KR100627049B1 - Apparatus and method for composing object to image in digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for operating a digital camera, wherein a digital camera user captures and stores his or her own object, and then synthesizes the object with the captured image in a digital camera that synthesizes and stores the object in the captured still image or video. It relates to an apparatus and a method. A method of composing an object to a captured image in a digital camera is a method of operating a digital camera that captures, stores, and reproduces an image, the method comprising: (a) photographing an object input on an arbitrary background; Extracting and (c) synthesizing and storing the extracted object in an image photographed by the digital camera. According to the present invention, after the digital camera user photographs and stores his / her own object, the digital camera user can obtain an image of his / her own object by synthesizing and storing the object in the captured still image or video.

Description

Apparatus and method for composing object to image in digital camera}

1 is a perspective view showing the front appearance of a digital camera.

FIG. 2 is a rear view illustrating a rear outline of the digital camera of FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the digital camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an apparatus for synthesizing an object with a captured image in a digital camera according to the present invention.

5 is a diagram for describing content of object extraction and synthesis of the extracted object into a captured image.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a method of composing an object to a captured image in a digital camera according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for operating a digital camera, wherein a digital camera user captures and stores his or her own object, and then combines the object with the captured image in a still image or video captured by the digital camera. A device and method for synthesizing are provided.

With the development of digital technology, a new type of camera using a digital signal, i.e., the image of a subject is stored in memory as a digital signal represented by 0 and 1 so that the stored image can be directly connected to the computer without developing, printing, or scanning. Portable digital cameras have been developed and are rapidly spreading.

A digital camera converts an electric image signal of a subject into a digital signal using an imaging device such as a CCD and stores the digital signal of the photographed subject in a memory by a compression / restore operation of the digital signal, or through an output device. Output the data.

Accordingly, a digital camera that performs a photographing operation of a subject according to the above principle stores image data of a photographed subject on a memory card or the like which stores data without using a separate film as in a conventional general camera.

Therefore, instead of purchasing a film and performing a shooting operation for a predetermined number of shots, and storing the film in a film lab and finding a photograph taken a few hours later, the video signals recorded on the memory card mounted by the operation of the digital camera are sequentially processed. The user can use the captured image data by connecting it to a computer.

With the development of digitization and multimedia, media such as digital images and audios have increased, and as the number of them has increased, many media have been added to the media through techniques such as watermarking by encrypting warriors or pictures that indicate the author's signature or author. This is synthesized. The media may be easily transformed through image synthesis by inserting the location of the place in the form of a memo in the watermarked image input and the image photographed at the specific place.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for synthesizing an object to a captured image in a digital camera in which a digital camera user photographs and stores his or her own object, and then synthesizes and stores the object in a captured still image or video. To provide.

An apparatus for synthesizing an object to a captured image in a digital camera for solving the technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is a digital camera for capturing and storing and reproducing an image, when the object input to any background is taken, the background It is preferable to include a signal processing means for extracting the object from the image, and synthesized and stored in the image taken by the digital camera.

In the present invention, the signal processing means is an object extraction unit for extracting the object from the background; A signal processor for adjusting and processing a color, a size, and a position of the extracted object by a selection signal; And a synthesis unit for synthesizing the signal-processed object into a general captured image.

In the present invention, the extracted object is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the digital camera.

A method of synthesizing an object to a captured image in a digital camera for solving the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is an operation method of a digital camera that captures an image and stores and reproduces the image. Photographing; (b) extracting an object from the background; And (c) synthesizing and storing the extracted object in an image photographed by the digital camera.

In the present invention, the color, size and position of the extracted object are adjusted and synthesized with the photographed image.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing the front appearance of a digital camera.

Referring to FIG. 1, the front of the digital camera includes a microphone (MIC), a self-timer lamp 11, a flash 12, a shutter button 13, a function-selection button 14, and a shooting-information display unit 16. ), A viewfinder 17a, a function-block button 18, a flash-light sensor 19, a lens unit 20, and an external interface unit 21.

In the self-timer mode, the self-timer lamp 11 operates for a set time from when the shutter button 13 is pressed to when the shutter is operated. The function-selection button 14 is used for the user to select one of the operation modes of the digital camera 1, for example, a still image shooting mode, a night view shooting mode, a moving picture shooting mode, and a playback mode. The shooting-information display section 16 displays information of each function related to shooting. The function-block button 18 is used for the user to select each function displayed on the shooting-information display unit 16.

FIG. 2 is a rear view illustrating a rear outline of the digital camera of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, behind the digital camera 1, a speaker SP, a power button 31, a monitor button 32, an auto-focus lamp 33, a viewfinder 17b, and a flash standby lamp ( 34), display panel (LCD) 35, exposure compensation / deletion button 36, enter / playback button 37, menu / OK button 38, wide angle-zoom button (39w) ), Telephoto-zoom button 39t, up-move button 40up, right-move button 40ri, down-move button 40lo, and left-move button 40le, playback mode (Playback) ) Button 42.

The monitor button 32 is used by the user to control the operation of the display panel 35. For example, when the user presses the monitor button 32 first, the image of the subject and the shooting information thereof are displayed on the display panel 35, and when the user presses the second time, only the image of the subject is displayed on the display panel 35. When pressed for the third time, power applied to the display panel 35 is cut off.

The auto-focus lamp 33 operates when the auto focusing operation is completed.

The flash standby lamp 34 operates when the flash (12 in FIG. 1) is in standby for operation.

The exposure compensation / deletion button 36 is used as a delete button in the process of adjusting the amount of light or manually setting each mode when the digital camera is manually operated.

The enter / playback button 37 is used for inputting data from the user or for a function such as stopping or playing in the playback mode.

The menu / OK button 38 is used to display and select the menu of the mode selected in the mode dial 14.

The up-movement button 40up, the right-movement button 40ri, the down-movement button 40lo, and the left-movement button 40le are also used in the process of setting each mode by the user.

The playback mode button 42 is used to check and manipulate the last photographed image, video or audio information.

3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the digital camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The optical system OPS optically processes light from a subject. The optical system OPS includes a zoom lens ZL (not shown), a focus lens FL (not shown), and a compensation lens CL (not shown).

When the user presses the wide angle-zoom button (39w in FIG. 2) or the telephoto-zoom button (39t in FIG. 2) included in the user input unit INP, a corresponding signal is output to the microcontroller 512. ) Is entered. Accordingly, as the microcontroller 512 controls the lens driver 510, the zoom motor MZ is driven to move the zoom lens ZL. That is, when the wide angle-zoom button (39w in FIG. 2) is pressed, the focal length of the zoom lens ZL is shortened to widen the angle of view, and the telephoto-zoom button 39t is When pressed, the focal length of the zoom lens ZL becomes long and the angle of view becomes narrow.

According to such a characteristic, the microcontroller 512 may obtain an angle of view θ with respect to the position of the zoom lens ZL from the design data of the optical system OPS. Here, since the position of the focus lens FL is adjusted while the position of the zoom lens ZL is set, the angle of view θ is hardly influenced by the position of the focus lens FL. The compensation lens CL serves to compensate for the overall refractive index and is not driven separately.

Reference numeral MA denotes a motor for driving an aperture. Here, the rotation angle of the aperture drive motor MA is changed depending on the case of the designated exposure mode and the case of not. The designated exposure mode refers to a mode for setting the exposure amount of the digital camera to the average brightness of the designated detection area when the desired area of the target area matches the designated detection area displayed on the display panel 35 of the digital camera. Say.

The optical system OPS includes an optical evening pass filter (OLPE, not shown) and an infrared cut filter (IRF, not shown). An optical low pass filter removes high frequency optical noise, and an infrared cut filter cuts off infrared light of incident light.

A photoelectric conversion unit (OEC) of a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) converts light from an optical system (OPS) into an electrical analog signal. Here, the digital signal processor 507 controls the timing circuit 502 to control the operations of the photoelectric converter OEC and the analog-digital converter 501. The CDS-ADC (Correlation Double Sampler and Analog-to-Digital Converter) element 501 as an analog-to-digital converter processes the analog signal from the photoelectric converter (OEC), removes the high frequency noise, and adjusts the amplitude. After that, it is converted into a digital signal. The digital signal processor 507 processes the digital signal from the CDS-ADC element 501 to generate a digital image signal classified into luminance and chroma signals.

The light emitting portion LAMP driven by the microcontroller 512 includes a self-timer lamp 11, an auto-focus lamp (33 in FIG. 2) and a flash standby lamp (34 in FIG. 2). The user input unit INP includes a shutter button (13 in FIG. 1), a function-selection button (15 in FIG. 1), a function-block button (18 in FIG. 1), a monitor button (32 in FIG. 2), and confirm / delete. Button (36 in FIG. 2), enter / playback button (37 in FIG. 2), menu button (38 in FIG. 2), wide-zoom button (39w in FIG. 2), telephoto-zoom button (39t in FIG. 2), Up-move button (40up in FIG. 2), right-move button (40ri in FIG. 2), down-move button (40lo in FIG. 2), and left-move button (40le in FIG. 2).

The digital video signal from the digital signal processor 507 is temporarily stored in the DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 504.

The EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) 505 stores algorithms and setting data necessary for the operation of the digital signal processor 507.

The memory card of the user is attached to or detached from the memory card interface 506.

The digital image signal from the digital signal processor 507 is input to the LCD driver 514, whereby the image is displayed on the color LCD panel 35, that is, the display unit.

On the other hand, the digital video signal from the digital signal processor 507 can be transmitted by serial communication via a universal serial bus (USB) connection 21a or an RS232C interface 508 and its connection 21b, and a video filter ( 509 and video output 21c may be transmitted as a video signal.

The audio processor 513 outputs the audio signal from the microphone MIC to the digital signal processor 507 or the speaker SP, and outputs the audio signal from the digital signal processor 507 to the speaker SP.

On the other hand, the flash 12 is driven through the microcontroller 512 and the flash controller 511 according to the signal from the flash-light amount sensor 19.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a device for synthesizing an object to a captured image in a digital camera according to the present invention. The user input unit INP, the display panel 35, the CCD 500, the ADC 501, and the DRAM ( 504, a digital signal processor 507 and a microcontroller 512 including an EEPROM 505, an object extractor 507-1, a signal processor 507-2, and a synthesizer 507-3. .

The microcontroller 512 provides a menu for composing an object to the captured general image. The user may select a menu provided by the microcontroller 512 when the digital camera is first purchased or when object composition is desired. For example, the microcontroller 512 provides an object photographing menu and an object composition menu.

After selecting the object photographing menu, the user draws a desired object using a writing instrument or the like on a paper having a monochrome background such as white paper. Here, the object is a letter, a string, a figure, etc., and is not fixed but includes all symbols that can be drawn by the user. For example, the object may be a string as shown in FIG. 5A.

When the user presses the shutter 13 to photograph an object drawn on a paper having a monochrome background, the CCD 500 converts it into an electrical signal.

The ADC 501 converts an image (hereinafter, referred to as an object image) converted into an electrical signal into a digital signal and stores it in the DRAM 504.

The digital signal processor 507 separates the background and the object from the object image stored in the DRAM 504, extracts the object from the object image, and stores the object in the EEPROM 505, which is a nonvolatile memory, by selecting the user input unit INP. After processing the extracted object, the extracted object is synthesized into a captured general image (movie or still image) and stored in a memory card (not shown) through the DRAM 504.

To this end, the digital signal processor 507 includes an object extractor 507-1, a signal processor 507-2, and a combiner 507-3.

The object extractor 507-1 separates the background and the object from the digitally converted object image output from the ADC 501, extracts only the object, and stores the object in the EEPROM 505. 5B shows an object extracted from the background after photographing the object image.

For object synthesis, if the object synthesis menu provided by the microcontroller 512 is selected, the object may be retrieved from the EEPOM 505 at any time, signal processed, and then synthesized into the captured general image.

There may be a variety of methods for extracting an object from the background. In one embodiment, there is a contrast-based object extraction method for extracting an object by using a contrast difference occurring at an edge between the background and the object. When the object is static and its shape is relatively clear, there is an object extraction method by object shape that uses this as a template to extract an object based on the shape.

Subsequently, as an example, as shown in FIG. 5C, when a user takes a general image and wants to synthesize an object in the captured image, the user processes the object stored in the EEPROM 505 and synthesizes the captured image. You can also import images already stored on the memory card and insert objects.

The object stored in the EEPROM 505 is adjusted by the user in color, size and composition position. The signal processing unit 507-2 designates the color of the object to be transparent, translucent, or any color according to the selection signal input through the user input unit INP, and reduces the size of the object than the object at the time of photographing. The object is enlarged and the position of the object is moved to an arbitrary area in the captured general image.

The synthesizing unit 507-3 synthesizes the signal-processed object into the captured image and stores it in the DRAM 504. 5D shows that the signal-processed object is synthesized with the captured image. Thereafter, the microcontroller 512 stores the object composite image stored in the DRAM 504 in the memory card.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a method of synthesizing an object with a captured image in a digital camera according to the present invention, in which a user draws a desired object on a sheet of paper having a monochrome background, such as white paper, using a writing instrument (step 600). ). Here, the object is a letter, a string, a figure, etc., and is not fixed but includes all symbols that can be drawn by the user.

Thereafter, the user selects an object photographing menu provided by the microcontroller 512 (step 602).

The user photographs an object drawn on a paper having a solid background as shown in FIG. 5A (hereinafter referred to as an object image), and the photographed object image is stored in the DRAM 504 (step 604).

The object extractor 507-1 separates the object image stored in the DRAM 504 into a background and an object, and extracts only an object from the background by applying a contrast-based object extraction method or an object extraction method based on an object shape (606). step). 5B shows an object extracted from the background after photographing the object image.

In operation 608, the object extractor 507-1 stores the extracted object in the EEPROM 505.

If the object is to be synthesized in the general image, as shown in FIG. 5C, the user captures an image or retrieves an image from the memory card (step 610).

Thereafter, the object synthesis menu provided by the microcontroller 512 is selected (step 612).

When the object composition menu is selected, the signal processing unit 507-2 loads the object stored in the EEPROM 505 and makes the color of the object transparent or translucent or arbitrary by the selection signal input through the user input unit INP. In step 614, the color of the image is reduced, the size thereof is reduced or enlarged than the object of the photographed viewpoint, and the position of the object is moved to an arbitrary area within the photographed general image.

The synthesizing unit 507-3 synthesizes the signal-processed object in the captured image and stores it in the DRAM 504 (steps 616 and 618). 5D shows that the signal-processed object is synthesized with the captured image. Thereafter, the microcontroller 512 stores the object composite image stored in the DRAM 504 in the memory card.

So far I looked at the center of the preferred embodiment for the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, a digital camera user can capture and store his or her own object, and then synthesize and store the object in the captured still image or video to obtain an image in which the object is stored. .

Claims (5)

delete A digital camera that captures, stores, and plays back images. An object extracting unit extracting the object from the background when an object input to a sheet having a monochrome background is photographed; The color of the extracted object is transparent or semitransparent or an arbitrary color by a selection signal, the size of the object is reduced or enlarged than the object at the time of photographing, and the position of the object within the photographed general image. A signal processor moving to an arbitrary area; And And a synthesizer for synthesizing the signal-processed object into a general captured image. The method of claim 2, wherein the extracted object And synthesizing an object into a captured image, wherein the object is stored in a nonvolatile memory of the digital camera. An operation method of a digital camera that captures, stores, and plays back images, (a) photographing an object input on a paper having a solid background; (b) extracting an object from the background; (c) designating a color of the extracted object to be transparent or translucent or to any color; (d) reducing or enlarging the size of the object than the object at the time of photographing; (e) moving the position of the object to an area within a captured general image; And and synthesizing and storing the object whose color, size, and position have been adjusted in the captured general image. delete

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