JPH11183957A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup device constituted to be compact and capable of excellently picking up an image by reducing the influence of illuminating reflected light by spectacles. SOLUTION: This device is provided with plural illumination means 4 and 5, an image pickup means 3 picking up the image of a subject illuminated by the means 4 and 5, and image pickup control means 8, 9 and 10 controlling the means 4 and 5 to successively emit light so that the means 3 may pick up the image of the subject and selecting and outputting image information where the influence of the illuminating reflected light from the subject is the least out of the image information obtained by such image pickup.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus for picking up an image by illuminating the face, eyes, etc. of a person, and more particularly to an image pickup apparatus used for picking up an image which is less affected by reflected light from lighting glasses or the like and for image recognition. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When performing pattern recognition by imaging a person's face, eye pupil, eyeball, iris, etc., especially when the person is wearing glasses, the illumination light illuminating the person's face is reduced. The light is reflected by the spectacles, forms an image with the imaging lens, and is superimposed on the image of the pupil of the person, the pupil of the eye, the eyeball, the iris, and the like, which is originally required, and becomes an unsightly image. Further, when image processing is performed on a captured image using an image recognition system, data may be lost and processing may not be performed properly.

[0003] The phenomenon in which the reflected light from the spectacles forms an image on the imaging lens depends on the angle between the optical axis of the imaging lens and the optical axis of the illumination device. Generally, the angle between the imaging lens and the optical axis of the illumination is small. The phenomenon is more likely to occur.

For this reason, in general, a photographing apparatus in which the imaging lens and the illumination are arranged so as to increase the angle between the imaging lens and the optical axis of the illumination is often used.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-21611 discloses that
In order to reduce the influence of the reflected light of the spectacles, the imaging device is limited so that the angle formed by the optical axis of the imaging lens and the optical axis of the illumination device is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle. Proposed.

[0006]

However, if the imaging lens and the illuminating device are arranged apart from each other so that the angle between their optical axes is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, there is a disadvantage that the size of the imaging device becomes large.

The phenomenon in which the reflected light of the illumination light from the spectacles is imaged by the imaging lens occurs in various ways depending on the direction of the face of the person to be imaged, the angle of attachment of the spectacles to the face, and the curvature of the lens according to the power. However, it is difficult to completely eliminate this phenomenon only by increasing the angle between the optical axes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup apparatus which can be formed in a small size and can perform good image pickup by reducing the influence of illumination reflected light by eyeglasses or the like.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of illumination means, an imaging means for imaging a subject illuminated by these illumination means,
An image pickup control for causing the image pickup means to pick up an image of a subject by sequentially illuminating the plurality of illumination means, and selecting and outputting image information which is least affected by illumination reflected light from the subject from image information obtained by the image pickup; The image pickup apparatus is constituted by providing the image pickup apparatus.

With this configuration, even when a plurality of illumination means are arranged near the imaging means and the angle between the optical axis of the imaging means and the optical axis of the illumination means is small, the person to be imaged can wear the illumination means. It is possible to obtain a good image with little influence of illumination reflected light by a reflector such as spectacles.

Further, in the second invention of the present application, a plurality of illuminating means, an image capturing means for capturing an image of a subject illuminated by the illuminating means, and an image capturing means for capturing an image of the subject by sequentially illuminating the plurality of illuminating means. Then, based on the image information obtained by the pre-emission imaging, an illumination unit having the least influence of the illumination reflected light by the subject on the imaging is selected from the plurality of illumination units, and only the selected illumination unit emits the main light. Then, the image pickup device is provided with an image pickup control unit for causing the image pickup unit to pick up an image of the subject and outputting image information obtained by the main light emission image pickup.

With this configuration, it is not necessary to continuously perform main light emission with a large amount of discharge. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the required capacity and size of the capacitor for storing discharge energy, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the entire apparatus. Become. In addition, since the charging time of the capacitor is short, it is possible to repeatedly perform imaging in a short time.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of illuminating means, an imaging means for capturing an image of a subject illuminated by the illuminating means, and a plurality of illuminating means are sequentially pre-emitted to image the subject on the imaging means. If any of the illumination means determines that the influence of the illumination reflected light from the reflecting object of the subject on the imaging is smaller than a predetermined level based on the image information obtained by the pre-emission imaging, the plurality of illuminations are determined. A light emission condition (a condition including at least one of the light emission amount and the light emission time) when the main light emission is performed simultaneously by the means is set, and a plurality of illumination means are caused to simultaneously perform the main light emission in accordance with the above light emission condition, and the image pickup means is set to the subject. And an imaging control means for outputting image information obtained by the main light emission imaging to form an imaging apparatus.

With this configuration, particularly when the influence of the illumination reflected light at the time of imaging by any illumination means is small,
Since the discharge amount of each lighting means can be reduced, the required capacity and size of the condenser can be further reduced. In addition, repeated imaging in a short time is also possible.

Further, in the fourth invention of the present application, a plurality of illuminating means, an image pickup means for picking up an image of a subject illuminated by these illuminating means, and the plurality of illuminating means are sequentially pre-emitted to pick up an image of the subject on the image pickup means. If any of the illumination means determines that the influence of the illumination reflected light from the reflecting object of the subject on the imaging is smaller than a predetermined level based on the image information obtained by the pre-emission imaging, the plurality of illuminations are determined. Setting imaging conditions (conditions including at least one of the amount of light incident on the imaging means and the amplification factor of the image signal output from the imaging means) when the means simultaneously emits main light;
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a plurality of illumination means that simultaneously emit main light; an image pickup means that picks up an image of a subject under the above image pickup conditions; and image pickup control means that outputs image information obtained by the main light emission imaging. I have.

With this configuration, especially when the influence of the illumination reflected light during imaging by any of the illumination means is small,
It is possible to obtain a good image with less noise by making the illumination brighter. Moreover, by reducing the amount of light incident on the imaging means when the illumination is bright, it is possible to obtain an image with a large depth of field.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 4 show an image pickup apparatus for picking up a face (or a pupil, an eyeball or an iris) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
Shows the configuration of the above-described imaging apparatus, in which a person 1 as a subject wears glasses 2. FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the above-described face imaging apparatus, FIG. 3 is a timing chart of the same, and FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram of the face imaging apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image pickup apparatus has an image pickup lens 31 arranged opposite to the face of the person 1 and converts a face image formed by the image pickup lens 31 into an electric signal (image signal). An image pickup system 3 including an image pickup device 32 and peripheral circuits (not shown); two strobe lights 4, 5 arranged above and below the optical axis of the image pickup system 3; and an illumination drive system for driving these lights 4, 5 6, 7; a camera signal processing system 9 for processing a signal from the imaging system 3; a lighting drive system 6, 7, a control system 8 for controlling the imaging system 3 and the camera signal processing system 9;
An image recognition system 10 performs image recognition based on the output of the camera signal processing system 9.

Note that the image pickup system 3 corresponds to the image pickup means described in the claims, and the strobe lights 4 and 5 and the illumination drive systems 6 and 7 correspond to the light means described in the claims. Further, a camera signal processing system 9, a control system 8, and an image recognition system 1
0 corresponds to the imaging control means in the claims.

More specifically, the imaging lens 31
Is composed of a plurality of lens groups, for example, performs a zoom operation by driving a zoom control lens group according to a control signal from a control system 8 that controls the imaging system 3 and the camera signal processing system 9, and The focus operation is performed by driving the focus control lens group. Also,
The imaging lens 31 controls the iris meter in accordance with the calculation result of the luminance signal by the camera signal processing system 9 based on the image signal photoelectrically converted by the imaging device 32 and the control signal from the control system 8, and Exposure control is performed by increasing or decreasing the amount of incident light.

As the image pickup device 32, for example, an all pixel readout type CCD (Charge Couple) is used.
ed Device) is used. The imaging device 32
Various operations such as an electronic shutter are performed according to a control signal from the control system 8. For example, exposure control is performed by controlling the electronic shutter for the exposure time of the image sensor 32 according to the calculation result of the luminance signal of the camera signal processing system 9 and the control signal from the control system 8. It should be noted that an interline type CCD or CMOS sensor may be used as the image sensor.

The control system 8 controls the imaging system 3, the camera signal processing system 9, and the strobe lighting 4, 5 by controlling the control signals supplied from the image recognition system 10, the processing results output from the camera signal processing system 9, and the initial values. Control according to the settings.

The camera signal processing system 9 performs various kinds of signal processing such as gain control for adjusting a signal level according to the control signal supplied from the control system 8 on the image signal photoelectrically converted by the imaging system 3. Then, the image signal is supplied to the image recognition system 10 as an image signal conforming to the NTSC system which is one of the current standard TV systems. The output image signal is VGA
(Video Graphics Array) or the like.

The image recognition system 10 performs image recognition and image evaluation on the image signal supplied from the camera signal processing system 9, and performs control necessary for controlling the strobe lightings 4 and 5 and the camera signal processing system 9. The signal is supplied to the control system 8.

FIG. 1 shows a case in which a person 1 wearing glasses 2 is imaged. However, this imaging apparatus is similar to glasses and is easily affected by reflected light due to illumination (for example,
It can also be used to image a person wearing a noble metal around the face.

FIG. 4 shows a part of a picked-up image when the strobe lighting 4 and the strobe lighting 5 are simultaneously emitted when picking up an image of a person wearing glasses 2 by the image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment. In this figure, 101 is the iris of the eye of the person 1, 102 is the pupil, 103 is the reflected image of the strobe light 4, and 104 is the reflected image of the strobe light 5.

The reflected image 103 of the strobe light 4 and the reflected image 104 of the strobe light 5 are reflected at different positions of the spectacles 2 and formed on the image pickup device 32 via the image pickup lens 31. In this embodiment, The strobe lights 4 and 5 are set such that the distance between the reflected images 103 and 104 is sufficiently larger than the size of the image of the iris 101. The reflected images 103 and 104 are not superimposed on the image.

As an illumination light source, in addition to the strobe illuminations 4 and 5, an LED (Light Emitting) is used.
(Diode) or the like, and not only visible light illumination but also near-infrared illumination or the like may be used. Further, in the present embodiment, the two strobe lights 4 and 5 are arranged above and below the imaging system 3, but they may be arranged on the left and right sides of the imaging system 3 or three or more strobe lights are arranged. You may.

With such a configuration, an image picked up by at least one of the two strobe lights 4 and 5 is reflected by the reflected light of a portion of the picked-up image such as the iris 101. It has little effect.

Next, a series of operations from the start of imaging to the end of imaging of the imaging apparatus will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 2 and a timing chart shown in FIG.
First, when the face of the person 1 wearing the glasses 2 to be imaged reaches a predetermined imaging position, this is detected by a touch sensor or the like, and imaging is started (step 101).

Next, the imaging lens 31 performs a zoom operation according to the control signal from the control system 8, and the angle of view is adjusted to an optimum state (step 102). Next, the imaging lens 31
Performs a focus operation in response to a control signal from the control system 8 to adjust the focus so that a clear image is obtained (step 103).

Next, the control system 8 calculates at least one of the light emission amount, the light emission time, the light emission timing and the like of the strobe lights 4 and 5 (step 104). The control system 8
Represents an image sensor 32 corresponding to the emission of the strobe lights 4 and 5
Aperture (for example,
An operation for controlling the iris meter is performed (step 105). Then, the illumination drive system 6 is controlled based on the calculation result of the light emission amount and the like, and the strobe illumination 4 is turned on in FIG.
Light emission is performed at the timing shown in FIG.
6). At this time, the imaging system 3 also controls the aperture based on the result of the aperture control calculation according to the control signal from the control system 8.

The image pickup device 32 controls the timing of the operation of the electronic shutter and the like in response to the control signal from the control system 8, and synchronizes with the emission of the strobe light 4 at the timing shown in FIG. Is exposed (step 107). Further, the image sensor 32 converts the exposed optical signal into an electric signal, and outputs the first optical signal at the timing shown in FIG.
Are supplied to the camera signal processing system 9 (shown as "read" in FIG. 3).

After the image pickup by the light emission of the strobe lighting 4 is completed, the control system 8 controls the lighting drive system 7 based on the calculation result of the light emission of the strobe lighting 5 to change the strobe lighting 5 to the state shown in FIG. Light is emitted at the timing shown in FIG. The strobe lighting 5 is caused to emit light (step 108). At this time, the imaging system 3 also controls the aperture based on the result of the aperture control calculation according to the control signal from the control system 8.

The image pickup device 32 controls the timing of the operation of an electronic shutter or the like in accordance with the control signal from the control system 8 and synchronizes with the light emission of the strobe light 5 so that the image pickup device 32 shown in FIG.
Exposure of the second frame is performed at the timing shown in (d) (step 109). The imaging element 32 converts the exposed optical signal into an electric signal, and converts the image signal of the second frame into the camera signal processing system 9 at the timing shown in FIG.
(Shown as "read" in FIG. 3).

The calculation of the light emission of the strobe lights 4 and 5 and the calculation of the control of the aperture may be performed separately immediately before the light emission of the strobe lights 4 and 5. Also, strobe lighting 4,
5, the exposure of the image sensor 32 and the output (reading) of the image signal may be performed in a continuous frame, may be performed in a frame at a predetermined interval, or may be performed as an independent frame in a predetermined interval. Is also good.

When the imaging of the two frames by the strobe lightings 4 and 5 is completed, the camera signal processing system 9 controls the image signals of the two frames supplied from the imaging system 3 by the control signal supplied from the control system 8. In accordance with the signal, various signal processes such as gain control for adjusting the signal level and gamma compensation are performed, and the image signal is supplied to the image recognition system 10 as an image signal compliant with the above-described NTSC system or the like (step 110).

Next, the image recognition system 10 performs image recognition and imaging on the processed first frame image signal and second frame image signal supplied from the camera signal processing system 9. An image signal of a person's pupil, eyeball, iris and the like is evaluated (step 111).

Next, from among the image signals of the first frame and the image signals of the second frame, an image signal which is less affected by light reflected by the glasses 2 is selected (step 11).
2). Specifically, for example, an image signal having a lower peak level of the image signal is selected. Note that the image signal having the better image recognition result may be selected.

The image recognition system 10 uses the selected image signal as a final image output signal, performs image recognition and various image processing, and collects necessary data (step 113). In this way, the imaging is ended, and a determination for specifying a person is performed based on the collected data and the like (step 114).

By performing the above control, the strobe lightings 4 and 5 are arranged near the imaging system 3 and the imaging lens 31
Even if the angle between the optical axis of the strobe light and the optical axes of the strobe lights 4 and 5 is small, a good image is obtained which is less affected by illumination reflected light reflected by a highly reflective object such as eyeglasses worn by a person. be able to.

In this embodiment, the case where the two strobe lights 4 and 5 are arranged above and below the image pickup system 3 has been described. However, they may be arranged on the left and right sides of the image pickup system 3 or three or more. Strobe lighting may be provided. When three or more strobe lights are arranged, a flow for light emission and imaging for the third and subsequent lights is added to the flowchart of FIG. What is necessary is just to select an image signal.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
5 shows an operation flowchart of the imaging apparatus for facial imaging according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 shows an operation timing chart of the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. Note that the configuration of the imaging device that operates according to this flowchart is the first configuration.
It is the same as that of the embodiment.

In the first embodiment, immediately after the start of imaging,
An image was taken with the two strobe lights 4 and 5 emitting (main) light, but a large-capacity condenser is required to perform such main light emission continuously. Therefore, in this embodiment,
In order to eliminate the need for a large-capacity condenser, the strobe lights 4 and 5 are pre-emitted with a smaller amount of discharge than the main light in advance, and only one of the strobe lights is main-emitted according to the result of imaging by the pre-emission. I have to.

First, when the face of the person 1 wearing the glasses 2 to be imaged reaches a predetermined imaging position, this is detected by a touch sensor or the like, and imaging is started (step 20).
1).

Next, the imaging lens 31 performs a zoom operation according to the control signal from the control system 8, and the angle of view is adjusted to an optimum state (step 202). Next, the imaging lens 31
Performs a focus operation in response to a control signal from the control system 8 to adjust the focus so that a clear image is obtained (step 203).

Next, the control system 8 calculates at least one of the light emission amount, light emission time and light emission timing of the pre-emission of the strobe lights 4 and 5. Further, the control system 8 performs an operation for controlling an aperture (for example, an iris meter) so that the amount of incident light on the image sensor 32 becomes an appropriate level corresponding to the pre-emission of the strobe lights 4 and 5 (step). 205). Then, the illumination drive system 6 is controlled based on the calculation result of the light emission amount and the like, and the pre-flash is emitted from the strobe light 4 at the timing shown in FIG. 6A (step 206).
At this time, the imaging system 3 also controls the aperture based on the result of the aperture control calculation according to the control signal from the control system 8.

The image pickup device 32 controls the timing of the operation of the electronic shutter and the like in accordance with the control signal from the control system 8, and synchronizes with the pre-emission of the strobe light 4 to adjust the timing shown in FIG. To expose the first frame (step 207). The image sensor 32 converts the exposed optical signal into an electric signal, and supplies the image signal of the first frame to the camera signal processing system 9 at the timing shown in FIG. "Read").

After the image pickup by the pre-emission of the strobe lighting 4 is completed, the control system 8 controls the lighting drive system 7 based on the result of the light emission calculation of the strobe lighting 5 to switch the strobe lighting 5 to the state shown in FIG. ), Pre-emission is performed (step 208). At this time, the imaging system 3 also controls the aperture based on the result of the aperture control calculation according to the control signal from the control system 8.

The image pickup device 32 controls the timing of the operation of the electronic shutter and the like in accordance with the control signal from the control system 8 and synchronizes with the pre-emission of the strobe lighting 5 to adjust the timing shown in FIG. , Exposure of the second frame is performed (step 209). Further, the image sensor 32 converts the exposed optical signal into an electric signal and supplies the image signal of the second frame to the camera signal processing system 9 at the timing shown in FIG. "Read").

The pre-emission calculation of the strobe lights 4 and 5 and the control calculation of the aperture may be separately performed immediately before the emission of the strobe lights 4 and 5. Also, the pre-emission of the strobe lights 4 and 5, the exposure of the image sensor 32, and the output (reading) of the image signal may be performed in continuous frames, may be performed in frames at predetermined intervals, or may be performed in predetermined intervals. May be performed as an independent frame.

When the imaging of the two frames by the pre-emission of the strobe lights 4 and 5 is completed, the camera signal processing system 9 supplies the image signals of the two frames supplied from the imaging system 3 from the control system 8. Various signal processing such as gain control for adjusting the signal level and gamma compensation are performed in accordance with the control signal, and the image signal is supplied to the image recognition system 10 as an image signal conforming to the NTSC system described above (step 210). Next, the image recognition system 10 recognizes the image of the first frame and the image signal of the second frame supplied from the camera signal processing system 9 and processes the image signal of the second frame. The image signal of the eyeball, the iris and the like is evaluated (step 211).

Next, from among the image signals of the first frame and the image signals of the second frame, an image signal which is less affected by the reflected light of the illumination by the spectacles 2 is selected (step 21).
2). Specifically, for example, an image signal having a lower peak level of the image signal is selected. Note that the image signal having the better image recognition result may be selected.

Next, the control system 8 selects strobe lighting corresponding to the image signal selected by the image recognition system 10. Here, the description will be continued on the assumption that the strobe lighting 5 has been selected. Then, the control system 8 calculates at least one of the light emission amount, the light emission time, the light emission timing, and the like of the main light emission of the strobe light 5 (step 21).
3). Further, the control system 8 performs an operation for controlling the aperture so that the amount of incident light on the image sensor 32 becomes an appropriate level corresponding to the main light emission of the strobe lighting 5 (step 21).
4). Then, the illumination drive system 7 is controlled based on the calculation result of the light emission amount and the like, and the strobe illumination 5 is caused to emit main light at the timing shown in FIG. 6B (step 215). At this time, the imaging system 3 also controls the aperture based on the result of the aperture control calculation according to the control signal from the control system 8.

The image pickup device 32 controls the timing of the operation of the electronic shutter and the like in accordance with the control signal from the control system 8, and synchronizes with the main light emission of the strobe lighting 5, and
The exposure of the main frame of the image sensor 32 is performed at the timing shown in (d) (step 216). Further, the image sensor 32
Converts the exposed optical signal into an electrical signal,
The image signal of this frame is supplied to the camera signal processing system 9 at the timing shown in FIG.

The camera signal processing system 9 adjusts the signal level of the image signal of the main frame supplied from the imaging system 3 in accordance with the control signal supplied from the control system 8, such as gain control and gamma compensation. , And supplies the image signal to the image recognition system 10 as an image signal conforming to the above-described NTSC system or the like (step 217).

Next, the image recognition system 10 uses the processed image signal of the main frame supplied from the camera signal processing system 9 as a final image output signal (step 218), and performs image recognition and various image processing. At the same time, necessary data is collected (step 219). In this way, the imaging is terminated, and a determination for specifying a person is performed based on the collected data and the like (step 220).

By performing the above control, similarly to the first embodiment, the optical axis of the image pickup lens 31 and the strobe light 4,
Even if the angle formed by the optical axis 5 is small, it is possible to obtain a good image which is less affected by illumination reflected light reflected by a highly reflective object such as eyeglasses worn by a person. Moreover,
Since pre-light emission with a small discharge amount is used for the selection operation of the strobe lighting, only one main light emission with a large discharge amount is required. Therefore, the required capacity of the discharging capacitor can be reduced, and a compact and low-priced imaging device can be realized.

(Third Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the case where the main light emission is performed by one strobe light has been described. When it is determined that the influence of the light is less than the predetermined level for both the strobe lighting 4 and the strobe lighting 5, the control system 8 sets at least one of the light emission time and the light emission amount when the strobe lights 4 and 5 are simultaneously main-lit. The discharge current of each of the strobe lighting 4 and the strobe lighting 5 may be reduced by calculating the light emission conditions including the strobe lighting 4 and 5 at the same time based on the calculation result. Thereby, the required capacity of the discharging capacitor can be further reduced.

(Fourth Embodiment) Also, as a result of the evaluation by the pre-emission, if the influence of the illumination reflected light by the glasses or the like on the imaging portion is small in both the strobe lighting 4 and the strobe lighting 5, the strobe lightings 4 and 5 are simultaneously activated. Let it fire,
The control system 8 sets an imaging condition including at least one of the aperture value of the aperture of the imaging lens 31 and the signal amplification factor of the camera signal processing system 9 so that the amount of incident light on the imaging element 32 becomes an appropriate level. It may be. Thereby, the illumination can be made brighter, and a good image with less noise can be obtained. In addition, an image with a deeper depth of field can be obtained by reducing the aperture of the imaging lens 31 in accordance with the brightness of the illumination.

In this embodiment, the case where two strobe lights 4 and 5 emit light is described. However, three or more strobe lights may emit light.

In each of the above embodiments, an apparatus for imaging the face and eyes of a person has been described. However, the present invention is applicable to an imaging apparatus for detecting a line of sight in a camera and an imaging apparatus used for inspection of a production process in a factory or the like. The present invention can also be applied to a device or an imaging device used for a traffic monitor.

[0063]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of illuminating means are sequentially illuminated to capture an image, and among the obtained image information, the influence of the illumination reflected light from the subject is the least. Since a small amount of image information is selected and output, even when a plurality of illumination units are arranged near the imaging unit and the angle between the optical axis of each imaging unit and the optical axis of the illumination unit is small, It is possible to obtain a good image with less influence of illumination reflected light by a reflector such as spectacles worn by a person to be imaged, and to realize a small-sized imaging device.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of illumination means are sequentially pre-emitted to take an image, and based on the image information obtained by the pre-emission imaging, the object to be imaged is selected from among the plurality of illumination means. Is selected, the main unit emits only the selected illumination unit and performs imaging for output, so that main emission with a large discharge amount is continuously performed. This eliminates the necessity and reduces the required capacity and size of the capacitor for storing the discharge energy, thereby reducing the size of the entire device and enabling continuous imaging in a short time.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, based on the image information obtained by the pre-emission imaging sequentially performed by the plurality of illumination means, the influence of the illumination reflected light at the time of imaging by any of the illumination means is small. If the determination is made, the light emission conditions (light emission amount, light emission time, etc.) when a plurality of lighting means are caused to emit light at the same time are set, and the plurality of lighting means are caused to emit light at the same time according to the light emission conditions to perform imaging. Since the discharge is performed, the discharge amount of each lighting unit can be reduced, the required capacity and size of the condenser can be further reduced, and continuous imaging can be performed in a short time.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, based on the image information obtained by the pre-emission imaging sequentially performed by the plurality of illumination units, the influence of the illumination reflected light at the time of imaging by any of the illumination units is small. If the determination is made, the imaging conditions (such as the amount of light incident on the imaging unit and the amplification factor of the image signal output from the imaging unit) when the plurality of illumination units simultaneously emit main light are set, and the plurality of illumination units are set. At the same time as the main light emission to perform imaging under the above-described imaging conditions. Therefore, the illumination can be made brighter and a good image with less noise can be obtained. In addition, an image with a large depth of field can be obtained by reducing the amount of light incident on the imaging means when the illumination is bright.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an imaging apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the imaging apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an operation timing chart of the imaging apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing image information when both strobe lights are simultaneously emitted in the image pickup apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of an imaging apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an operation timing chart of the imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 person as subject 2 glasses 3 imaging system 31 imaging lens 32 imaging element 4, 5 strobe lighting 6, 7 illumination drive system 8 control system 9 camera signal processing system 10 image recognition system

Claims (7)

[Claims] A plurality of illuminating means; an imaging means for imaging an object illuminated by the illuminating means; a plurality of illuminating means sequentially emitting light to cause the imaging means to image the photographic subject; An imaging control unit that selects and outputs image information that is least affected by illumination reflected light from a reflection object of the subject from the obtained image information. 2. A plurality of illumination means, an imaging means for imaging an object illuminated by the illumination means, and a pre-emission of the plurality of illumination means in order to cause the imaging means to image the object, Selecting, from the plurality of illumination means, an illumination means having the least influence of the illumination reflected light from the reflecting object of the subject on the image based on the image information obtained by the imaging; An imaging control means for causing the imaging means to image the subject by causing only the main emission to take place, and outputting image information obtained by the main emission imaging. 3. A plurality of illumination means, an imaging means for imaging a subject illuminated by the illumination means, and a pre-emission of the plurality of illumination means in order to cause the imaging means to image the subject, and the pre-emission. Based on the image information obtained by the imaging, when any of the illumination means determines that the influence of the illumination reflected light from the reflecting object of the subject on the imaging is less than a predetermined level, the plurality of illumination means Setting a light emission condition when main light emission is performed at the same time, causing the plurality of illumination means to perform main light emission simultaneously according to the light emission condition, and causing the imaging means to image the subject,
An imaging control unit for outputting image information obtained by the main light emission imaging. 4. The light emitting condition according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting condition includes at least one of a light emitting amount and a light emitting time.
An imaging device according to claim 1. 5. A plurality of illuminating means, an imaging means for imaging an object illuminated by the illuminating means, and a pre-emission of the plurality of illuminating means to cause the imaging means to image the object, Based on the image information obtained by the imaging, when any of the illumination means determines that the influence of the illumination reflected light from the reflecting object of the subject on the imaging is less than a predetermined level, the plurality of illumination means An image capturing condition when the main light emission is performed at the same time is set, the plurality of illumination units are simultaneously driven to perform the main light emission, the image capturing unit captures the image of the subject under the image capturing condition, and image information obtained by the main light emission imaging An imaging apparatus, comprising: an imaging control unit that outputs an image. 6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the imaging condition includes at least one of an amount of light incident on the imaging unit and an amplification factor of an image signal output from the imaging unit. 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of illumination units are arranged at positions different from each other with respect to an optical axis of the imaging unit.