object 340 included in the captured image 302 on the live view screen 300 in an arbitrary direction (right direction in the drawing) while capturing a moving image, first, The imaging apparatus 10 detects the traced position and the tracing direction on the live view screen 300 using the touch panel 40. Next, the imaging apparatus 10 recognizes the object 340 shown at the traced position on the live view screen 300.

  Next, the imaging apparatus 10 sets the time length of the additional section (corresponding to the check portion 316 in the time bar 310 in FIG. 18) according to the tracing length. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the imaging apparatus 10 sets the time length of the additional section to be longer as the tracing length of the display screen by the user is longer.

  Here, the additional section is a section captured at a predetermined time before the index instruction input time point (traced time point), and is included in the index section. Since this additional section is composed of an image picked up just before the input time of the index instruction, there is a high possibility that it is a scene in which the desired object 340 is shown or an introduction part of a climax scene. By including this additional section in the index section, these necessary scenes can be included in the index section. Therefore, it is possible to compensate for the delay in inputting the index instruction by the user. However, if the additional section is longer than necessary, an unnecessary section is included in the index section, which is not appropriate.

  Therefore, in order to adjust the time length of the additional section to an appropriate time length according to a user operation (gesture) on the live view screen 300, the imaging apparatus 10 determines the time length of the additional section according to the tracing length by the user. Set. Thus, the user can set the time length of the additional section to a desired time by changing the tracing length. For example, if the user wants to lengthen the additional section before inputting the index instruction, the user may increase the tracing length, and if he wants to shorten the additional section, the tracing length may be shortened.

  Next, the imaging apparatus 10 sets an index section including an additional period having a time length set according to the tracing length. That is, the time length of the additional period is determined according to the imaging device 10 and the tracing length, and the time point that is the time length before the time point when the live view screen 300 is traced (corresponding to the point 322 in FIG. 18) Set as the start point of the index section. And the imaging device 10 sets the area of the moving image imaged after the starting point as an index area. At this time, the additional section is composed of frames imaged during a period from the traced time point to the time point before the time length. Furthermore, the imaging apparatus 10 deletes an unnecessary section (corresponding to the hatched portion 314 in the time bar 310 in FIG. 18) at the beginning of the moving image before the additional section.

  As described above, when the user taps and traces on the object 340 on the live view screen 300, the imaging apparatus 10 adds the previous video image by the time length corresponding to the tracing length from the time point of the tap. The section (316) is included in the index section, and the unnecessary section (314) before the additional section is deleted. Thereby, the input delay of the user's index instruction can be compensated, and a section necessary for the user can be appropriately included in the index section. In particular, it is useful that the time length of the index section before the time of tracing (that is, the time length of the additional period) can be freely adjusted according to the tracing length.

  The tracing direction may be any direction other than the right direction as shown in FIG. 18, such as the left direction. In addition, the reference time of the additional section may be the time when the object 340 is traced as described above (that is, the time when the index instruction is input), or the time when the object 340 is recognized.

  As described above, the imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment can set the index section according to how the user screens the display screen (a gesture with respect to the touch panel 40). Thereby, the user can designate the position and time length of the index section by tracing the display screen, and can set a desired index section. In addition, the user can set the index section freely by a simple operation of changing the way of tracing the display screen, and can efficiently perform the editing work.

<4. Summary>
Heretofore, the imaging device 10 and the image processing method according to the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure have been described in detail. According to the present embodiment, the user can add an index to a section of an appropriate time length instead of one time point of the moving image by one operation during capturing of the moving image. Thus, the user does not need to operate the imaging device 10 a plurality of times in order to add an index to a desired section of a moving image, can add an index with a simple operation, and is excellent in operability.

  Further, the user can freely correct the start point or the end point of the added index while confirming the recording contents on the recording confirmation screen 400 displayed immediately after the recording of the moving image. Therefore, it is possible to add a more accurate index.

  In addition, the set index section is displayed in association with the time axis of the moving image on the live view screen 300 during imaging or the live view screen 300 immediately after recording. This makes it possible to present the index section of the moving image to the user in an easy-to-understand manner while the user's memory is clear during recording of the moving image or immediately after recording. Therefore, the user can easily and appropriately grasp the content of the moving image, and can easily determine whether or not the index interval is corrected or the moving image needs to be edited.

  Therefore, the index can be added with high accuracy to a desired section such as a swelling scene of a moving image while the photographer's memory is clear during capturing of the moving image and immediately after the end of recording. Accordingly, when the moving image is reproduced and edited later, the user can efficiently perform the reproduction and editing of the moving image in a short time using the index section as a guide.

  In addition, on the live view screen 300 or the recording confirmation screen 400, only a necessary part (index section) of a captured moving image is reproduced or an unnecessary part (other than the index section) by a simple user operation or automatically. ) Can be deleted. Therefore, it is possible to handle moving images more efficiently than in the past. In particular, an editing operation for deleting an unnecessary portion of a recorded moving image can be realized automatically during imaging or by a simple operation on the touch panel 40 immediately after recording, so that the editing operation can be greatly improved in efficiency.

  Further, as described above, at the time of capturing a moving image or at the end of recording, only a necessary part of the captured moving image can be recorded on the recording medium, so that the recording medium can be efficiently recorded without being wasted.

  Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the desired object 340 is reflected by a simple user operation of specifying the object 340 on the live view screen 300 by applying object recognition to the setting of the index section. An index can be added to a moving image section. Therefore, the user can easily identify the section in which the desired object 340 is shown and the other sections when reproducing and editing the moving image after imaging.

  Further, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to detect how the user views the live view screen 300 (gesture) using the touch panel 40 and set various variations of index sections according to the tracing method. Thereby, the user can freely add an index to a desired section by a simple operation.

  The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

2 Disc-shaped recording medium 4 Memory card 10 Imaging device 20 Display panel 30 Operation unit 30E Video imaging button 30F Index button 40 Touch panel 110 Control circuit 122 Positioning unit 200 Imaging unit 210 Image processing unit 220 Recording / playback unit 234 Imaging control unit 234 Display control unit 236 Index setting unit 238 Memory 240 Object recognition unit 242 Function control unit 300 Live view screen 302 Captured image 306 Index icon 310, 410 Time bar 312, 412 Slider 322, 324, 326, 422, 426 point 320, 420 Index Section object 330, 430 Thumbnail image 340 Object 345 Object model 400 Recording confirmation screen 402 Playback image 424 Mark 440 GUI button 450 function icon 450A play icon 450B rating icon 450C delete icon

Claims (12)

A display control unit for displaying a moving image being captured on the display unit;
An object in the moving image corresponding to the position when the position is detected by a position detecting unit that detects a position where the operating body contacts or approaches the display unit during the capturing of the moving image. An object recognition unit for recognizing
In response to the detection of the position, the moving image section including the time point when the position is detected and the moving image section including the object recognized by the object recognition unit is defined as an index section. A section setting section to be set;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The position detection unit detects a position on the display screen of the display unit specified by the operation body during imaging of the moving image,
The object recognition unit recognizes an object shown at a position on the display screen designated by the operation body,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the section setting unit sets a section of the moving image in which the object recognized by the object recognition unit is shown as the index section.   A deletion unit for deleting a section of the moving image captured before the index section when the section of the moving image including the object is set as the index section during the capturing of the moving image; The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: When the display screen of the display unit is traced by the operating body during the capturing of the moving image,
The position detection unit detects how to trace with the operating body,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the section setting unit sets the index section according to the tracing method. The position detection unit detects a tracing direction by the operating body,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the section setting unit sets the index section based on a time point when the display screen is traced according to the tracing direction. The position detection unit detects a tracing length by the operating body,
5. The index setting unit according to claim 4, wherein the section setting unit sets the index section starting from a time point that is a time determined according to the tracing length from a time point when the display screen is traced by the operating body. Information processing device. A recording unit that records the index information representing the index section in a recording medium in association with the moving image;
The display control unit
Immediately after the moving image recording end instruction, the moving image recording confirmation screen is displayed on the display unit, and a display object representing the index section is displayed on the recording confirmation screen based on the index information. Display in association with the time axis representing the recording time of the image,
The position detection unit detects a user operation on a display object representing the index section displayed on the recording confirmation screen;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the section setting unit corrects the index section in accordance with the user operation.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a deletion unit that deletes a section other than the index section of the moving image in response to a user operation on the icon displayed on the recording confirmation screen.   The display control unit displays a display object representing the index section in association with a time axis representing a recording time of the moving image on a live view screen displayed on the display unit during imaging of the moving image. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. Corresponding to the position when the position is detected by the position detection unit that detects the position where the operating tool is in contact with or close to the display unit that displays the moving image being captured during the capturing of the moving image Recognizing an object in the moving image;
In response to the detection of the position, a section of the moving image including the time point when the position is detected and the section of the moving image including the recognized object is set as an index section; ,
Including an information processing method. A display unit for displaying a moving image being captured;
A position detection unit that detects a position in which the operating body is in contact with or close to the display unit during imaging of the moving image;
An object recognition unit that recognizes an object in the moving image corresponding to the position when the position is detected by the position detection unit;
In response to the detection of the position, the moving image section including the time point when the position is detected and the moving image section including the object recognized by the object recognition unit is defined as an index section. A section setting section to be set;
An imaging apparatus comprising: An imaging unit that captures a moving image;
A display unit for displaying the moving image during image pickup,
A display control unit for displaying the moving image on the display unit;
A position detection unit that detects a position in which the operating body is in contact with or close to the display unit during imaging of the moving image ;
An object recognition unit that recognizes an object in the moving image corresponding to the position when the position is detected by the position detection unit;
In response to the detection of the position, the moving image section including the time point when the position is detected and the moving image section including the object recognized by the object recognition unit is defined as an index section. A section setting section to be set;
An information processing system comprising:

Images