JPH05130477A - Electronic zoom system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the electronic zoom system in which an object is not deviated at the outside of a screen in the case of zooming even when the object is moved, proper zooming is implemented, it is not required for a photographer to set the object desired of zooming in the center of the screen at all times and the object is zoomed in the center of the screen. CONSTITUTION:This system consists of a CCD 1 implementing the photoelectric conversion of a video signal, an analog signal processing circuit 2 implementing processing such as CDS and AGC, an A/D converter 3 implementing the digital conversion of a video signal, a picture magnifying interpolation circuit 5 reading picture data from a memory and interpolating picture elements and inter-lines, a D/A converter 6 converting the digital video signal into an analog signal, a motion detection circuit 8 detecting the motion of the object, and a microcomputer 9 controlling the picture magnifying interpolation circuit 5 with an output signal of the motion detection circuit 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera zoom system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a conventional electronic zoom system. In the figure, 1 is a CCD, 2 is an analog signal processing circuit, 3 is an A / D converter, 4 is a digital signal processing circuit, 5 is an image enlargement interpolation circuit, 6 is a D / A converter, and 7 is a video signal output. ..

Next, the operation will be described. The video signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD 1 is subjected to signal processing such as CDS and AGC by the analog signal processing circuit 2 and converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 3. As for digital signals, data for each field or frame is stored in the memory by a digital signal processing circuit 4 including a memory, and image data is called from the memory by an image enlargement interpolating circuit 5 in accordance with the zoom ratio to interpolate between pixels and lines. , D / A converter 6 converts into an analog signal,
Output to video signal output 7. As a result of the above, FIG.
Electronic zoom is performed with the center of the screen as shown in (a) as the center (+ indicates the center of zoom).

[0004]

When the electronic zoom is performed by the conventional method, the main subject moves on the screen as shown in FIG. 11B in order to zoom from the center of the screen. There is a problem that the main subject is out of the screen when zoomed when approaching the edge.

When performing zooming on a moving subject, there is a problem that an appropriate zooming operation cannot be performed.

There is a problem in that the subject to be zoomed cannot be zoomed when the subject to be zoomed is not in the center of the screen.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides an electronic zoom system in which an appropriate zoom operation can be performed even when the main subject is moving in the electronic zoom.

Further, in the electronic zoom, there is provided an electronic zoom system in which an appropriate zoom operation can be performed even when a main subject moves and there is another moving subject.

Further, in the electronic zoom, an electronic zoom system is provided which can zoom the main subject intended by the photographer.

Still another object of the present invention is to obtain an electronic zoom system capable of performing a stable zoom of the main subject intended by the photographer in the electronic zoom.

[0011]

The electronic zoom system according to the first aspect of the present invention is such that the movement detecting circuit detects the movement of the main subject and changes the center point of the zoom.

In the electronic zoom system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the movement detecting circuit detects the movement of the main subject in a limited area and changes the zoom center point.

In the electronic zoom system according to the third aspect of the present invention, the viewpoint detection circuit detects the main subject intended by the photographer and changes the center point of the zoom.

In the electronic zoom system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the information of the viewpoint detection circuit is processed by the microcomputer to detect the main subject intended by the photographer, and the center point of the zoom is changed. is there.

[0015]

In the electronic zoom system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the movement of the main subject is detected by the movement detection circuit and the center point of the zoom is changed to zoom the main subject.

In the electronic zoom system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the main subject is zoomed in a limited area by detecting the movement of the main subject by the motion detection circuit and changing the center point of the zoom.

In the electronic zoom system according to the third aspect of the present invention, the main subject is zoomed by detecting the main subject intended by the photographer by the viewpoint detection circuit and changing the center point of the zoom.

In the electronic zoom system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the information of the viewpoint detection circuit is processed by the microcomputer, the main subject intended by the photographer is detected, and the center point of the zoom is changed to detect the main subject. Zoom in.

[0019]

EXAMPLES Example 1. An embodiment according to the first aspect of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electronic zoom system of the present invention. In the figure, 1
7 to 7 are the same as those in the conventional example, and the description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 8 is a motion detection circuit for detecting the motion of the subject, and 9 is a microcomputer for controlling the motion detection circuit 8 and the image enlargement interpolation circuit 5. Regarding the electronic zoom system configured as described above,
This will be described below.

The video signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD 1 is subjected to signal processing such as CDS and AGC by the analog signal processing circuit 2 and converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 3. The digital signal is stored in the memory for each field or frame by the digital signal processing circuit 4 including the memory. The motion detection circuit 8 detects a moving part in the video signal being picked up (hereinafter referred to as motion region detection), and outputs the above information to the microcomputer 9. The microcomputer 9 outputs a control signal from the output signal of the motion detection circuit to the image enlargement interpolation circuit 5 so as to perform zooming centering on the motion area in the video signal. Image enlargement interpolation circuit 5
Calls necessary video data from the memory, interpolates between pixels and lines, converts it into an analog signal by the D / A converter 6, and outputs it to the video signal output 7. Due to the above, the electronic zoom is performed centering on the subject as shown in FIG.

Example 2. Hereinafter, another embodiment according to the first aspect of the present invention will be described. With the above circuit configuration, the magnitude and direction of the motion of the subject is detected in the video signal captured by the motion detection circuit 8 (hereinafter, motion vector detection),
Output to the microcomputer 9. By detecting the motion of the subject from the above and setting one point of the motion vector as the center of the zoom, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be realized.

Embodiment 3. An embodiment of the second aspect of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an electronic zoom system of the present invention. In the figure,
Since 1 to 9 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. 10
Is a window generation circuit for extracting a limited area on the screen, as shown in FIG. The electronic zoom system configured as described above will be described below.

The image signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD 1 is subjected to signal processing such as CDS and AGC by the analog signal processing circuit 2 and converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 3. The digital signal is stored in the memory for each field or frame by the digital signal processing circuit 4 including the memory. As shown in (a) of FIG. 4, the window circuit 10 extracts a limited area of the screen, and the motion detection circuit 8 detects a motion area in the area.
The above information is output to the microcomputer 9. The microcomputer 9 outputs a control signal from the output signal of the motion detection circuit 8 to the image enlargement / interpolation circuit 5 so as to perform zooming centering on the motion area in the video signal, and a control signal for moving the window to the window circuit 10. .. The image enlargement interpolating circuit 5 calls necessary video data from the memory, interpolates between pixels and lines, and converts it into an analog signal by the D / A converter 6,
Output to video signal output 7. Due to the above, FIG.
As shown in (b), electronic zoom is performed centering on the subject.

Example 4. Hereinafter, another embodiment according to the second aspect of the present invention will be described. It is needless to say that even if the motion detection circuit 8 detects the motion vector in the above circuit configuration, the same effect as that of the third embodiment can be realized.

Example 5. An embodiment according to the third aspect of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an electronic zoom system of the present invention. In the figure,
Since 1 to 9 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. 11
Is a viewpoint detection circuit for detecting which subject the photographer is looking at, 12 is a viewfinder for displaying a photographed image, and 13 is a photographer. The electronic zoom system configured as described above will be described below.

The video signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD 1 is subjected to signal processing such as CDS and AGC by the analog signal processing circuit 2 and converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 3. The digital signal is stored in the memory for each field or frame by the digital signal processing circuit 4 including the memory. When the camera is used, the photographer 13 usually presses his / her eyes on the viewfinder 12 to take a picture. The viewpoint detection circuit 11 detects the movement of the eyeball of the photographer, and detects which part of the image displayed on the viewfinder 12 the photographer 13 is looking at. The viewpoint detection circuit 11 can be realized by, for example, JP-A-63-94232 and JP-A-63-194237. The output of the viewpoint detection circuit 11 is input to the microcomputer 9. The microcomputer 9 outputs a control signal to the image enlargement / interpolation circuit 5 which region in the video signal is to be zoomed, based on the output signal of the viewpoint detection circuit 11. The image enlargement / interpolation circuit 5 retrieves necessary video data from the memory, interpolates between pixels and lines, converts it into an analog signal by the D / A converter 6, and outputs it to the video signal output 7. As a result,
When the position of the viewpoint (+) is on the face of the person as shown in (a), zooming is performed centering on the face of the person, and when the position of the viewpoint is on the flower as shown in FIG. Perform a centered zoom.

Example 6. An embodiment according to the fourth aspect of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an electronic zoom system of the present invention. Circuits 1 to 13 have the same circuit configuration as that of the third embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. 14
Is a microcomputer that processes the information obtained from the viewpoint detection circuit 11 and controls the image enlargement interpolation circuit. The electronic zoom system configured as described above will be described below.

The video signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD 1 is subjected to signal processing such as CDS and AGC by the analog signal processing circuit 2 and converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 3. The digital signal is stored in the memory for each field or frame by the digital signal processing circuit 4 including the memory. When the camera is used, the photographer 13 usually presses his / her eyes on the viewfinder 12 to take a picture. The viewpoint detecting circuit 11 detects the movement of the eyeball of the photographer, and detects the position of the viewpoint as to which part of the viewfinder 12 the photographer 13 is looking at. The output of the viewpoint detection circuit 11 is input to the microcomputer 14.

FIG. 8 is a diagram in which the locus of the position of the viewpoint ((B) in FIG. 8) obtained by the viewpoint detection circuit 11 is superimposed on the image displayed on the viewfinder 12. When zooming is performed by the above-described zoom method, if the viewpoint of the photographer makes a movement as shown in (b) of FIG. 8 in a short time, the image violently shakes during the zooming operation. Microcomputer 14
Applies a temporal LPF to the output of the viewpoint detection circuit 11.
With this, the main subject determined by the photographer is detected, necessary image data is called from the memory by the image enlargement interpolating circuit 5, interpolation between pixels and lines is performed, and converted to an analog signal by the D / A converter 6 to obtain the video signal. Electronic zoom is performed by outputting to the output 7.

Example 7. Hereinafter, another embodiment according to the fourth aspect of the present invention will be described. Although the output of the viewpoint detection circuit 11 is temporally filtered in the fourth embodiment, the spatial L
A similar effect can be realized by dividing the PF, for example, the screen as shown in FIG. 9, into several parts, and multiplying the frequency with which the position of the viewpoint appears in the divided region by the LPF.

[0031]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the motion detection circuit 8 detects the motion of the object,
By setting the moving area of the subject as the zoom area, even if the subject moves during zooming, the subject does not come off the screen, and proper zooming is possible, and the subject that the photographer wants to zoom is always positioned in the center of the screen. It is possible to zoom the subject at the center of the screen without causing it.

As described above, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the movement detecting circuit 8 detects the movement of the object within the screen area limited by the window generating circuit 10, and the moving area of the object is zoomed. By setting the area, even when the subject moves during zooming, the subject does not deviate from the screen, and even when another moving subject exists on the screen, it is possible to perform an appropriate zoom operation of the main subject. The subject can be zoomed in the center of the screen without the subject always wanting to zoom in the center of the screen.

As described above, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the viewpoint detection circuit 11 detects the position of the viewpoint of the photographer 13 so that the main subject determined by the photographer 13 is always positioned in the center of the screen. Even if the main subject is at the center of the screen and the subject is moving, the subject does not deviate from the screen, and the proper zoom operation can be performed without being limited by the configuration of the screen.

As described above, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the viewpoint detecting circuit 11 detects the position of the viewpoint of the photographer 13 and the microcomputer 14 processes the above information, thereby the main subject decided by the photographer. The main subject is not always located in the center of the screen, the main subject is in the center of the screen, and the subject does not come off the screen even when the subject is moving. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electronic zoom system according to a first invention of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a screen zoomed by the electronic zoom method of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an electronic zoom system according to a second invention of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen zoomed by the electronic zoom method of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an electronic zoom system according to a third invention of the present invention.

6 is a diagram showing a screen zoomed by the electronic zoom method of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an electronic zoom system according to a fourth invention of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a position of a viewpoint of a photographer.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing screen division of a captured screen.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a conventional electronic zoom system.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen zoomed by a conventional electronic zoom method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 CCD 2 analog signal processing circuit 3 A / D converter 4 digital signal processing circuit 5 image enlargement interpolation circuit 6 D / A converter 7 video signal output 8 motion detection circuit 9 microcomputer 10 window generation circuit 11 viewpoint detection circuit 12 viewfinder 13 shooting Person (a) Window (b) The locus of the position of the photographer's viewpoint

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image enlargement function (zoom) of a camera, comprising a motion detection circuit for detecting a movement of a subject, an image enlargement interpolating circuit for realizing electronic zoom, and a microcomputer for controlling the same. An electronic zoom method characterized in that a moving area is a zoom area. 2. In zooming a camera, a motion detecting circuit for detecting a motion of a subject, a window generating circuit for deciding a limited area on an image pickup screen, an image enlargement interpolating circuit for realizing electronic zoom, and a microcomputer for controlling the same are provided. An electronic zoom system, characterized in that a moving area of a subject is used as a zoom area when zooming. 3. In the zoom of a camera, a viewpoint detection circuit for detecting a position of a viewpoint of a photographer, an image enlargement interpolation circuit for realizing electronic zoom, and a microcomputer for controlling the same are provided.
An electronic zoom method, wherein the main subject area is the zoom area. 4. An electronic zoom system for detecting a position of a viewpoint of a photographer and zooming a subject regarded as a main subject by the photographer, comprising a microcomputer for processing information detected by the viewpoint, An electronic zoom system characterized in that the zoom area is.