JPH0334782A - Camera having special effect generating function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate need for mount of a special filter and to generate a special effect by providing a white data write means writing radially a white level around a spot obtained with a light spot detection means into a storage means. CONSTITUTION:An arithmetic section 13 calculates the size of a light spot and its center address position from a horizontal direction data of an object image light spot stored in a data storage section 26 and a vertical direction data of an object image stored in a picture data storage section 22. Whether or not the size of an object image light spot is a prescribed value or over is judged by a control section 11 and when the size is the prescribed value or over, a white level data '0' is written forcibly to an address location in the cross direction from the light spot center in the picture data storage section 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention particularly relates to a camera having a special effect generation function used to generate a beam of light radially from a light spot of a subject image.

[Prior art and its problems] In a camera, when there is a relatively strong light spot in the subject image, such as the light from a car light during night photography, a light flux is generated radially around that light spot. There are imaging methods.

Generally, in order to obtain a special image using the above-described imaging method, it is necessary to attach a special filter to the camera immediately in front of the imaging lens.

For this reason, conventionally, it has been inconvenient to attach and detach the filter, and switching from the normal photographing mode is troublesome.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to easily remove a relatively strong light spot without installing a special filter when there is a relatively strong light spot in the subject image. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera having a special effect generation function capable of generating a centered radial light beam.

[Summary of the Invention] In other words, a camera having a special effect generation function according to the present invention includes an imaging means, a storage means for storing image data obtained by the imaging means, and a storage means for storing image data obtained by the imaging means. a light spot detection means for detecting a light spot having a luminance of a predetermined value or more; and a white data writing means for writing own data into the storage means radially around the light spot obtained by the light spot detection means. It has been prepared and configured.

[Embodiments of the invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an electronic circuit in an electronic still camera. The control unit 11 includes keys and switches 12 for controlling the mode change key, release switch, etc.
A calculation unit 13 is connected to perform a size comparison calculation of the image area,
The control unit 11 controls the operation of each part of the circuit in response to key operation signals or switch operation signals from the keys and switches 2.

On the other hand, the subject image incident through the imaging lens 14 is
The light passes through the aperture 15 and is imaged onto a pixel area of the CCD image sensor 16 . This CCD image sensor 16 stores electrical Q in accordance with the brightness and darkness of the object image formed on its pixel head, and converts image data in the form of electrical signals. Horizontal scanning of the pixel area for output is performed by the H driver 17, and vertical scanning is performed by
The scanning timing of each pixel of the CCD image sensor 16 is instructed by the timing signal control section 19.

The image signal output from the CCD image sensor 16 is
The signal is applied to the amplification/signal processing channel 20, amplified at a preset increase rate, and then sent to the A/D converter 21. This A/D converter 2] converts the A/D converter 2 into an A/D converter according to the image signal level.
A/D conversion processing is performed to obtain a digital signal corresponding to the shading of the subject image, and the digital image signal output from this A/D conversion section 21 is sequentially stored in the image data storage section 2.
2 and stored. In this case, the memory area of the image data storage unit 22 and the pixel area of the CCD image sensor 16 have a one-to-one correspondence, and the captured subject image is converted into a digital signal for each pixel and stored. Ru. Here, the address control for the image data storage section 22 is performed by the address control section 23, and the writing address designation control is executed in synchronization with the scanning timing of the CCD image sensor 16 by one of the timing signal control sections. be done.

On the other hand, image signals output from the CCD image sensor 16 and passed through the amplification/signal processing circuit 20 are sequentially applied to the negative (-) terminal of the comparator 24.

FIG. 2 shows the output signal level relative to the input image signal level in the comparator 24. The image signal shows a high level in the black area (B) of the subject image and a low level in the white area (W), so that Only in the area where brightness (luminance) can be obtained, the CCD output is equal to the comparator reference voltage V Rar
A high level signal (H) is obtained when the voltage exceeds .

The high level signal (H) from the comparator 24 is
It is outputted to the control unit 11 as a high-brightness head-mounted detection signal, and is also input to the AND gate AND, and the horizontal scanning signal corresponding to the high-brightness region from the H driver 17 is applied to the clock terminal CK of the counter 25. It will be done. That is, the counter 25 counts the horizontal length of the high brightness area, and the count data is given to the control section 11 and stored in the data storage section 26.

This data storage section 26 receives input from the address control section 23 and stores the write address of the image data storage section 22 corresponding to the output of the high-intensity quiet area detection signal 8 from the comparator 24 to the control section 11. The data storage unit 26 stores a memory address corresponding to a white (light spot) portion of the subject image stored in the image data storage unit 22 that has a luminance above a predetermined value.

Then, the calculation unit 13 calculates the size of the light spot from the horizontal direction data of the subject image light spot portion stored in the data storage unit 26 and the vertical direction data of the subject image stored in the image data storage unit 22. and its center address position. In other words, the maximum count data stored in the data storage unit 26 can be obtained as the horizontal diameter of the light spot portion, and if the black and white data boundary addresses of consecutive vertically adjacent lines in the image data storage unit 22 are compared, the maximum count data can be obtained as the horizontal diameter of the light spot portion. The maximum address position is obtained as the vertical diameter. Here, the control unit 11 determines whether the size of the light spot portion of the subject image is larger than a predetermined value, and if the size is larger than the predetermined value, the light spot is White data “0” is forced to the address position in the cross direction from the center.
°Written.

Next, the operation of the electronic still camera having configuration L will be explained.

First, for example, when a subject image including a light spot of a movement light as shown in FIG.
D image sensor 16 (this is visualized. Then, C
The subject image formed on the CD image sensor 16 is converted into an electric signal according to the density of the image for each pixel, and is sequentially sent to an amplification/signal processing circuit in synchronization with the CCD scanning timing by the H driver 17 and V driver 18. 20. Then, the CCD image signal is converted by the A/D converter 21 into a digital signal corresponding to the ratio of the image, and sequentially transferred and stored in the image data storage 22.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing imaging processing using special effects. When a special effect mode is designated by a mode switching key (not shown), imaging processing corresponding to this flowchart is executed.

Here, when a self-portrait signal corresponding to the light portion of the car is obtained, a high-level output signal is supplied from the comparator 24 to the control section 11, and the writing start address of the internal image signal in the image data storage section 22 is set to the address. Written from the control unit 23 to the data storage unit 26 (step 5)
l, S2). After this, the CCDC image sensor 1
When the 6-scan processing passes through the light part of the car, which is the subject image, and a black image signal is obtained, a low-level output signal is supplied from the comparator 24 to the control unit 11, and the black image signal is stored in the image data storage unit 22. The write start address is written from the address control section 23 to the data storage section 26 (steps S3 and S4).

Furthermore, during the high level output period of the comparator 24 when the first CCD white image is obtained, the horizontal scanning signal from the H driver 1'7 is counted by the counter 25 and sent to the data storage section through the control section 22. 26 (step S5). Here, the data storage unit 26
1. The memory addresses corresponding to the positions of one end and the other end of the light spot in J and 3 are stored in one horizontal scanning period of the CCD image sensor 16, and the length of the light spot is also stored. Become.

Thereafter, by repeating the process corresponding to one water shell scan in step 5l-36, when the subject imaging process for one screen is completed, the horizontal (X) 7j direction address data of the self-portrait data stored in the data storage section 26 is Based on the vertical direction (Y) address data obtained by repeating this process, the size (X, Y) of the light spot included in one object is calculated by the calculation unit 1.
3, and the control unit 11 determines whether the size of the light spot portion is larger than a predetermined size (step S7).

If it is determined in this step S7 that the light spot portion of the automobile light included in the subject image is larger than a predetermined size (rYesJ), the arithmetic unit 13 generates image data corresponding to χ1 at the center of the light spot. The memory address of the storage unit 22 is determined (step S8). Then, the control section 1
1 is located at the center of the light spot in the image data storage section 22.
- White data "O" is forcibly written to a memory address extending in the cross direction from the corresponding memory address to a length corresponding to the size of the light spot (step S9).

Then, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the photographed subject image has a special effect imaging state in which a luminous flux is generated in two +7 directions centered on the light tip.

Therefore, according to the electronic still camera having the above configuration, for example, when a subject image including a light spot portion such as a light is captured at night, the special effect mode can be specified in advance and stored in the image data storage unit 22. Self-portrait data can be forcibly written in a cross direction centered on the light spot of the photographed subject image, and can be output as a cross beam generated by the light beam.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided an imaging means, a storage means for storing image data obtained by the imaging means, and a predetermined value in the image data obtained by the imaging means. a light spot detection means for detecting a light spot having a luminance of -L; and a light spot detected by the light spot detection means with respect to the storage means; , 1. Since it is constructed with the help of white data (!), when there are comparative 1r-3 strong light spots in the subject image, it is possible to easily change the light spots mentioned above without the need to install a special filter. Centered on i,:
It is possible to provide a camera having a special effect generating function that can generate a light flux in the form of L, tak fJ-j.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an electronic LII in a camera still camera according to an embodiment of a camera having special effect generation functions of the present invention.
Block 1 diagram showing the composition of J road, Figure 2 is Sat-'=c'
71S 4 still camera 1. : Timing chart showing the relationship between the CCD output signal and the comparator output signal in FIGS. 3(A) and (B). IF in a chill camera! i'J^
Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of one special image by the electronic still camera. 11...Control unit, 12...Keys and switches, 13
... Act 1 and part, 14... 1 elephant, 1 nonce, 15...
Aperture, 16・c CI) Image seven points, 17...H
Driver 18...vh driver 11. )...Nimi〉G1h control unit, 20 Increased confidence processing [r+J
'J:5,,i1-...A,''' D converter, 22...1llII image data storage unit, 23...address control unit, 24...2T-palator, 25...・・・
Counter 1.26...Data; 1 [Storage part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] Imaging means; storage means for storing image data obtained by the imaging means; and light for detecting a light spot having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined value in the image data obtained by the imaging means. A special effect generation function characterized by comprising: point detection means; and white data writing means for writing white data into the storage means radially around the light spot obtained by the light spot detection means. camera with.