JP6671323B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device.

  The following imaging devices are known. This imaging device enlarges and displays data that has been thinned out and read from an imaging element (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-17517 A

  However, in the conventional imaging apparatus, when switching the readout area according to the position of the subject, the user needs to change the position of the area to be enlarged and displayed, which is inconvenient.

An image pickup apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an image pickup element that receives light from a lens and picks up an image of a subject, and an optical axis of the lens based on a signal from a pixel arranged in a first region of the image pickup element. A control unit configured to control the image sensor so as to read a signal from a pixel arranged in a second region different from the first region of the image sensor when a change in a subject in a direction is detected.
Imaging device according to a second aspect of the present invention, the light from the lens is incident, and an imaging device for imaging a subject, said captured by the first region of the imaging device, of the object in the optical axis direction before Symbol lens A control unit configured to control the image sensor so as to capture an image of a subject in a second region different from the first region of the image sensor when the change is detected.

  According to the present invention, the acquisition position of the area data can be automatically changed according to the subject.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of a camera. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a process at the time of through image display. FIG. 7 is a first diagram illustrating a specific example of a read area in window reading drive. FIG. 9 is a second diagram illustrating a specific example of a read area in window reading drive. It is the 3rd figure which shows the specific example of the reading territory in the window reading drive. It is the 4th figure which shows the concrete example of the read territory in window reading drive. It is the 5th figure which shows the specific example of the reading territory in the window reading drive.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a camera according to the present embodiment. The camera 100 includes an operation member 101, a lens 102, an image sensor 103, a control device 104, a memory card slot 105, and a monitor 106. The operation member 101 includes various input members operated by the user, for example, a power button, a release button, a zoom button, a cross key, an enter button, a play button, a delete button, and the like.

  The lens 102 may be configured to be detachable from the camera 100 via a mount (not shown), or may be integrated with the camera 100. The lens 102 is composed of a plurality of optical lenses, but is represented by a single lens in FIG. The image sensor 103 is formed of, for example, an image sensor such as a CMOS, and generates an analog image signal by photoelectrically converting a subject image by a light beam passing through the lens 102, and outputs the generated analog image signal to the control device 104.

  The control device 104 includes a CPU, a memory, and other peripheral circuits, and controls the camera 100. Note that memories constituting the control device 104 include an SDRAM and a flash memory. The SDRAM is a volatile memory, and is used as a work memory for the CPU to develop the program when the program is executed, or as a buffer memory for temporarily recording data. The flash memory is a non-volatile memory in which data of a program executed by the control device 104 and various parameters read at the time of executing the program are recorded.

  The control device 104 converts an analog image signal input from the image sensor 103 into a digital image signal, performs various types of image processing, and generates main image data in a predetermined image format, for example, a JPEG format. Further, the control device 104 generates display image data, for example, thumbnail image data, based on the generated main image data. The control device 104 generates an image file including the main image data and the thumbnail image data and further adding header information, and outputs the generated image file to the memory card slot 105.

  The memory card slot 105 is a slot for inserting a memory card as a storage medium, and writes and records an image file output from the control device 104 on the memory card. The memory card slot 105 reads an image file stored in the memory card based on an instruction from the control device 104.

  The monitor 106 is a liquid crystal monitor (rear monitor) mounted on the back of the camera 100. The monitor 106 displays an image stored in a memory card, a setting menu for setting the camera 100, and the like. . Further, when the mode of the camera 100 is set to the live view mode by the user, the control device 104 outputs display image data of images acquired in time series from the image sensor 103 to the monitor 106. As a result, a through image is displayed on the monitor 106.

  In the image sensor 103 according to the present embodiment, window reading driving in which only a part of the pixel region of the image sensor 103 is imaged and an analog image signal is read out is possible. When the user instructs the enlarged display of the subject, the control device 104 specifies the subject existing in the shooting range at the time of displaying the through image based on the output from the image sensor 103, and determines the subject in the shooting range. The readout area of the image sensor 103 in the window reading drive is determined based on the position of. Then, the image signal in the read area is read, and the image in the read area is enlarged and displayed on the monitor 106. As a result, the subject is enlarged and displayed on the monitor 106.

  If the image in the read area read by the window reading drive of the image sensor 103 is enlarged in this manner, the frame rate can be increased while maintaining a high-definition image. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a case will be described in which the image sensor 103 has 4000 vertical lines and the frame rate when all the lines are read is 10 fps. For example, assuming that all vertical lines of the image sensor 103 are horizontally divided into 10 every 400 lines and that window reading driving can be performed in each divided area unit, as shown in FIG. When the area 2 (400 lines) is read as a read area, the frame rate at that time becomes 100 fps. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, when the two divided areas 2 and 3 (800 lines) are read as read areas, the frame rate at that time becomes 50 fps.

  As described above, the smaller the number of divided areas read by the read driving, that is, the smaller the number of vertical lines to be read, the higher the frame rate can be, and the image in the read area can be enlarged and displayed.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing at the time of displaying a through image in the present embodiment. The process illustrated in FIG. 2 is executed by the control device 104 as a program that starts when the mode of the camera 100 is set to the live view mode by the user and the display of the through image on the monitor 106 is started. .

  In step S10, the control device 104 selects a subject of interest from subjects existing in the through image. In the present embodiment, the control device 104 selects, for example, a face of a person recognized by a known face recognition process as a subject to be noted. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S20, where it is determined whether or not the subject is to be enlarged and displayed. In the present embodiment, the user can set in advance whether or not to enlarge the subject at the time of displaying a through image, and if the user has set to enlarge the display, the control device 104 A positive determination is made in S20.

  If a negative determination is made in step S20, the process proceeds to step S90 described below. On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made in step S20, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, the control device 104 specifies the position of the subject selected in step S10 in the shooting screen, and specifies in which of the divided regions shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the subject is located. Thus, data on the divided area where the subject exists, that is, area data is obtained. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S40.

  In step S40, the control device 104 determines a readout area of the image sensor 103 based on the area data acquired in step S30. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the subject is present in the divided area 2, the divided area 2 is determined as the read area. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, when the subject exists over the divided area 2 and the divided area 3, the divided areas 2 and 3 are determined as the readout areas. Thus, the divided area including the subject selected in step S10 can be determined as the read area.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S50, in which the control device 104 obtains an image signal in the determined readout area by the window reading drive of the image sensor 103 and enlarges and displays the image signal, thereby displaying the subject in an enlarged manner. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S60.

  In step S60, the control device 104 determines whether or not the subject of interest has deviated from the readout area determined in step S40 by tracking the position of the subject in the shooting screen in each frame of the through image. That is, it is determined whether or not the position of the object of interest has moved out of the readout area by moving the object within the shooting screen. If a negative determination is made in step S60, the process proceeds to step S80 described below. On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made in step S60, the process proceeds to step S70.

  In step S70, the control device 104 changes the read area in the read driving of the image sensor 103 according to the moving state of the subject in the shooting screen. In the present embodiment, the control device 104 estimates the position of the subject in the current frame based on the moving state of the subject in the previous frame, and sets a divided region including the estimated position of the subject as a read region. Change the read area. Hereinafter, a method of changing the read area will be described with reference to specific examples.

  For example, when the readout area in the previous frame is 800 lines of the divided areas 2 and 3 as shown in FIG. 4, the subject is moving in the vertical direction of the shooting screen based on the moving state of the subject. Is detected. In this case, the control device 104 pays attention to the vertical position of the subject in the shooting screen, for example, the y-coordinate value of an arbitrary pixel constituting the subject, and the y-coordinate value is determined during a predetermined number of past frames. It is determined whether it has changed by a certain threshold or more. Here, it is assumed that 400, which is the number of vertical lines in the one divided area, is set as the threshold.

  If the change amount of the y-coordinate value of the subject is less than the threshold value, the control device 104 determines that the reading area is not very fast and is likely to have moved only to a nearby divided area. Is enlarged by one divided area in the moving direction of. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the readout area in the previous frame is 800 lines of the divided areas 2 and 3, the subject moves down, and the change amount of the y coordinate value at that time is as described above. If the difference is less than the threshold value, the control device 104 changes the read area to 1200 lines of the divided areas 2, 3, and 4, as shown in FIG. In this case, the frame rate of the through image is 33 fps. Alternatively, the control device 104 considers that there is a high possibility that the subject has moved down and is not in the divided area 2 and, as shown in FIG. May be changed to only 800 lines. In this case, the frame rate of the through image is 50 fps.

  On the other hand, if the amount of change in the y coordinate value of the subject is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control device 104 indicates that the subject is moving at high speed and is likely to have moved to a farther divided region. The read area is enlarged by two divided areas in the moving direction of the subject. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the readout area in the previous frame is 800 lines of the divided areas 2 and 3, the subject moves down, and the change amount of the y coordinate value at that time is as described above. If the value is equal to or larger than the threshold value, the control device 104 changes the read area to 1600 lines of the divided areas 2, 3, 4, and 5, as shown in FIG. In this case, the frame rate of the through image is 25 fps. Alternatively, the control device 104 considers that it is highly likely that the subject has moved down and is not in the divided area 2 and, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the number may be changed to only 1,200 lines, ie, 5 lines. In this case, the frame rate of the through image is 33 fps.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 4, when the readout area in the previous frame is 800 lines of the divided areas 2 and 3, the control device 104 determines that the size of the subject has changed between the frames. Is detected, it is determined that the subject is moving in the direction approaching the camera 100 or moving away from the camera 100. If the control device 104 determines that the subject is moving in the direction approaching the camera 100, the control unit 104 expands the readout area up and down as shown in FIG. Change to 1600 lines with 4. In this case, the frame rate of the through image is 25 fps.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S80, and the control device 104 determines whether or not the user has instructed to end the enlarged display of the subject. If a negative determination is made in step S80, the process returns to step S60 and repeats the process. On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made in step S80, the process proceeds to step S90. In step S90, control device 104 determines whether or not the end of the live view has been instructed by the user. If a negative determination is made in step S90, the process returns to step S10 to repeat the processing. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S90, the process ends.

According to the embodiment described above, the following operation and effect can be obtained.
(1) The control device 104 specifies an object of interest in an image, acquires area data relating to a divided region including the object in the shooting screen, enlarges and displays an image of the acquired area data, and displays the area data between frames. The setting position of the divided area for acquiring the area data is changed according to the change of the subject. Thus, the acquisition position of the area data can be automatically changed according to the subject.

(2) The control device 104 divides all the vertical lines of the image sensor into a plurality of horizontal lines, and acquires data output from at least one line area where the subject exists as area data. As a result, the area where the subject exists can be acquired as area data with high accuracy.

(3) The control device 104 changes the set position of the area data based on the change amount of the position of the subject between a plurality of frames input in the past. Thus, the setting position of the area data can be determined with high accuracy according to the moving speed of the subject.

(4) The control device 104 changes the set position of the area data based on the amount of change in the size of the subject between a plurality of frames input in the past. Thus, the setting position of the area data can be determined with high accuracy according to the change in the size of the subject.

-Modified example-
The camera according to the above-described embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the control device 104 selects a face of a person recognized by a known face recognition process as a subject of interest. However, the user may be prompted to select a subject of interest, and as a result, the designated subject may be selected as the subject of interest.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the control device 104 changes the readout area in the readout drive of the image sensor 103 according to the moving state of the subject in the shooting screen, and accordingly, the frame of the through image is changed. The example in which the rate is changed has been described. However, the control device 104 may change the read area so that the frame rate of the through image does not change as much as possible.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, there are 4000 vertical lines of the image sensor 103, and all the vertical lines of the image sensor 103 are divided into 10 lines every 400 lines, and the window reading drive can be performed for each divided region. The case has been described. However, the number of vertical lines of the image sensor 103 and the number of lines of each divided region are not limited to the above, and the present invention can be applied to other numbers of lines.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the configuration in the above-described embodiment as long as the characteristic functions of the present invention are not impaired. Further, a configuration in which the above-described embodiment and a plurality of modified examples are combined may be adopted.

Reference Signs List 100 camera, 101 operation member, 102 lens, 103 image sensor, 104 control device, 105 memory card slot, 106 monitor

Claims (20)

An image pickup device that receives light from a lens and captures an image of a subject;
When a change in a subject in the optical axis direction of the lens is detected based on a signal from a pixel arranged in a first area of the image sensor, the image sensor is arranged in a second area different from the first area of the image sensor. A control unit for controlling the image sensor so as to read a signal from the pixel,
An imaging device comprising:   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the size of the second area based on the detected change amount of the subject.   The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit increases the second area as the detected change amount of the subject increases.   4. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display an image generated using a signal from a pixel arranged in at least a part of the second region. 5. An imaging device according to claim 1. When the control unit controls the image sensor to read a signal from a pixel arranged in the second region, the control unit uses a signal from a pixel arranged in at least a part of the first region. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the generated image and an image generated using a signal from a pixel arranged in at least a part of the second area are displayed on the display unit. .   The controller is configured to set a frame rate when reading a signal from a pixel arranged in the first area higher than a frame rate when reading a signal from a pixel arranged in the first area and the second area. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the setting is performed. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the image sensor so as not to read a signal from a pixel arranged in an area of the image sensor other than the first area and the second area. 8. The imaging device according to claim 1. 8. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein an area selected by subject recognition processing is set as the first area, and the image sensor is controlled to read a signal from a pixel arranged in the first area. 9. The imaging device according to claim 1. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein an area selected by an instruction received by an operation member is set as the first area, and the image sensor is controlled to read out a signal from a pixel arranged in the first area. 3. The imaging device according to claim 7. Wherein the control unit according to claim wherein the region is positioned next to the first region and the second region in the imaging device, controls the image pickup device so as to read out signals from pixels arranged in the second region The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. An image pickup device that receives light from a lens and captures an image of a subject;
The captured by the first region of the imaging device detects a change of the object in the optical axis direction before Symbol lens, the imaging to image a subject in a second area different from the first region of the imaging device A control unit for controlling the element ,
An imaging device comprising:   The imaging device according to claim 11, wherein the control unit changes the size of the second area based on the detected change amount of the subject.   13. The imaging device according to claim 12, wherein the control unit increases the second area as the detected change amount of the subject increases.   The imaging device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the control unit causes a display unit to display an image of a subject captured in at least a part of the second area. When the control unit controls the image sensor so as to image the subject in the second area, the image of the subject imaged in at least a part of the first area and the image of the subject in the second area The imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display unit displays an image of a subject captured in at least a part of the area.   12. The controller according to claim 11, wherein the controller sets a frame rate when capturing an image of the subject in the first area higher than a frame rate when capturing an image of the subject in the first area and the second area. The imaging device according to any one of claims 15 to 15. The controller according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the control unit controls the image sensor so that an image of a subject is not captured in an area other than the first area and the second area of the image sensor. Imaging device. The control unit according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein an area selected by subject recognition processing is the first area, and the image sensor is controlled so as to image the subject in the first area. An imaging device according to any one of the preceding claims. 18. The control unit according to claim 11, wherein an area selected by an instruction received by an operation member is set as the first area, and the image sensor is controlled so as to image a subject in the first area. The imaging device according to claim 1. The controller according to claim 11, wherein the control unit controls a region of the image sensor, which is arranged next to the first region, as the second region, and controls the image sensor to image a subject in the second region. The imaging device according to claim 19.

Images