JP7224907B2 - IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing apparatus control method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Among imaging apparatuses, there is known an imaging apparatus that supports imaging by displaying various information in addition to a captured image on a display unit and by emitting notification sounds. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 discloses a technique for warning a user by displaying an overlay display in a different color on an area with blown-out highlights and blocked-up shadows. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 discloses a technique for notifying a user of the exposure state of an image by sound.

JP 2017-191144 A JP-A-2007-13783

However, Patent Document 1 has a problem that the warning display becomes difficult to see when the visibility of the screen changes due to conditions such as the positional relationship with the user and the brightness of the surroundings. Further, Patent Document 2 has a problem in that even when the screen is visible and sound is unnecessary, the notification sound is generated, which annoys the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus, an image processing apparatus control method, and a program capable of notifying the occurrence of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows at an appropriate time.

The image processing apparatus of the present invention comprises detection means for detecting a region of overexposure or underexposure in an image captured by an imaging means; display control means for performing display control so as to display on the display means; and when the detected overexposed area or underexposed area satisfies a first condition, it is determined that overexposed areas or underexposed areas have occurred. and notification control means for controlling the notification means to notify by sound , wherein the notification control means has low visibility of the overexposed or overexposed area displayed on the first display means. In this case, when the notification means notifies that the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows have occurred, and the visibility of the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows area displayed on the first display means is high, Control is performed so that the notification means does not notify that overexposure or underexposure has occurred .

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can be notified in an appropriate case that the highlight detail or shadow detail has generate|occur|produced.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of an imaging device. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a display part and a user's eyes. It is a figure which shows a warning display pattern. 4 is a flow chart showing processing at the time of imaging. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between a ratio of overexposure/exposure underexposure and a warning; It is a figure which shows the structural example of an imaging device. 4 is a flow chart showing processing at the time of imaging. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between a ratio of overexposure/exposure underexposure and a warning; It is a figure which shows an illuminance measurement part.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an imaging device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The imaging device 100 is an image processing device and has a control unit 101 , an imaging unit 102 , an image processing circuit 103 , a display unit 104 and a notification unit 105 . The image processing circuit 103 has a detector 106 and a generator 107 .

The control unit 101 controls operations of the imaging device 100 . When a shutter button (not shown) is pressed, the imaging unit 102 has pixels arranged in a matrix, takes an image by photoelectric conversion, and generates image data. The image processing circuit 103 processes image data generated by the imaging unit 102 . The display unit 104 displays image data processed by the image processing circuit 103 . The control unit 101 controls photometry, autofocus, and the like as necessary. Further, the control unit 101 can record image data processed by the image processing circuit 103 on a recording medium (not shown).

The imaging unit 102 has pixels in a matrix, performs analog/digital conversion on an image signal based on the distribution of the amount of received light of each pixel, and outputs the image data to the image processing circuit 103 . That is, the imaging unit 102 analog/digital converts the signal of each pixel and outputs the gradation value of each pixel. The image processing circuit 103 has a detector 106 and a generator 107 .

When the gradation value of each pixel in the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 deviates from the allowable range, the detection unit 106 determines that the pixel is overexposed or underexposed in shadows, Detect collapsed pixel areas. For example, when the gradation value of a pixel is equal to or greater than a first threshold close to the maximum value, the detection unit 106 determines that the pixel is overexposed. Further, when the gradation value of a pixel is equal to or less than the second threshold close to the minimum value, the detection unit 106 determines that the pixel has blocked up shadows.

The generating unit 107 generates a warning display pattern for the overexposed or underexposed pixel area detected by the detection unit 106 . The warning display pattern is, for example, a pattern that displays a striped pattern of oblique lines at a predetermined interval in pixel areas with overexposed highlights or underexposed shadows. The display unit 104 overlay-displays the warning display pattern generated by the generation unit 107 to warn the user of the occurrence of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows.

In addition, the generation unit 107 outputs to the control unit 101 a signal indicating whether or not the overexposed or underexposed pixel region detected by the detection unit 106 satisfies the low visibility condition. The low visibility condition is a condition indicating whether or not the warning display pattern displayed by the display unit 104 can be visually recognized by the user, and is appropriately set according to the specifications of the imaging device 100 and the user's eyesight. Details of the low visibility condition will be described later.

A display unit 104 displays image data processed by the image processing circuit 103 and various information. For example, the display unit 104 has a 1-megapixel, 3-inch size, 3:2 aspect ratio liquid crystal display panel. The display unit 104 overlay-displays the warning display pattern on the display of the image data regardless of whether the low visibility condition is satisfied.

The notification unit 105 is, for example, a speaker. When a signal indicating that the low visibility condition is satisfied is input from generation section 107 , control section 101 outputs a control signal to notification section 105 . When the control signal is input, the notification unit 105 emits a warning sound to notify that overexposure and underexposure have occurred.

Note that the notification unit 105 may be a connection unit to an external audio reproduction unit such as an earphone. The connection to the external audio player may be wired or wireless. Furthermore, the notification unit 105 may be a notification unit other than voice, such as vibration.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the low visibility condition. The low visibility condition is a condition indicating whether or not the warning display pattern displayed by the display unit 104 can be visually recognized by the user. As shown in FIG. 2, the distance from point E indicating the user's eyes to side d indicating display unit 104 is 300 mm. Further, the horizontal length d of the display unit 104 is 63.4 mm. In this case, the viewing angle when the user looks at the display unit 104 is about 12° according to Equation (1).
Viewing angle=tan ⁻¹ {(63.4/2)/300}×2
≈12° (1)

The number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104 is approximately 1225 pixels. Therefore, the viewing angle between pixels is about 0.01 degree (≈12°/1225).

On the other hand, the angular resolution of the human eye with a visual acuity of 1.0 is approximately 0.017° according to Equation (2).
Angular resolution = 1.0/60
≈0.017° (2)

In the above case, since the pixel interval of the display unit 104 is smaller than the human angular resolution, the pattern drawn in units of one pixel has low visibility for the user. In order to make the warning display pattern visible, it is necessary to draw the warning display pattern in units of at least two pixels.

FIG. 3(a) is an example of a minimum striped pattern composed of pixel patterns. A pixel area of at least 5×5 is required to form a striped pattern. However, as calculated above, in order to make the warning display pattern visible on the display unit 104, the warning display pattern needs to be drawn in units of two pixels. Therefore, the warning display pattern requires at least a 10×10 pixel area shown in FIG. 3(b). The pixel area shown in FIG. 3B is defined as the warning display minimum area.

In order to determine whether the visibility of the screen of the display unit 104 is low, a low visibility condition is defined with reference to the warning display minimum area. The low visibility condition is that "the pattern of the warning display minimum area should not be included in the area where overexposure or underexposure has been detected." When the low visibility condition is satisfied, the pixel area in which the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows are detected does not have a size that can be visually recognized by the user, and the generation unit 107 generates the warning display pattern displayed on the display unit 104 . is determined to have low visibility. Note that the warning display minimum area is not limited to the shape shown in FIG.

When the visibility of the warning display pattern displayed on the display unit 104 is low, the generation unit 107 determines that the low visibility condition is satisfied. , it is determined that the low visibility condition is not satisfied.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the control method of the imaging device 100 according to this embodiment. In step S400, if the control unit 101 determines that the shutter button is in the "half-pressed" state, the process proceeds to step S401.

In step S<b>401 , the imaging unit 102 generates image data by imaging under the control of the control unit 101 . The image processing circuit 103 processes image data generated by the imaging unit 102 under the control of the control unit 101 . The control unit 101 and the image processing circuit 103 perform processing such as photometry and autofocus.

Under the control of the control unit 101 , the detection unit 106 detects a pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows in the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 . For example, the detection unit 106 detects a pixel region in which the pixel gradation value is equal to or larger than the first threshold value or equal to or smaller than the second threshold value as a pixel region having blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. The second threshold is less than the first threshold. If the detection unit 106 determines that it has detected a pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, the process advances to step S405. If the detection unit 106 determines that it has not detected a pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, the process proceeds to step S402.

In step S<b>405 , the generation unit 107 generates a warning display pattern for the overexposed or underexposed pixel area detected by the detection unit 106 under the control of the control unit 101 . The warning display pattern is, for example, a pattern in which the pixel area is displayed with diagonal stripes at predetermined intervals. The control unit 101 performs display control so that the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 and the warning display pattern generated by the generation unit 107 are overlaid and displayed on the display unit 104 . At this time, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 decreases as the pixel area with the blown-out highlights and blocked-up shadows decreases. After that, the process proceeds to step S406.

In step S406, the generating unit 107 determines whether or not the pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows detected in step S401 satisfies the low visibility condition. For example, the generating unit 107 satisfies the low visibility condition when the pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows has a size that does not include the minimum warning display area of 10×10 in FIG. 3B. I judge. Further, the generation unit 107 satisfies the low visibility condition when the pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows has a size that includes the minimum warning display area of 10×10 in FIG. judge not. If the generation unit 107 determines that the low visibility condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S407. If the generation unit 107 determines that the low visibility condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S402.

If there are a plurality of pixel areas with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, and the generation unit 107 determines that all of the pixel areas with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows satisfy the low visibility condition, the process is performed. The process proceeds to step S407, otherwise the process proceeds to step S402. As a result, when at least one visible warning display pattern is displayed on the display unit 10, the notification sound of the notification unit 105 is not emitted, and the user is not annoyed.

It should be noted that priority may be given to notifying the user that there is at least one warning display pattern with low visibility on the display unit 104 . In that case, if the generation unit 107 determines that even one of the pixel areas with overexposure or underexposure satisfies the low visibility condition, the process proceeds to step S407; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S407. goes to step S402.

In step S<b>407 , the control unit 101 performs notification control so that the notification unit 105 notifies that the image data captured by the image capturing unit 102 is overexposed or underexposed. Then, the notification unit 105 outputs a notification sound. With this notification sound, the user can know that the image has blown out highlights or blocked up shadows even when the visibility of the display unit 104 is low. The notification sound may be the same for blown-out highlights and blocked-up shadows, or may be made distinguishable by changing the pitch of the sound. In addition, since the notification sound does not sound when the warning display pattern displayed on the display unit 104 can be visually recognized, the user is not annoyed by an excessive warning. After that, the process proceeds to step S402.

In step S402, the control unit 101 determines whether the state of the shutter button has changed from "half-pressed" to "fully-pressed." If the control unit 101 determines that the shutter button has changed to the "fully pressed" state, the process proceeds to step S403. If the control unit 101 determines that the shutter button is kept in the "half-pressed" state, the process returns to step S401.

In step S<b>403 , the imaging unit 102 generates image data for a still image by photoelectric conversion under the control of the control unit 101 . The image processing circuit 103 processes image data generated by the imaging unit 102 . The control unit 101 records the image data processed by the image processing circuit 103 on a recording medium (not shown). After that, the process proceeds to S404. At step S404, the control unit 101 terminates the processing of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the size of a pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows and a warning. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 represents the ratio of the number of pixels on one side of the pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows to the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104, and this is called the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows.

The threshold T is the ratio of the number of pixels in the warning display minimum area to the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104 . For example, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104 is 1225 pixels. The warning display minimum area is an area of 10 pixels on a side shown in FIG. 3(b). Therefore, the threshold T is approximately 0.82% (≈10/1225).

When the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is equal to or greater than the threshold value T, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is high. In this case, the display unit 104 displays a warning display pattern for pixel areas with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows.

Further, when the ratio of overexposure or underexposure is less than the threshold value T, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is low. In this case, the display unit 104 displays a warning display pattern for the pixel area with the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, and in addition, the notification unit 105 displays a warning display pattern for notifying that the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows have occurred. Outputs a notification sound.

For convenience of explanation, FIG. 5 is based on the assumption that the pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is a square. In reality, it is conceivable that a pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows has a complicated shape. Regardless of the shape of the overexposed or underexposed pixel region, the generation unit 107 determines whether or not the overexposed or underexposed pixel region includes the warning display minimum region. It is determined whether or not the low visibility condition is satisfied.

The generating unit 107 determines that the low visibility condition is satisfied when the detected area of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is small, and determines that the low-visibility condition is met when the detected area of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is large. It is determined that the sexual condition is not satisfied.

It should be noted that the size of the warning display minimum area described above is an example, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the size and resolution of the display unit 104 . Further, the display unit 104 may display the overexposed area and the overexposed area with the same warning display pattern, or may display them with different warning display patterns. The notification unit 105 may also output the same notification sound or different notification sounds depending on whether the highlights are blown out or the shadows are blown out.

In addition, it is conceivable that blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows are intentionally caused as a photographic expression. In this case, if the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows area is small and the size of the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows area is low in visibility, the notification from the notification unit 105 is considered unnecessary. Therefore, when the image captured by the imaging unit 100 is an image captured in manual shooting mode or an image captured with exposure compensation equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control unit 101 controls the notification unit 105 not to notify can be controlled to

Further, when continuous shooting is performed by pressing the shutter button for a long time, it is conceivable that continuous issuance of notifications from the notification unit 105 hinders image capturing. Therefore, in the case of continuous shooting, the control unit 101 notifies the first captured image using the notification unit 105, and does not notify the second and subsequent captured images using the notification unit 105. may be controlled.

As described above, in the imaging apparatus 100, the notification unit 105 issues a warning by means other than display only when the visibility of the display of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is low when overexposure or underexposure occurs. Notice. Accordingly, it is possible to notify the user that there is blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows without bothering the user.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an imaging device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 6 is obtained by providing two display units 104a and 104b instead of the one display unit 104 and adding an eye proximity detection unit 600 to the image pickup apparatus 100 of FIG. Differences of this embodiment from the first embodiment will be described below.

The imaging apparatus 100 has a control unit 101 , an imaging unit 102 , an image processing circuit 103 , a display unit 104 a , a display unit 104 b , a notification unit 105 and an eye proximity detection unit 600 . The image processing circuit 103 has a detector 106 and a generator 107 .

The display unit 104a is an electronic display device attached to the rear surface of the imaging device 100, and displays images processed by the image processing circuit 103 and various information. The display section 104a is the same as the display section 104 in FIG.

The display unit 104b is an electronic viewfinder having a small electronic display device, an optical system for viewing it, and an eyepiece, and displays image data processed by the image processing circuit 103 and various information. The display unit 104b has a small liquid crystal screen with 2 megapixels and an aspect ratio of 3:2. It is assumed that the virtual image of the display unit 104b seen through the viewfinder can be seen at a viewing angle of about 30 degrees at a distance of about 1 m from the user's eyes, but this is not the only option.

The eye contact detection unit 600 is a proximity sensor of the eyepiece unit of the display unit 104b, detects eye contact with the eyepiece unit of the display unit 104b, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 101 when the eye contact is detected. The control unit 101 controls to display the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 on the display unit 104b when the eye proximity detection unit 600 outputs a detection signal. Further, when the eye contact detection unit 600 does not output a detection signal, the control unit 101 controls to display the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 on the display unit 104a. The generation unit 104 changes the low visibility condition depending on whether the eye contact detection unit 600 is outputting a detection signal.

Next, the low visibility condition will be described. The imaging device 100 has a first low visibility condition and a second low visibility condition. The first low visibility condition is the low visibility condition of the display unit 104a, and is the same as the low visibility condition of the first embodiment. Under the first low visibility condition, the warning display minimum area is the 10×10 pixel area shown in FIG. 3(b).

A second low visibility condition is a low visibility condition for the display unit 104b. The second low visibility condition has a different constant than the first low visibility condition. The display unit 104b is a small electronic display device. A user observes a virtual image on the display unit 104b through the optical system. The display unit 104b is designed such that the distance from the user's eyes to the virtual image of the display unit 104b seen through the optical system is 1000 mm, and the horizontal length of the display unit 104b is approximately 535 mm. At this time, the viewing angle when the user looks at the display unit 104b is about 30° according to the same formula as the formula (1) of the first embodiment.

For example, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display section 104b is about 1730 pixels. At this time, the viewing angle between the pixels of the display section 104b is approximately 0.018 degrees. The human eye with a visual acuity of 1.0 has an angular resolution of about 0.017°. Since the pixel interval of the display unit 104b is larger than the human's angular resolution, the user can visually recognize even the warning display pattern drawn in units of one pixel. Therefore, under the second low visibility condition, the warning display minimum area is the 5×5 pixel area shown in FIG. 3(a).

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the control method of the imaging device 100 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 7, steps S701 to S705 are provided instead of steps S405 to S407 in FIG. Steps S400-S404 are the same as those in FIG.

In step S400, when the control unit 101 determines that the shutter button is in the "half-pressed" state, the process proceeds to step S401.

In step S<b>401 , the detection unit 106 , under the control of the control unit 101 , detects a pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows in the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 . If the detection unit 106 determines that it has detected a pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, the process advances to step S701. If the detection unit 106 determines that it has not detected a pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, the process proceeds to step S402.

In step S701, the eye contact detection unit 600 outputs a detection signal to the control unit 101 when eye contact with the eyepiece unit of the display unit 104b is detected, and does not detect eye contact with the eyepiece unit of the display unit 104b. In this case, the detection signal is not output to the control unit 101 . The control unit 101 determines whether or not a detection signal has been input from the eye proximity detection unit 600 . If the control unit 101 determines that the detection signal has been input, the process proceeds to step S704. If the control unit 101 determines that the detection signal has not been input, the process proceeds to step S702.

In step S<b>702 , the generation unit 107 generates a warning display pattern for the pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows detected by the detection unit 106 under the control of the control unit 101 . The control unit 101 performs display control so that the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 and the warning display pattern generated by the generation unit 107 are overlaid on the display unit 104a. After that, the process proceeds to step S703.

In step S<b>703 , the generation unit 107 determines whether or not the pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows detected in step S<b>401 satisfies the first low visibility condition. For example, the generation unit 107 determines that the first low visibility condition is satisfied when a pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows does not include the minimum warning display region of 10×10 in FIG. 3B. to decide. In addition, the generation unit 107 does not satisfy the first low visibility condition when the pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows includes the warning display minimum region of 10×10 in FIG. I judge. If the generation unit 107 determines that the first low visibility condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S407. If the generation unit 107 determines that the first low visibility condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S402.

In step S<b>704 , the generation unit 107 generates a warning display pattern for the pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows detected by the detection unit 106 under the control of the control unit 101 . The control unit 101 performs display control so that the image data captured by the imaging unit 102 and the warning display pattern generated by the generation unit 107 are overlaid on the display unit 104b. After that, the process proceeds to step S705.

In step S705, the generating unit 107 determines whether or not the pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows detected in step S401 satisfies the second low visibility condition. For example, the generation unit 107 determines that the second low visibility condition is satisfied when a pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows does not include the 5×5 warning display minimum region shown in FIG. to decide. In addition, the generation unit 107 does not satisfy the second low visibility condition when the pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows includes the 5×5 warning display minimum area in FIG. I judge. If the generation unit 107 determines that the second low visibility condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S407. If the generation unit 107 determines that the second low visibility condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S402.

In step S<b>407 , the control unit 101 performs notification control so that the notification unit 105 notifies that the image data captured by the image capturing unit 102 is overexposed or underexposed. Then, the notification unit 105 outputs a notification sound. After that, the process proceeds to step S402.

In step S402, the control unit 101 determines whether the state of the shutter button has changed from "half-pressed" to "fully-pressed." If the control unit 101 determines that the shutter button has changed to the "fully pressed" state, the process proceeds to step S403. If the control unit 101 determines that the shutter button is kept in the "half-pressed" state, the process returns to step S401.

In step S<b>403 , the imaging unit 102 generates image data for a still image by photoelectric conversion under the control of the control unit 101 . The image processing circuit 103 processes image data generated by the imaging unit 102 . The control unit 101 records the image data processed by the image processing circuit 103 on a recording medium (not shown). After that, the process proceeds to S404. At step S404, the control unit 101 terminates the processing of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the size of a pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows and a warning. The horizontal axis of FIG. 8 represents the ratio of the number of pixels on one side of the pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows to the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104a or 104b, and this is referred to as the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. .

The threshold value T1 is the ratio of the number of pixels in the warning display minimum area in FIG. 3B to the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display section 104a. For example, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104a is 1225 pixels. The warning display minimum area is an area of 10 pixels on a side shown in FIG. 3(b). Therefore, the threshold T1 is approximately 0.82% (≈10/1225).

The threshold value T2 is the ratio of the number of pixels of the warning display minimum area in FIG. 3A to the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display section 104b. For example, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104b is 1732 pixels. The warning display minimum area is an area of 5 pixels on a side shown in FIG. 3(a). Therefore, the threshold T2 is approximately 0.29% (≈5/1732).

First, a case where the eye contact detection unit 600 does not output a detection signal will be described. When the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is equal to or greater than the threshold value T1, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104a is high. In this case, the display unit 104a displays a warning display pattern for pixel regions with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. Further, when the ratio of overexposure or underexposure is less than the threshold value T1, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104a is low. In this case, the display unit 104a displays a warning display pattern of a pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. Outputs a notification sound.

Next, a case where the eye contact detection unit 600 outputs a detection signal will be described. When the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is equal to or greater than the threshold value T2, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104b is high. In this case, the display unit 104b displays a warning display pattern for pixel areas with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. Further, when the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is less than the threshold value T2, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104b is low. In this case, the display unit 104b displays a warning display pattern of the pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, and in addition, the notification unit 105 provides a warning display pattern for notifying that blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows have occurred. Outputs a notification sound.

As described above, in the imaging apparatus 100, the notification unit 105 issues a warning by means other than display only when the visibility of the display of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is low when overexposure or underexposure occurs. Notice. Accordingly, it is possible to notify the user that there is blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows without bothering the user.

Note that the first and second low visibility conditions and the threshold values T1 and T2 are examples, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the size and resolution of the display units 104a and 104b and the magnification of the optical system for observing the display unit 104b. can be done.

(Third Embodiment)
FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a configuration example of an imaging device 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The imaging device 100 in FIG. 9A is obtained by adding an illuminance measuring unit 900 to the imaging device 100 in FIG. The imaging device 100 has an illuminance measurement unit 900 that measures illuminance. Differences of this embodiment from the first embodiment will be described below.

The visibility of the screen of the display unit 104 may decrease as the ambient illuminance increases. For example, in an illuminated indoor environment, the illuminance is typically 1,000 lux or less. In this case, the screen of the display unit 104 has high visibility.

On the other hand, outdoors during the day, the illuminance is 1,000 lux or more. In this case, the surrounding environment may be reflected and reflected on the surface of the display unit 104, and the visibility of the screen of the display unit 104 may be significantly reduced. In this case, the notification unit 105 needs to notify the user to warn the user even if there is a pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows larger than when the illuminance is 1,000 lux or less. .

The imaging device 100 changes the low visibility condition according to the illuminance measured by the illuminance measurement unit 900, so that even when the visibility of the screen is lowered due to a change in ambient illuminance, the notification unit 105 can generate a notification sound to warn the user of the occurrence of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows.

FIG. 9(b) is a diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the size of a pixel region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows and a warning. The horizontal axis of FIG. 9(b) represents the ratio of the number of pixels on one side of the pixel area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows to the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104, which is referred to as the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. call.

The threshold T is a threshold when the illuminance measured by the illuminance measurement unit 900 is less than 1,000 lux. When the illuminance is less than 1,000 lux, the visibility of the screen of the display unit 104 is high, so the threshold value T is set based on the size of the region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. The threshold T is the ratio of the number of pixels in the warning display minimum area to the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104 . For example, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the display unit 104 is 1225 pixels. The warning display minimum area is an area of 10 pixels on a side shown in FIG. 3(b). Therefore, the threshold T is approximately 0.82% (≈10/1225).

The threshold T' is a threshold when the illuminance measured by the illuminance measurement unit 900 is 1,000 lux or more. When the illuminance is 1,000 lux or more, the warning display minimum area is set larger than the 10×10 pixel area in FIG. 3(b). For example, the threshold T' is 10%.

First, the case where the illuminance measured by the illuminance measuring unit 900 is less than 1,000 lux will be described. When the ratio of overexposure or underexposure is equal to or greater than the threshold value T, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is high, and the low visibility condition is not satisfied. In this case, the display unit 104 displays a warning display pattern for pixel areas with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. Also, when the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is less than the threshold value T, the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is low, satisfying the low visibility condition. In this case, the display unit 104 displays a warning display pattern for the pixel area with the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, and in addition, the notification unit 105 displays a warning display pattern for notifying that the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows have occurred. Outputs a notification sound.

Next, a case where the illuminance measured by the illuminance measuring unit 900 is 1,000 lux or more will be described. When the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is equal to or greater than the threshold value T', the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is high. In this case, the display unit 104 displays a warning display pattern for pixel areas with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows. Further, when the ratio of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows is less than the threshold value T', the visibility of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is low. In this case, the display unit 104 displays a warning display pattern for the pixel area with the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows, and in addition, the notification unit 105 displays a warning display pattern for notifying that the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows have occurred. Outputs a notification sound.

It should be noted that the thresholds T and T' are not limited to switching between two levels with the illuminance of 1,000 lux as a boundary, as described above. The threshold may be changed in three or more stages according to the measured illuminance.

As described above, in the imaging apparatus 100, the notification unit 105 issues a warning by means other than display only when the visibility of the display of the warning display pattern on the display unit 104 is low when overexposure or underexposure occurs. Notice. Accordingly, it is possible to notify the user that there is blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows without bothering the user.

In addition, the imaging apparatus 100 can change the low visibility condition in step S406 of FIG. Even when the visibility of the display unit 104 changes depending on the illuminance, the notification unit 105 can appropriately notify.

It should be noted that the size of the warning display minimum area and the threshold value described above are examples, and can be changed as appropriate according to the size and resolution of the display unit 104 . In addition to digital cameras and video cameras, the imaging device 100 can also be applied to smartphones, tablets, industrial cameras, medical cameras, vehicle-mounted cameras, and the like.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by processing to It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific implementations of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed to be limited by these. That is, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

100 Imaging Device 101 Control Unit 102 Imaging Unit 103 Image Processing Circuit 104 Display Unit 105 Notification Unit

Claims (10)

detection means for detecting a region of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows in an image captured by the imaging means;
display control means for performing display control to display the detected overexposed or overexposed area on a first display means;
notification control means for controlling the notification means to notify by sound that the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows have occurred when the detected area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows satisfies a first condition; has
The notification control means notifies the occurrence of the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows by the notification means when the visibility of the region with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows displayed on the first display means is low. When the visibility of the overexposed area or underexposed area displayed on the first display means is high, the notification means does not notify that overexposed areas or underexposed areas have occurred. An image processing apparatus characterized by controlling to The display control means displays the detected overexposure or underexposure region on the second display means when eye contact with the second display means is detected, and the second display is performed. controlling to display the detected blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows region on the first display means when eye contact with the means is not detected;
The notification control means, when eye contact with the second display means is detected, and when the detected area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows satisfies a second condition, the notification control means fulfills a second condition. is generated by the notification means, and when the eye contact with the second display means is not detected, the detected overexposure or underexposure area satisfies the first condition 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification means is controlled to notify that a blown-out highlight or blocked-up shadow has occurred when the above condition is satisfied. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said notification control means changes said first condition according to the illuminance measured by said illuminance measuring means. The notification control means controls not to notify by the notification means when the image captured by the image capture means is an image captured in a manual shooting mode or an image captured with exposure compensation equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 4. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, in the case of continuous shooting, the notification control means controls not to notify the second and subsequent images by the notification means. Image processing device. 2. The display control means controls the first display means to display the detected overexposure or overexposure area together with the image picked up by the image pickup means on the first display means. 6. The image processing device according to any one of 1 to 5 . The notification control means notifies the occurrence of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows by the notification means when the detected blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows area is small, and 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , characterized in that, when the area of blocked up shadows is large, control is performed so that the notification means does not notify the occurrence of blown out highlights or blocked up shadows. image processing device. The notification control means notifies the occurrence of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows by the notification means when the detected area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows has a size that does not enclose a predetermined area. and controlling the notifying means not to notify the occurrence of blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows when the detected area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows has a size that encloses the predetermined area. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , characterized by: a detection step of detecting, by the detection means, an area in which highlights or shadows are blown out in the image captured by the imaging means;
a display control step of performing display control so as to display the detected blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows region on a first display means by a display control means;
The notification control means controls the notification means to notify the occurrence of the blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows by sound when the detected area with blown-out highlights or blocked-up shadows satisfies a first condition. and a notification control step for
When the visibility of the overexposed area or underexposed area displayed on the first display means is low, the notification means notifies that the overexposed area or underexposed area has occurred, and When the visibility of the overexposed area or underexposed area displayed on the display means of is high, control is performed so that the notification means does not notify that overexposed areas or underexposed areas have occurred. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus to A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 .

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