JP7343621B2 - interval imaging device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an interval imaging device used as a life log camera or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art An interval imaging device (lifelog camera) is known that is attached to a moving object such as a user and automatically performs camera photography intermittently to obtain the action history of the moving object. In this case, since photographing is performed automatically, there is a problem in that photographing is performed even if the state is not suitable for photographing. Regarding this, Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic imaging device that determines whether a state in which photographing processing is possible or not, and controls the device so that photographing is not performed when it is determined that the photographing process is not possible. There is.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-147647

According to Patent Document 1, automatic photography is not performed, for example, when the imaging device is in a dark place where there is not enough light, or when the imaging lens is covered with a jacket, etc. It is stated that this makes it possible to capture only images that are meaningful to the user.

In conventional interval imaging devices such as Patent Document 1, imaging conditions are uniformly determined regardless of the user's movement state. However, from the perspective of understanding the user's action history, the focus on the action history differs depending on the state of the user's movement (static state or movement state). For example, when the user is at rest, it is preferable to acquire an image that includes a wide range of scenery surrounding the user, and when the user is exercising, it is preferable to obtain an image that shows changes in the scenery in a narrow range in front of the user. In addition, in order to efficiently store photographed data in a limited storage unit, it is also important to set the time interval (interval) between images taken as action history when the user is at rest and when exercising.

In conventional techniques such as Patent Document 1, consideration has been given to not photographing images that are meaningless to the user, but no particular consideration has been given to the relationship between the above-mentioned state of the user's movement and photographing conditions.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an interval imaging device that performs interval imaging under suitable imaging conditions depending on the user's movement state.

In order to solve the above problems, the interval imaging device of the present invention includes an imaging section that can take images in a plurality of shooting modes, a motion sensor that detects movement of the interval imaging device, and detects the presence or absence of movement from the detection result of the motion sensor. A motion determining section that makes a determination, a timing generating section that generates a trigger signal for the imaging section to take an image at a predetermined interval, and a photographing control section that controls the imaging section and the timing generating section according to the determination result of the motion determining section. The imaging control unit controls the imaging unit to switch between an imaging mode when there is movement (motion state) and an imaging mode when there is no movement (stationary state).

Preferably, the imaging unit has a standard mode for imaging at a standard angle of view and a wide-angle mode for imaging at a wide angle, and the imaging control unit controls the imaging unit to perform imaging in the standard mode in a moving state and in the wide-angle mode in a stationary state. control to shoot.

Alternatively, the imaging unit is capable of acquiring captured images in multiple formats, and the imaging control unit instructs the imaging unit to acquire one of the multiple formats of captured images in a state of motion, and to acquire multiple formats of captured images in a stationary state. Controls to acquire all captured images of the format.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an interval imaging device that efficiently acquires images that are effective as history images depending on the state of a user's movement.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how the interval imaging device 2 according to the first embodiment is installed. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an interval imaging device 2. FIG. The figure which shows the example of a standard angle of view image and a wide-angle image. A time chart showing an example of interval shooting. A time chart showing an example of interval shooting. Flowchart showing interval shooting operation. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how the interval imaging device (omnidirectional camera 3) according to the second embodiment is installed. A block diagram of the omnidirectional camera 3. FIG. 4 is an external view of an interval imaging device (HMD4) according to a third embodiment. Block diagram of HMD4. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how the interval imaging device 6 is installed according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the interval imaging device 6. FIG. A time chart showing an example of interval shooting. Flowchart showing interval shooting operation.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The interval imaging device of the present invention is worn by a user to intermittently take pictures of the outside, and includes an imaging unit (camera) that can take pictures in a plurality of shooting modes. In the following embodiments, the configuration of the imaging section will be explained in detail depending on the case.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a user is wearing an interval imaging device 2 according to a first embodiment. The interval imaging device 2 is attached to the head of the user 1 with a mounting belt 7. The interval imaging device 2 is equipped with a standard camera 11 and a wide-angle camera 12 that take pictures of the front of the user 1 as imaging units that take pictures of the outside.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the interval imaging device 2. As shown in FIG. In addition to the standard camera 11 and wide-angle camera 12 described above, the sensor includes an acceleration sensor 13, a gyro sensor 14, a geomagnetic sensor 15, a position sensor 16, and an illuminance sensor 17. It also includes a user setting section 18, a communication section 19, a CPU (or microcomputer) 20, a RAM 21, and a flash ROM 22, and each section is connected by an internal bus 26.

The standard camera 11 and the wide-angle camera 12 are cameras that take a standard view-angle image and a wide-angle image, respectively, and are used by switching according to the state of movement of the user 1, as described later. Note that the image to be photographed is for obtaining the user's action history, and may be a still image or a short video. The photographed image data is stored in the photographed data holding section 25 or in an external storage via the communication section 19.

The acceleration sensor 13 and the gyro sensor 14 detect movements, shaking, etc. of the interval imaging device 2 (that is, the user 1 wearing the same). The acceleration sensor 13 detects acceleration in one, two, or three axes, and the gyro sensor 14 detects angular velocity in one, two, or three axes.

The geomagnetic sensor 15 acquires azimuth information of the interval imaging device 2, and the position sensor (for example, a GPS receiver) 16 acquires position information, and these pieces of information are attached to the image data as metadata of the photographed image and handled. The illuminance sensor 17 is used to detect the surrounding brightness and adjust the photographing conditions of the camera.

The user setting section 18 is an operation input section through which the user sets the time interval (shooting interval) of interval shooting, etc. to a desired value.

The communication unit 19 includes all or some communication functions such as mobile communication such as 4G, wireless LAN communication, and Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication. The communication unit 19 can also transmit image data taken with the standard camera 11 or the wide-angle camera 12 to external storage via the network.

The CPU 20 loads the program 23 stored in the flash ROM 22 into the RAM 21 and executes it, thereby controlling each component of the interval imaging device 2 and realizing various functions.

The flash ROM 22 includes a program 23 and a shooting data holding section 25, and the program 23 further includes a motion determination process 24a, a timing generation process 24b, and a shooting control process 24c, which constitute the interval shooting application 24. By executing the interval photography application 24, corresponding functional blocks (motion determination unit 24a, timing generation unit 24b, and photography control unit 24c) are configured.

The motion determination unit 24a compares the detected values of the acceleration sensor 13 and the gyro sensor 14 with a separately set threshold value to determine whether or not the interval imaging device 2 (that is, the user 1 wearing the same) is moving. do. Note that if the interval imaging device 2 (user 1) is moving at a constant speed, it is determined that there is movement (movement state). Note that the current speed can be calculated by integrating the acceleration over time.

The timing generation unit 24b generates a trigger signal indicating the timing of imaging at the set imaging interval. The photography control unit 24c switches the photography mode, that is, switches between the standard camera 11 and the wide-angle camera 12, based on the determination result of the motion determination unit 24a, and controls the timing generation unit 24b to generate a trigger signal.
Note that the CPU 20, RAM 21, and flash ROM 22 may be implemented in one integrated circuit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a standard view angle image and a wide angle image. In this embodiment, a standard mode and a wide-angle mode are provided as photographing modes, and these are switched as appropriate. In the standard mode, the standard camera 11 photographs a standard angle of view image 81, and in the wide-angle mode, the wide-angle camera 12 photographs a wide-angle image 82. The standard angle of view image 81 is, for example, an image that includes the surroundings of the person 83 in front, but the wide-angle image 82 can capture a wide range of background, and is effective for grasping the background situation in more detail. .

FIGS. 4A and 4B are time charts showing examples of interval photography. Starting from the top of the drawing, the time trends of the motion determination results, photographing timing, and photographing mode are shown.

The motion determination result is the motion state of the interval imaging device 2 determined by the motion determination section 24a. In the following, the state of motion and its period will be referred to as a "motion state" and "motion period", and the state of no motion and its period will be referred to as a "stationary state" and "stationary period". In this figure, the "motion state" is described as "motion" and the "rest state" is described as "rest."

The photographing timing signals T1 to T11 are generated by the timing generating section 24b, and based on these, a trigger signal to the camera is generated. The photographing mode includes a standard mode and a wide-angle mode, which can be switched by the photographing control section 24c.

This will be explained starting from FIG. 4A. The shooting timing interval ΔT is constant except for the intervals [T2, T3] and [T8, T9], and it is necessary to obtain the user's action history in units of seconds, minutes, or hours via the user setting section 18. Set to a suitable value. For example, the imaging interval ΔT is set to about several minutes.

At T3 and T9, when the motion state transitions from the motion state to the stationary state, the interval between the previous photographing timings is reset, and a new photographing timing is set. That is, T3 and T9 become new photographing timings, and thereafter, the intervals ΔT are set based on these timings.

As a result, photography is performed immediately after the user transitions to the resting state, so even if the period of the resting state is shorter than the interval ΔT between the photographing timings, the user will not miss the camera photographing. Note that the user's body may be in an unstable state immediately after the transition to the resting state at T3 and T9. Therefore, by analyzing the detailed values of the acceleration sensor 13 and the gyro sensor 14 and performing photographing after confirming that the object is in a stable stationary state, a more stable photographed image can be obtained.

Next, the shooting mode is switched depending on the motion determination result. At timings (T1, T2, T5, etc.) when the state of motion is the exercise state, images are taken in the standard mode using only the standard camera 11. The standard camera 11 may have a smaller number of pixels than the wide-angle camera 12.

On the other hand, at timings (T3, T4, T9) when the state of motion is in a stationary state, images are taken in a wide-angle mode using the wide-angle camera 12. Note that in the wide-angle mode, photography may be performed using the standard camera 11 at the same time.

In FIG. 4B, compared to FIG. 4A, the imaging timing during the stationary period is increased. In the period [T3, T4] of the stationary state, the imaging timings of T3a and T3b are added, and in the period of [T9, T10], the imaging timings of T9a and T9b are added, and imaging is performed in wide-angle mode. For example, the photographing interval ΔT' during the stationary period is set to about several tens of seconds. This makes it possible to observe the surrounding situation in more detail when there are moving or changing objects nearby.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the interval photographing operation. The photographing operation is performed by the interval photographing application 24 (motion determining section 24a, timing generating section 24b, photographing control section 24c). As parameters, a timer value t, a movement flag F, a photographing interval ΔT (first photographing interval) during the exercise period, and a photographing interval ΔT' (second photographing interval) during the rest period are used. The motion flag F is set to F=1 in a moving state and F=0 in a stationary state.

S101: When shooting starts, the timer value t is reset (t=0).
S102: Set the initial value of the motion flag F to F=1 (motion state).
S103: Obtain the outputs of the acceleration sensor 13 and gyro sensor 14.
S104: The motion determination unit 24a determines the state of motion.

S105: If it is in a moving state, proceed to S106; if it is in a stationary state, proceed to S109.
S106: If the current motion flag F is other than 1 (F=0), set F=1.
S107: Compare the timer value t and the first photographing interval ΔT. If t≧ΔT, the process advances to S108; otherwise, the process advances to S115.
S108: Photograph is taken in the standard mode, that is, with the standard camera 11. As a result, in the exercise state, standard mode photography is performed at the first photography interval ΔT.

S109: If the stationary state is determined in S105, the process branches depending on whether the current motion flag F is 1 or not. If F=1, the process advances to S110; otherwise (F=0), the process advances to S112.
S110: Rewrite the motion flag F from 1 to 0.
S111: Shoot in wide-angle mode, that is, with the wide-angle camera 12. As a result, wide-angle mode photography is performed at the timing of transition from the moving state to the stationary state (timings T3 and T9 in FIG. 4B).
S112: Since the stationary state (F=0) continues, the timer value t and the second photographing interval ΔT' are compared. If t≧ΔT', the process advances to S111, and in the stationary state, wide-angle mode photography is performed at the second photography interval ΔT'. If t≧ΔT' is not satisfied, the process advances to S115.

S113: The photographed image is stored in the photographed data holding section 25, or transmitted from the communication section 19 to an external storage and stored.
S114: Reset the timer value t (t=0).
S115: Count up the timer value t.
S116: Determine whether to continue shooting. If the process is to be continued, the process returns to S103 and the above process is repeated.

According to the configuration of the first embodiment described above, when the object is stationary, the wide-angle camera 12 can acquire an image effective for observing the background, and by narrowing the shooting interval, it is possible to acquire a richer amount of image information. Further, since the photographing is performed immediately after the transition from the moving state to the resting state, no photographing in the resting state is missed even if the resting period is short. On the other hand, since only the standard camera 11 is used to take pictures during exercise, the capacity of the photographed data storage section 25 and the power consumption of the device can be saved, and an efficient interval imaging device can be realized.

In the above explanation, switching the shooting mode means switching between shooting with the standard camera 11 or wide-angle camera 12 depending on the state of movement, but once both cameras 11 and 12 After photographing, only the photographed images corresponding to the state of movement may be selected and stored in the photographed data holding section 25. This also applies to the following examples.

In a second embodiment, a case will be described in which an omnidirectional camera is used as an imaging unit for interval photography.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the interval imaging device (omnidirectional camera 3) according to the second embodiment is worn by a user. The user 1 wears the omnidirectional camera 3 on his head using a mounting jig 8 such as a helmet. The omnidirectional camera 3 has a front half celestial sphere optical system 31 that photographs the front of the user 1, and a rear celestial sphere optical system 32 that photographs the rear of the user 1.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the omnidirectional camera 3. Components that are the same as those of the interval imaging device 2 of Example 1 (FIG. 2) are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

In the omnidirectional camera 3, the front half celestial sphere optical system 31 is composed of a fisheye lens, etc., and captures the front half celestial sphere of the user 1, and similarly, the rear half celestial sphere optical system 32 is also composed of a fisheye lens, etc., and captures the rear half celestial sphere of the user 1. The captured images of the front half celestial sphere and the rear half celestial sphere are projected onto an image sensor (imaging device) 33 and taken out as image data. At this time, by selecting the detection area of the image sensor, it is possible to separately obtain images taken of the front half of the celestial sphere and images of the rear celestial sphere.

Interval photography using the omnidirectional camera 3 is performed in the same manner as the photography timing and photography mode shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B of the first embodiment. Further, the flowchart of the photographing operation is performed in the same manner as in FIG. However, regarding the photographing mode, in the standard mode, a first half celestial sphere image is acquired using the first half celestial sphere optical system 31. In the wide-angle mode, a full celestial sphere image is obtained using both the front half celestial sphere optical system 31 and the rear half celestial sphere optical system 32.

With the above configuration, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain an image effective for background observation using a celestial sphere image when stationary, and also to obtain historical images at predetermined shooting intervals during movement.

In the third embodiment, a case will be described in which a head mounted display (HMD) is used as an imaging unit for interval photography.

FIG. 8 is an external view of an interval imaging device (head mounted display (HMD) 4) according to the third embodiment. Its configuration includes a left-eye line-of-sight camera 41, a right-eye line-of-sight camera 42, left and right projection optical systems 44a and 44b, a display optical system 45 such as a lens or screen, a speaker 46, a microphone 47, frame housings 48a to 48c, a nose pad 49, It has a controller 50 and the like. The controller 50, the left eye camera 41, the right eye camera 42, the speaker 46, and the microphone 47 are arranged in the frame casings 48a to 48c. Note that the arrangement location does not have to be as shown in FIG. Furthermore, it has a built-in sensor group such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a position sensor.

The user 1 wears the HMD 4 on his or her head using the frame housings 48a and 48b and the nose pad 49. The left-eye line-of-sight camera 41 and the right-eye line-of-sight camera 42 are three-dimensional cameras that can photograph the front of the user's line of sight and measure the distance to an object in the real space captured by the photographed image using the parallax between the left and right eyes. It consists of The measured distance is used as depth information of the captured image, which helps in understanding the captured image.

The controller 50 imports images of the real space captured by the left eye line-of-sight camera 41 and the right-eye line-of-sight camera 42, distance data to objects in the real space, etc. into an internal memory or CPU. Furthermore, the controller 50 creates images to be projected by the projection optical systems 44a and 44b using computer graphics or the like, and also creates audio to be output from the speaker 46.

The projection optical systems 44a and 44b and the display optical system 45 serve as a display section of the HMD 4. The projection optical systems 44a and 44b divide the image of the virtual object created by the controller 50 into a left-eye image and a right-eye image, and project the images onto the display optical system 45 for display. The user 1 views the scenery and real objects in front of him through the transmissive display optical system 45, and also views the images of the virtual objects projected from the projection optical systems 44a and 44b superimposed on the display optical system 45. be able to.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of the head mounted display (HMD) 4. The same components as in FIG. 8 are given the same reference numerals, and other elements include a sensor group 43, a distance calculation section 51, a communication section 52, a CPU 53, a RAM 54, an image RAM 55, and a flash ROM 56. Each part is connected by an internal bus 60.

The projection optical system 44 corresponds to the projection optical systems 44a and 44b in FIG. 8, and projects the left-eye image and the right-eye image onto the display optical system 45 independently. Alternatively, a method may be used in which a single projector projects an interleaved left-eye image and a right-eye image, and a shutter optical system projects the left-eye image and right-eye image to each eye. Furthermore, an optical system using a holographic lens may be used.

The communication unit 52 has multiple communication functions such as mobile communication, wireless LAN, and Bluetooth (registered trademark), and connects the HMD 4 to an external storage or the like via a network.

The CPU 53 expands the program stored in the flash ROM 56 into the RAM 54, and executes the program to control the operation of each component of the HMD 4. The image RAM 55 stores video data to be sent to the projection optical system 44.

The flash ROM 56 includes a basic operation program 57, a processing program for an interval photography application 58, and a photography data holding section 59. The basic operation program 57 performs projection operation processing as the HMD 4, and the interval photographing application 58 performs the motion determination processing 24a, timing generation processing 24b, and photographing control processing 24c described in the first embodiment (FIG. 2). Further, the photographed data holding unit 59 stores image data photographed by the camera.

Interval photography using the HMD 4 in this embodiment is performed in the same manner as the photography timing and photography mode shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B of the first embodiment. Further, the flowchart of the photographing operation is performed in the same manner as in FIG. However, regarding the photographing mode, in the standard mode, the left eye camera 41 or the right eye camera 42 is used for photographing. Furthermore, in the wide-angle mode, three-dimensional photography is performed using both the left-eye line-of-sight camera 41 and the right-eye line-of-sight camera 42.

With the above configuration, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to obtain a three-dimensional image that is effective for background observation when the device is stationary, and it is also possible to obtain historical images at predetermined shooting intervals even when the device is in motion. Furthermore, the amount of data captured for historical images during exercise and the power consumption can be reduced.

Furthermore, when the HMD 4 is used as in this embodiment, the optical axes of the lenses of the left-eye line-of-sight camera 41 and the right-eye line-of-sight camera 42 can be made to almost coincide with the user's line of sight, so the scenery actually seen by the user can be captured in a three-dimensional photograph. It can be saved as . Furthermore, by operating the projection optical system 44 and the display optical system 45, there is an advantage that images that have already been taken can be viewed chronologically without interrupting interval photography.

In the fourth embodiment, the motion determination processing in the first embodiment is configured to perform determination at multiple levels. Specifically, the motion of the user's head and the motion of the torso are detected, and these motions are compared to perform photographing control.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the interval imaging device 6 according to the fourth embodiment is worn by a user. As in the first embodiment (FIG. 1), a main body 6a (hereinafter referred to as the main body) of the interval imaging device 6 is attached to the head of the user 1 with a mounting belt 7. The device main body 6a is equipped with a standard camera 11 and a wide-angle camera 12. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sensor terminal 6b is attached to the torso (eg, chest) of the user 1. The sensor terminal 6b detects the movement of the user's 1 torso.

The interval imaging device 6 of this embodiment performs motion determination using the motion data of the user's head and the motion data of the user's torso. Below, in order to distinguish between the two types of movement data, the movement of the user's head will be referred to as "first movement data," and the movement of the user's torso will be referred to as "second movement data." .

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of the interval imaging device 6. As shown in FIG. The configuration of the device main body 6a is similar to that of the first embodiment (FIG. 2), and the acceleration sensor 13 and the gyro sensor 14 serve as a "first motion sensor" that detects the movement of the user's head. As described in FIG. 2, the interval photography application 24 includes a motion determination process 24a, a timing generation process 24b, and a photography control process 24c. Note that some components of the device main body 6a are omitted in this figure.

The configuration of the sensor terminal 6b includes an acceleration sensor 61, a gyro sensor 62, a communication section 63, a CPU (or microcomputer) 64, a RAM 65, and a flash ROM 66. Of these, the acceleration sensor 61 and the gyro sensor 62 serve as a "second motion sensor" that detects the movement of the user's torso.

The communication unit 63 is compatible with a low power communication protocol such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and performs one-on-one communication with the communication unit 19 of the device main body 6a. The operation program 67 stored in the flash ROM 66 is for performing a process of acquiring movement data of the user's torso using the second movement sensors 61 and 62 and transmitting the data to the device main body 6a.

The sensor terminal 6b acquires movement data of the user's torso in conjunction with the photographing operation of the device main body 6a. Specifically, upon receiving a motion data request from the device main body 6a, the detected values of the acceleration sensor 61 and the gyro sensor 62 are transmitted to the device main body 6a as second motion data.

The interval imaging device 6 of this embodiment collects first movement data of the user's head (first movement sensors 13, 14) and second movement data of the user's torso (second movement sensors 61, 62). The motion determination unit 24a determines the state of motion at multiple levels using the data. In the determination, the state of each motion and the correlation between the motion data of both are examined.

Specifically, if the first movement data and the second movement data are both "movement", in the same direction, and of the same magnitude (correlation), that is, the head and torso are moving synchronously. If there is, it is determined that the state is "motion state 1", and photography is performed in standard mode (only with standard camera 11). If the first movement data and the second movement data are in different directions and in different sizes (no correlation), that is, if the head and torso are moving randomly without synchronization, it is determined as "motion state 2". and restrict (stop) camera shooting. If both the first motion data and the second motion data are "no motion", it is determined that the camera is in a "stationary state", and photographing is performed in wide-angle mode (wide-angle camera 12).

FIG. 12 is a time chart showing an example of interval photography. The notation in the figure is the same as in Example 1 (FIG. 4A). As for the motion determination result, the state of motion is determined in three stages: "Motion 1", "Motion 2", and "Stationary". In addition to the standard mode and wide-angle mode, there are additional shooting modes that limit shooting. The shooting timing interval ΔT is set in the same manner as in FIG. 4A, and at T23 and T30 when the motion determination transitions from the motion state to the stationary state, the previous shooting timing interval is reset and a new shooting timing is set. be done.

When the motion determination result is "Movement 1", photography is performed in the standard mode, such as T21 and T22, for example. When the motion determination result is "Movement 2", camera photography is restricted, for example, as at T27 and T28. When the motion determination result is "still", photographing is performed in wide-angle mode, for example at T23 and T24.

As a result, if the user makes vigorous movements, or suddenly turns his or her head to the side, it will be determined as "exercise 2" and camera photography will be restricted (cancelled), thereby avoiding unnecessary photography. can do. When the user's head and torso move in synchronization, it is determined that it is "movement 1" and the camera returns to the standard mode.

Note that in FIG. 12, the interval ΔT between the photographing timings is set to be the same in the standard mode and the wide-angle mode, but as shown in FIG. 4B, it may be set to a different interval ΔT' in the wide-angle mode.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the interval photographing operation. Steps having the same contents as those in the flowchart shown in Example 1 (FIG. 5) are given the same numbers. In this embodiment, the motion state is divided into three stages, and a "motion state 2" and a motion flag F=2 are added. The interval between photographing timings is ΔT in the standard mode and ΔT' in the wide-angle mode. The steps different from the flowchart of FIG. 5 are as follows.

S103a: Obtain the output of the first motion sensor (acceleration sensor 13, gyro sensor 14) of the device main body 6a.
S103b: Obtain the output of the second motion sensor (acceleration sensor 61, gyro sensor 62) of the sensor terminal 6b.

S104a: The motion determination unit 24a compares the first motion data and the second motion data, and performs three-stage motion determination. If the first and second motion data indicate "movement" and are correlated, it is determined as "movement state 1". If the first and second motion data indicate "movement" and there is no correlation, it is determined as "movement state 2". When both the first and second motion data are "no motion", the state is determined to be a "stationary state".

S106 to S108: If the result of the determination is motion state 1, the motion flag F=1 is set, and standard mode photography is performed at the first photography interval ΔT.
S109 to S112: If the result of the determination is that the camera is in a stationary state, the motion flag F=0 is set, and wide-angle mode photography is performed at the second photography interval ΔT'.
S121 to S122: If the result of the determination is exercise state 2, the motion flag F=2 is set, and the process waits until the next photographing timing without photographing.

As explained above, according to the fourth embodiment, motion is determined using motion sensors attached to the user's head and torso, and if there is no correlation between motion data even if both are in a state of exercise, the camera Photography has been restricted. This makes it possible to realize an efficient interval imaging device that reduces unnecessary imaging and saves the capacity of the imaging data storage unit and the power consumption of the device.

As a modification of the fourth embodiment, only the first motion sensors 13 and 14 of the device main body 6a may be used to determine the motion state at multiple levels depending on the magnitude of the motion data. That is, by determining whether a small movement is a large movement or not, and by restricting camera photography in the case of a large movement exceeding a predetermined value, unnecessary photography can be reduced, and the same effect can be obtained.

Although several embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with another embodiment. Further, it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. These all belong to the scope of the present invention, and the numerical values appearing in the text and figures are merely examples, and the effects of the present invention will not be impaired even if different values are used.

For example, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the interval imaging device of the present invention is attached to a user to acquire the user's history images (life log), but the invention is not limited to this. It can also be applied when attached to a moving object to obtain images of its action history.

Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the invention may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing an integrated circuit. Alternatively, it may be implemented in software by having a microprocessor unit, CPU, etc. interpret and execute the operating program. Furthermore, the scope of software implementation is not limited, and hardware and software may be used together.

1: User, 2, 6: Interval imaging device, 3: Omnidirectional camera, 4: Head mounted display (HMD), 6a: Device main body, 6b: Sensor terminal, 11: Standard camera, 12: Wide-angle camera, 13, 61: Acceleration sensor, 14, 62: Gyro sensor, 19, 63: Communication unit, 24, 58: Interval shooting application, 24a: Movement determination processing, 24b: Timing generation processing, 24c: Shooting control processing, 25, 59: Shooting Data holding unit, 31: front half celestial sphere optical system, 32: rear celestial sphere optical system, 33: image sensor, 41: left eye line of sight camera, 42: right eye line of sight camera.

Claims (7)

An interval imaging device that is worn by a user and performs intermittently capturing external images,
An imaging unit that can take pictures in multiple shooting modes,
a motion sensor that detects motion of the interval imaging device;
a motion determination unit that determines the presence or absence of motion from the detection result of the motion sensor;
a timing generation unit that generates a trigger signal at predetermined intervals for the imaging unit to take an image;
an imaging control section that controls the imaging section and the timing generation section according to a determination result of the motion determination section;
The photographing control unit controls the imaging unit to switch between a photographing mode when there is movement (hereinafter referred to as a motion state) and a photographing mode when there is no movement (hereinafter referred to as a stationary state);
When the determination result of the motion determination unit is a motion state, the imaging control unit causes the timing generation unit to generate a trigger signal at a first interval;
Interval imaging characterized in that when the determination result of the motion determination unit is a stationary state, the imaging control unit causes the timing generation unit to generate a trigger signal at a second interval shorter than the first interval. Device. An interval imaging device that is worn by a user and performs intermittently capturing external images,
An imaging unit that can take pictures in multiple shooting modes,
a motion sensor that detects motion of the interval imaging device;
a motion determination unit that determines the presence or absence of motion from the detection result of the motion sensor;
a timing generation unit that generates a trigger signal at predetermined intervals for the imaging unit to take an image;
an imaging control section that controls the imaging section and the timing generation section according to a determination result of the motion determination section;
The photographing control unit controls the imaging unit to switch between a photographing mode when there is movement (hereinafter referred to as a motion state) and a photographing mode when there is no movement (hereinafter referred to as a stationary state);
The imaging unit has a standard mode for shooting at a standard angle of view and a wide-angle mode for shooting at a wide angle,
The interval imaging device is characterized in that the imaging control unit controls the imaging unit to perform imaging in a standard mode in a moving state and in a wide-angle mode in a stationary state. An interval imaging device that is worn by a user and performs intermittently capturing external images,
An imaging unit that can take pictures in multiple shooting modes,
a motion sensor that detects motion of the interval imaging device;
a motion determination unit that determines the presence or absence of motion from the detection result of the motion sensor;
a timing generation unit that generates a trigger signal at predetermined intervals for the imaging unit to take an image;
an imaging control section that controls the imaging section and the timing generation section according to a determination result of the motion determination section;
The photographing control unit controls the imaging unit to switch between a photographing mode when there is movement (hereinafter referred to as a motion state) and a photographing mode when there is no movement (hereinafter referred to as a stationary state);
The imaging unit is capable of acquiring captured images in multiple formats,
The photographing control unit controls the imaging unit to acquire one of the plurality of photographed images in the moving state, and to acquire all of the plurality of photographed images in the stationary state. interval imaging device. The interval imaging device according to claim 3 ,
The imaging unit is capable of acquiring an image of a front half celestial sphere and an image of a rear celestial sphere as the captured images in the plurality of formats,
The imaging control unit controls the imaging unit to acquire an image of the first half of the celestial sphere in a moving state, and to acquire an image of the entire celestial sphere including the first half of the celestial sphere and the second half of the celestial sphere in a stationary state. Device. The interval imaging device according to claim 3 ,
The imaging unit is capable of acquiring a left-eye line-of-sight image and a right-eye line-of-sight image as the plurality of captured images,
The photographing control unit controls the imaging unit to acquire either a left-eye line-of-sight image or a right-eye line-of-sight image in a moving state, and to obtain both a left-eye line-of-sight image and a right-eye line-of-sight image in a stationary state. An interval imaging device characterized by: The interval imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
In addition to the motion sensor (hereinafter referred to as a first motion sensor) that detects the movement of the interval imaging device, the interval imaging device is attached to a second region of the user different from the first region to which it is attached. , comprising a movement sensor (hereinafter referred to as a second movement sensor) that detects movement of the second body part of the user,
The motion determination unit compares first motion data detected by the first motion sensor and second motion data detected by the second motion sensor, and determines whether there is a correlation between the two motion data. Determines exercise status at multiple levels,
Even if the determination result of the motion determination section is that the motion state is a motion state, if there is no correlation between the motion data of the two, the photographing control section controls the imaging section to limit photographing. Interval imaging device. The interval imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The motion determination unit determines the motion state at a plurality of levels based on the magnitude of motion data detected by the motion sensor,
An interval characterized in that, even if the determination result of the motion determination section is that the movement state is in motion, if the motion data exceeds a predetermined value, the photographing control section controls the imaging section to limit photographing. Imaging device.

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