KR20090112130A - Apparatus for processing digital image and method for controlling thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A digital image processing apparatus and a control method thereof are provided to move the digital image processing apparatus according to the movement of a selected person. CONSTITUTION: A method for controlling a digital image processing apparatus comprises the following steps of: receiving an input image(S410); detecting the face of a person in an input image(S420); selecting a tracked face after recognizing the detected face(S430); setting up a composition for a face area within the tracked face(S442); and tracking the tracked face on a newly inputted image(S450).

Description

Apparatus for processing digital image and method for controlling Technical Field

The present invention relates to a digital image processing apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a digital image processing apparatus capable of receiving an image and detecting a face of a person from the received image and a control method thereof.

Typically, the digital image processing apparatus includes all devices that process images such as a digital camera, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a phone camera, a PC camera, or use an image recognition sensor.

The digital image processing apparatus may image an image received through an image pickup device by a digital signal processor, compress the image, generate an image file, and store the image file in a memory.

In addition, the digital image processing apparatus may display and display an image of an image file received through an imaging device or stored in a storage medium on a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD).

The input image may include a face of a person. In this case, a human face is often of interest in an image to be photographed. In this case, the face may be detected to take a portrait picture better. In this case, a picture may be taken by focus and exposure that match the detected face.

An object of the present invention is to provide a digital image processing apparatus and a control method for tracking a moving person in accordance with a selected moving person using face recognition.

The present invention, (a) receiving an input image; (b) detecting a face of a person from the input image; (c) selecting a tracking face by recognizing the detected face; (d) setting a setup composition for a face area of the tracking face in the input image; (e) tracking the tracking face in the newly input image; And (f) adjusting the composition so that the face area of the tracking face is arranged by the set composition in the image, and moving the digital image processing apparatus to adjust the composition. do.

The method may further include specifying a selection face to be selected as the tracking face, and recognize the selection face in the input image and select the tracking face.

The step (d) may include setting a region having a size and shape set around the center point of the input image as a reference area, and repositioning the reference area by moving the center point of the face area of the tracking face as a center. It may be provided with a step.

The step (f) may further include adjusting the size of the face area, and adjusting the position of the face area.

The method may further include determining whether the face area can be resized, and if it is impossible to adjust the size of the face area, outputting a resizing failure message of the face area.

Another aspect of the invention, the main body; An image input unit which receives an input image; A driving unit mounted to the main body to move the main body; And a controller configured to recognize a face of a person from the input image and control the driver to track the face.

The driving unit may include a zoom level adjusting unit adjusting a zoom level of the image input unit, a first driving unit moving the main body left and right, and a second driving unit moving the main body up and down.

The main body may include a first main body rotatably mounted about one axis on a support, and a second main body rotatably mounted about another axis on the first main body.

The apparatus may further include a storage unit configured to store image information of at least one person's face, and select the tracking face by searching for a face of a specific person corresponding to the image information of the face detected from the faces stored in the image information. Can be.

The display unit may further include a display unit displaying the image and the face area.

According to the digital image processing apparatus and the control method thereof according to the present invention, by moving the digital image processing apparatus in accordance with the selected moving person by using face recognition, it is possible to easily take a picture according to the set composition.

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

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a digital camera 100, which is an embodiment of a control device of a digital image processing apparatus and a digital image processing apparatus to which the method is applied, according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, on the back of the digital camera 100, the direction button 21, the menu-OK button 22, the wide angle (Zoom) button (W), the telephoto (Zoom) ) Button T, the display panel 25 and the like.

The direction button 21 may include four buttons, an up button 21a, a down button 21b, a left button 21c, and a right button 21d. The direction button 21 and the menu-OK button 22 are keys for executing various menus relating to the operation of the digital image processing apparatus such as a digital camera.

The wide-angle zoom button W or the tele-zoom button T has a wider angle of view or a narrower angle of view depending on its input. In particular, it may be used to change the size of the selected exposure area. In this case, when the wide-zoom button W is input, the size of the selected exposure area is reduced, and when the tele-zoom button T is input, the size of the selected exposure area may be increased. As the display panel 25, an image display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) may be used.

The display panel 25 may be included in the display unit 350 of FIG. 3 in which an input image according to the present invention is displayed and a face region of a tracking face to be tracked can be displayed on the input image.

Meanwhile, a shutter release button 26, a flash (not shown), a power switch 28, and a lens unit (not shown) may be provided on the front or top surface of the digital camera 100. In addition, the front and rear of the digital camera 100 may be provided with an objective lens and an eyepiece of the viewfinder 27.

The shutter release button 26 and the power switch 28 may be included in a user manipulation unit (360 of FIG. 3) for inputting items to be manipulated by the user from the outside.

The shutter release button 26 is opened and closed to expose the film or an image pickup device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) for a predetermined time. In addition, the shutter release button records an image on the image pickup device by properly exposing a subject in association with an aperture (not shown).

On the other hand, the shutter release button 26 can be pressed in two stages. When the shutter release button 26 is pressed in one end, the first signal S1 may be generated, and when the shutter release button 26 is pressed in one step, the second signal S2 may be generated. The shooting preparation setting may be performed by the first signal S1, and the shooting operation may be performed by the second signal S2.

Meanwhile, the main body 110 of the digital camera 100 may include a first main body 111 and a second main body 112. The first body 111 may be coupled to a support such as a tripod to be rotatable about one axis. The second body 112 may be coupled to the first body 111 so as to be rotatable about another axis.

In this case, a lens unit (not shown) capable of adjusting the zoom level may be provided on the front surface of the second body 112. At this time, by adjusting the zoom level, the size of the face area of the tracking face, which is the target of tracking input through the lens unit, may be adjusted.

In addition, the left and right positions of the face region may be adjusted in the input image input through the lens unit by left and right rotation with respect to the support of the first main body 111. The vertical position of the face region may be adjusted in the input image input through the lens unit by the vertical rotation of the second main body 112 with respect to the first main body 111.

2 is a block diagram of a control device 200 of a digital image processing apparatus, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The control device 200 of the digital image processing apparatus may be mounted in the digital camera 100 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawing, an optical system OPS including a lens unit and a filter unit optically processes light from a subject. The lens unit of the optical system OPS includes a zoom lens, a focus lens, and a compensation lens. When the user presses the wide-angle zoom button W or the tele-zoom button T included in the user input unit INP, a signal corresponding thereto is input to the microcontroller 212.

Accordingly, as the microcontroller 212 controls the lens driver 210, the zoom motor M _Z is driven to move the zoom lens. That is, when the wide-zoom button W is pressed, the focal length of the zoom lens is shortened to widen the angle of view, and when the tele-zoom button T is pressed, the focal length of the zoom lens becomes long and the angle of view is narrowed.

On the other hand, in the auto focusing mode, the main controller embedded in the digital signal processor 207 controls the lens driver 210 through the microcontroller 212, whereby the focus motor M _F is driven. do. That is, the focus lens is moved to a position where the sharpest picture is obtained by driving the focus motor M _F.

The auto focus mode may be performed according to the first signal S1 generated by pressing the shutter release button 26 of FIG. 1 input through the user input unit INP. At this time, the plurality of images are input while the position of the focus lens is moved along the optical axis, and the position of the focus lens which obtains the clearest image among the plurality of images is obtained.

The compensation lens compensates for the overall refractive index and is not driven separately. Reference numeral M _A denotes an aperture adjusting motor M _A for driving an aperture (not shown).

In the filter section of the optical system OPS, an optical low pass filter removes optical noise of high frequency components. Infra-Red cut filter cuts the infrared component of the incident light.

The photoelectric conversion unit OEC may include an imaging device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS). The photoelectric conversion unit OEC converts light from the optical system OPS into an electrical analog signal.

The analog-to-digital converter may include a CDS-ADC (Correlation Double Sampler and Analog-to-Digital Converter) device 201. The analog-to-digital converter processes the analog signal from the photoelectric converter (OEC), removes the high frequency noise, adjusts the amplitude, and converts the analog signal into a digital signal. Here, the digital signal processor 207 controls the timing circuit 202 to control the operation of the photoelectric converter OEC and the analog-to-digital converter 201.

The optical system OPS, the photoelectric conversion unit OEC, the CDS-ADC element 201, and the like may be included in the image input unit 310 of FIG. 3.

The real time clock 203 provides time information to the digital signal processor 207. The digital signal processor 207 processes digital signals from the CDS-ADC element 201 to generate digital image signals classified into luminance (Y value) and chromaticity (R, G, B) signals.

The light emitting unit LAMP driven by the microcontroller 212 under the control of the main controller built in the digital signal processor 207 includes a self-timer lamp, an auto-focus lamp, a mode indicating lamp, a flash standby lamp, and the like. May be included.

The digital signal processor 207 and / or the microcontroller 212 may be included in the controller 320 of FIG. 3 according to the present invention. The digital signal processor 207 and / or the microcontroller 212 may also be equipped with cache memory as temporary storage space.

The user input unit INP may include a direction button 21, a wide-angle zoom button W, a telephoto-zoom button T, and the like. The user input unit INP may be included in the user manipulation unit 360 of FIG. 3.

The digital image signal from the digital signal processor 207 is temporarily stored in the DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 204. The EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) 205 stores algorithms and setting data such as a boot program and a key input program required for the operation of the digital signal processor 207. In the memory card interface 206, a user's memory card may be attached or detached.

The memory card recognized through the DRAM 204 or the memory card interface 206 may store a captured image temporarily or non-volatilely. The memory card may be stored in the first storage unit 330 or the second storage unit 340 of FIG. 3. May be included.

The digital image signal from the digital signal processor 207 is input to the display panel driver 214, whereby the image is displayed on the display panel 215.

The controller 200 of the digital image processing apparatus may further include display units 214 and 215. The display units 214 and 215 may include a display panel 215 and a display panel driver 214 for driving the display panel 215. The display units 214 and 215 may be included in the display unit 350 of FIG. 3 according to the present invention.

On the other hand, the digital image signal from the digital signal processor 207 can be transmitted by serial communication via a universal serial bus (USB) connection portion 31a or an RS232C interface 208 and the connection portion 31b thereof, and a video filter ( 209 and through the video output unit 31c. Here, the digital signal processor 207 may have a microcontroller therein.

The audio processor 213 outputs the audio signal from the microphone MIC to the digital signal processor 207 or the speaker SP, and outputs the audio signal from the digital signal processor 207 to the speaker SP.

3 is a block diagram of a digital image processing apparatus 300 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The digital image processing apparatus 300 may automatically move the main body 110 of FIG. 1 in accordance with the selected person moving by using face recognition. In this case, the person selected by face recognition may be found and the face of the selected person may be tracked. In particular, when the main body 110 is fixed, when the selected person moves, the person may be out of view and face detection may fail.

Therefore, in the present invention, the main body 110 can be rotated vertically and horizontally. As described above, embodiments of the digital image processing apparatuses 500 and 700 including the main body 110 rotatable vertically and horizontally by the driving units 530, 540, 730, and 740 are illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The digital image processing apparatus 300 may be controlled by the control method S400 of the digital image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4. Therefore, the same matters as in the control method (S400) of the digital image processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4 may be referred to, and detailed description may be omitted.

Referring to the drawings, the digital image processing apparatus 300 includes an image input unit 310; Control unit 320; Storage units 330 and 340; Display unit 350; And a user manipulation unit 360. In addition, the digital image processing apparatus 300 may include main bodies 510 and 710, and the main bodies may include driving units 530, 540, 730, and 740.

The main bodies 510 and 710 may include an image input unit 310 therein; The control unit 320; Storage units 330 and 340; Display unit 350; And a user manipulation unit 360, and may be mounted on the support units 600 and 800 so as to rotate vertically and horizontally.

The image input unit 310 receives an input image from the outside. The driving units 530, 540, 730, and 740 may be mounted on the main bodies 510 and 710 to move the main bodies 510 and 710 to rotate up and down and left and right. The controller 320 recognizes a human face in the input image and controls the drivers 530, 540, 730, and 740 to track the face.

The storage units 330 and 340 may include a first storage unit 330 and a second storage unit 340. The first storage unit 330 may temporarily store information about an input image and a recognized face region. The second storage unit 340 may store non-volatile image information and photographed images of at least one or more of the faces of several people, which are previously generated and stored in a database or the like.

The display unit 350 may display an input image and may display a face region on the input image. In addition, the display unit 350 may display an input image and a face region of the selected tracking face.

The controller 320 detects a face of a person from an input image, recognizes the detected face, selects a tracking face, sets a setting structure for a face area of the tracking face in the input image, The tracking face may be tracked, and the composition may be controlled to adjust the composition so that the face area of the tracking face is arranged by the set composition in the image.

In this case, the selection face to be selected as the tracking face may be designated, and the selection face may be recognized from the input image and selected as the tracking face. To this end, image information of at least one person's face may be stored in a database. In this case, the tracking face may be selected by searching for a face of a specific person corresponding to the image information of the detected face among the faces stored in the image information.

Set the composition by the size and position of the face area in the input image, adjust the size of the face area, adjust the position of the face area, and adjust the composition so that the face area of the tracking face is placed by the setting composition in the image. Can be. An area having a size and shape set around the center point of the face area of the tracking face may be set as the reference area.

The main bodies 510 and 710 may include first main bodies 511 and 711 and second main bodies 512 and 712. The first bodies 511 and 711 may be mounted to the supports 600 and 800 so as to be rotatable about one axis. The second bodies 512 and 712 may be mounted to the first bodies 511 and 711 so as to be rotatable about another axis.

As in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first bodies 511 and 711 may rotate left and right with respect to the supports 600 and 800. In addition, the second bodies 512 and 712 may rotate up and down with respect to the first bodies 511 and 711.

The driving units 530, 540, 730, and 740 for rotating the first body 511 and 711 and the second body 512 and 712 may include a zoom level adjusting unit (not shown), a first driving unit 530, 730, and Second driving units 540 and 740 may be provided.

At this time, the size of the face area may be adjusted by the zoom level adjusting unit. The position of the face region may be adjusted left and right by the first drivers 530 and 730. The position of the face region may be adjusted up and down by the second driving units 540 and 740.

The zoom level adjusting unit may include lens units 520 and 720, a driving unit 210 for driving the zoom lens shown in FIG. 2, and a zoom lens driving motor M _Z. The lens units 520 and 720 are included in the second bodies 512 and 712, and are rotated left and right with respect to the supports 600 and 800 by the first driving units 530 and 730, and the second driving units 540 and 740. It can be rotated up and down by).

The first driving units 530 and 730 may include first gear units 531 and 731 and first motors 532 and 732. The first gear parts 531 and 731 transmit the rotational motion supplied by the first motors 532 and 732 to the first motion gears 532b and 732b through the first driving gears 531a and 731a. 1 Main body (511, 711) to be able to rotate left and right with respect to the support (600, 800).

Meanwhile, each of the digital image processing apparatuses 500 and 700 illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 is an embodiment in which a structure in which the lens units 520 and 720 are rotated up and down is different.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the digital image processing apparatus 500 is separated from the left and right of the first main body 511 and the second main body 512, and coupled to each other, and the second image is driven by the driving of the second motor 542. The driving gear 541 is rotated to rotate the second main body 512 up and down with respect to the first main body 511.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the digital image processing apparatus 700 supports the first main body 711 on the support 800, and the second main body 712 on the first main body 711. It is coupled to be supported by). In this case, the second body 712 may be rotated about the first body 711 about the second rotation shaft 750 by the second driver 740.

To this end, the second motion gear 741b is coupled to the second rotation shaft 750, and the rotational force supplied from the second motor 742 is transmitted to the second motion gear 741b through the first drive gear 741a. Thus, the second main body 712 can rotate up and down with respect to the first main body 711.

At this time, the second body 712 is supported by the second rotation shaft 750 to the first body 711 has a structure that can be rotated up and down.

The controller 320 controls the first motors 532 and 732 and the second motors 542 and 742 to rotate the lens units 520 and 720 included in the second bodies 512 and 712 to input the same. The position of the face area in the image may be adjusted.

The user inputs a desired command from the outside through the user manipulation unit 360.

The image input unit 310 may include an optical system (OPS), a photoelectric converter (OEC), a CDS-ADC device 201, and the like illustrated in FIG. 2. The controller 320 may include the digital signal processor 207 and / or the microcontroller 212 illustrated in FIG. 2.

The first storage unit 330 may be a separate memory such as a cache memory or a separately mounted cache memory or DRAM 204 which may be included as temporary storage space in the digital signal processor 207 and / or the microcontroller 212 of FIG. 2. It may include a memory device. The second storage unit 340 may include a memory card recognized through the memory card interface 206.

The display unit 350 may include the display panel 25 shown in FIG. 1 and / or the display panel driver 214 and the display panel 215 of FIG. 2. The user manipulation unit 360 may include a shutter release button 26 and a power switch 28 of FIG. 1 and / or a user input unit INP of FIG. 2.

According to the present invention, by moving the digital image processing apparatus according to the selected moving person using face recognition, it is possible to easily take a picture according to the set composition.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method (S400) of a digital image processing apparatus as a preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

The control method S400 of the digital image processing apparatus may be implemented in the digital image processing apparatus of FIGS. 2 and / or 3 and the control apparatuses 200 and 300 thereof. To this end, the control method S400 of the digital image processing apparatus according to the present invention may be a program or algorithm stored in the storage means of FIG. 2 or implemented by firmware or the like.

Therefore, in the method S400 of controlling the digital image processing apparatus, the same matters as those described for the digital image processing apparatus and the control apparatuses 200 and 300 will be referred to, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to the drawings, the control method (S400) of the digital image processing apparatus includes an input image input step (S410); Face detection step (S420); Facial recognition step (S430); Composition setting step (S440); Face tracking step (S450); And composition adjustment steps S460 and S480.

The composition adjustment steps S460 and S480 in the control method S400 of the digital image processing apparatus are performed by the digital image processing apparatuses 500 and 700 supported by the supports 600 and 800 as shown in FIG. 9 or 10. Thereby up and down and / or left and right directions can be adjusted.

In the input image input step S410, an input image is received. In the face detection step S420, a face of a person is detected from an input image. In the face recognition step S430, the detected face is recognized and the tracking face is selected. In the composition setting step S440, a setting composition for a face area of the tracking face is set in the input image.

In the face tracking step S450, the tracking face is tracked in the newly input image. In the composition adjusting steps S460 and S480, the composition is adjusted so that the face area of the tracking face is arranged by the set composition in the image. At this time, the composition is adjusted by moving the digital image processing apparatus.

In the input image input step S410, an input image is received. In this case, the input image may be a frame image input at a predetermined time interval.

In the face detection step S420, a face of a person is detected from an input image. A human face may be detected in consideration of the color or shape of the human face in the input image. In this case, two or more faces of a person may be detected from the input image.

In the face recognition step S430, the detected face is recognized and the tracking face is selected. Face recognition is a different concept from face detection. Face detection is to find a face included in the input image. Face recognition may give information to know whose face is detected in the input image. However, a face must be detected first to recognize a face with respect to the detected face.

The face recognition step S430 may be performed based on the 2D image as in the conventional face recognition system. In this case, an error may be compensated for by receiving a 3D distance image, extracting facial feature points, and extracting a 3D face pose so as to improve a recognition rate of variously changed face poses.

By such a face recognition, a face of a specific person selected from a plurality of detected faces may be found. That is, at least one human face may be detected from the input image, and one of the detected faces may be selected as the tracking face. In this case, a tracking face may be selected by searching for a face of a specific person corresponding to image information of the detected face among at least one or more pre-stored and stored faces.

The method may further include designating a selection face to be selected as the tracking face, and recognizing the selection face in the input image to select a face of a predetermined person as the tracking face.

To this end, image information of various people's faces may be stored in a database or the like, and information on a person's face may be continuously added to the database by photographing. In addition, a plurality of pictures from various angles with respect to the same person may be stored as information about one person's face.

As another example, the tracking face may be selected by recognizing the detected face as the face of a specific person. To this end, all the detected faces are displayed on the input image and displayed to the user, and a face selected by the user may be selected as the tracking face. In this case, when only one face is detected, the face may be automatically selected as the tracking face.

On the other hand, by such a face recognition, it is also possible to efficiently manage the photo by using a digital photo composition and automatic tag. In addition, ancestors and relatives can be searched for based on facial similarity.

In the composition setting step S440, a setting composition for a face area of the tracking face is set in the input image. In this case, the setting composition may be set according to the size and position of the face region in the input image. That is, the setting composition may be set to be positioned at a position in the input image by the size of the face region in the input image.

The composition setting step S440 may be performed according to the input of the S1 signal corresponding to the first signal. That is, the composition setting step S440 may include a first signal input determining step S441, a composition resetting step S442, and a reference composition setting step S443.

In the first signal input determination step S441, it is determined whether the first signal S1 is input. In the composition resetting step (S442), the position of the reference area is reset by moving the center point of the face area of the tracking face. In the reference composition setting step S443, a preset default composition is set as the configuration composition.

On the other hand, by the input of the first signal (S1), the automatic focus adjustment, automatic exposure adjustment, etc. may be performed to prepare the shooting.

In this case, when it is determined that the first signal S1 is input as a result of the determination in the first signal input determination step S441, the set composition is set by the composition reset step S442. If it is determined that the first signal S1 is not input, the setting composition is set by the reference composition setting step S443.

To this end, first, the method may further include setting a region having a size and shape set around the center point of the input image as a reference region.

FIG. 5 illustrates a composition setting step S442 for resetting the position of the reference area to the position of the face area of the tracking face.

Referring to the drawing, first, an area of a size and shape set around a center point in the input image 50 is set as the reference area 53 ′. Next, in the composition resetting step (S442), the reference area 53 is reset by moving the position of the reference area 53 about the center point 52 of the face area 51 of the tracking face.

In this case, the reference area may be an automatic self shot zone for automatically photographing a person at a desired position and size. The automatic self shot area refers to an area that automatically captures a picture. When the center of the person comes to the area, the auto self shot area refers to an area that helps to shoot according to a desired composition. The Auto Self Shot Zone uses the expression Self Shot Zone, but it is not necessarily used only for self shots. It can also be used for general portrait photography.

In the drawing, the reference area 53 'is set at the center by default. In this case, it means that the person is always in the middle when the person photographs the picture. In order to position the person in the desired position, the reference area 53 needs to be reset in the composition resetting step (S442).

In the face tracking step S450, the tracking face is tracked in the newly input image. If a person is found by face detection and recognition, the face may be quickly tracked with less information than the face detection by face tracking. To this end, in the face tracking step S450, the face is moved in the newly input image to find the position of the tracking face whose position is changed.

At this time, the face area 51 of the person moving in the input image 50 is set, and the photographing preparation operation is performed such as auto focus adjustment and auto exposure adjustment according to the first signal S1 using the position information. Can be.

In the composition adjusting steps S460 and S480, the composition is adjusted so that the face area of the tracking face is arranged by the set composition in the image. At this time, the composition is adjusted by moving the digital image processing apparatus. Accordingly, after the set composition is set, the face of the person may be tracked so that the portrait may always have the same composition. In this case, the face area of the tracking face may be a tracking area.

The composition adjusting steps S460 and S480 may include a size adjusting step S460 and a position adjusting step S480. In the resizing step S460, the size of the face area corresponding to the tracking area may be adjusted. In the position adjusting step S480, the position of the face area corresponding to the tracking area may be adjusted.

At this time, it is preferable to adjust the position of the tracking area in the positioning step (S480) after the size adjustment of the tracking area is completed in the adjusting step (S460). That is, the size of the face area may be adjusted by adjusting the desired angle of view using auto zoom, and then the position of the face area may be adjusted by adjusting the direction of the digital image processing apparatus.

If the position of the face area is adjusted first and then the size of the face area is adjusted, the position of the face area may be distorted accordingly, and a duplication operation may be required in which the face area needs to be adjusted again. This may be a natural phenomenon caused by adjusting the angle of view using the zoom.

In the resizing step S460, the size of the tracking area may be adjusted by adjusting the zoom level so that the size of the tracking area is substantially the same as the size of the face area set by the composition.

To this end, it is first determined whether the size of the face area corresponding to the tracking area needs to be adjusted (S461), and then it is determined whether the size of the tracking area can be adjusted (S462). In this case, when the size of the tracking area is adjustable, the size of the face area may be adjusted by adjusting the zoom level.

In this case, even when the zoom level is operated to the end of the telephoto zoom or the wide-angle zoom of the optical zoom, it may not be possible to secure the size of the face area of the set composition. In this case, in the tracking failure notification step S470, a message indicating that the resizing of the tracking area has failed may be output.

In the tracking failure notification step (S470) by outputting a message through the beep sound or the auxiliary light to the user, it can inform that the user needs to move back and forth or direction. In another embodiment, a message indicating a failure to track and a direction in which the user should move may be indicated through a display device such as an LCD.

If there is no user's movement despite this message, it can proceed to the next operation. In the resizing step (S460), since the size of the tracking area can be adjusted using zoom, the digital camera may not move up and down or left and right.

6 illustrates an embodiment of an image in which the size of the face area needs to be adjusted because the size of the face area is different from the set size. FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of an image in which the size of the face region is adjusted in the input image requiring the size adjustment of the face region in FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, the size of the face area 61 in the newly input image 60 is different from the size of the face area 51 in the set composition, and the size of the face area is adjusted by the resizing step S460. This is necessary. In addition, since the center point 62 of the face area 61 is out of the position of the reference area 53 in the setting drive, the position adjustment by the positioning step S480 is necessary.

In this case, first, the position and the direction of the digital image processing apparatus are fixed, and the zoom level is adjusted in the resizing step (S460), thereby adjusting the size of the face area 71 as shown in FIG. 7. In this case, the position of the center point 72 of the face region may also be different from that shown in FIG. 6.

In the position adjusting operation S480, the position of the face region may be adjusted by moving the digital image processing apparatus such that the center point of the face region is located within the reference region. In this case, the position of the face area may be adjusted by rotating the picture vertically and / or left and right by the digital image processing apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 9 and / or 10.

At this time, the positional difference between the position of the reference area 53 of the setting composition and the center point 72 of the tracking area 71 is detected, and the center point 72 of the tracking area 71 is determined by the reference area 53 of the setting composition. The digital image processing apparatus may be rotated up and down and / or left and right so as to be positioned inside.

In this case, when the center point 72 of the tracking area 71 is located to the right of the reference area 53, the digital image processing apparatus may be rotated in the clockwise direction. When the center point 72 of the tracking area 71 is located to the left of the reference area 53, the digital image processing device may be rotated counterclockwise.

In addition, when the center point 72 of the tracking area 71 is positioned above the reference area 53, the digital image processing apparatus may be rotated in the above direction. When the center point 72 of the tracking area 71 is positioned below the reference area 53, the digital image processing apparatus may be rotated in the downward direction.

Meanwhile, up, down, left, and right rotation of the digital image processing apparatus may be performed by driving motors of a driving unit included in the digital image processing apparatus. The drive motor may be a step motor operated in a set step unit.

In this case, even if the same step is moved by the drive motor may vary depending on the angle of view. This is because nearby objects can respond greatly to slight movements. Therefore, it is preferable to set the driving step amount of the driving motor to be different for each zoom level.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of an image in which the size of the face region of FIG. 7 is adjusted, and the position of the face region is adjusted. Referring to the drawing, the center point 82 of the tracking area 81 is located inside the reference area 53 of the set composition.

In this case, since the person selected by using face recognition moves the digital image processing device automatically before leaving the angle of view of the digital image processing device, the user may operate the digital image processing device separately according to the angle of view when shooting with a tripod. no need.

Next, photographing may be performed by a photographing step S490. That is, an image file may be generated by converting and compressing an input image and may be stored in the storage units 330 and 340. To this end, it is determined whether the second signal S2 corresponding to the photographing start signal is input (S491), and when it is determined that the second signal S2 is input, the photographing operation may be performed (S492).

Meanwhile, the captured image may be a still image or a moving image. In this case, the face tracking step S450 to the shooting step S490 may be performed for each frame, and a frame image that is continuously input may capture a video according to the position and size of the face area according to the setting composition.

According to the present invention, by moving the digital image processing apparatus according to the selected moving person using face recognition, it is possible to easily take a picture according to the set composition.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is merely an example, and those skilled in the art may realize various modifications and equivalent other embodiments therefrom. I can understand. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the invention should be defined only by the appended claims.

1 is a diagram illustrating a rear surface of a digital camera as an embodiment of a digital image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a control apparatus that may be included in the digital camera of FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram schematically showing a digital image processing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a control method of a digital image processing apparatus as a preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating resetting a position of a reference region to a position of a face region of a tracking face in the method of controlling the digital image processing apparatus of FIG. 3 and the digital image processing apparatus of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of an image in which a size of a face area needs to be adjusted because a size of a face area is different from a set size in the control method of the digital image processing device of FIG. 3 and the digital image processing device of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of an image in which the size of the face area is adjusted in the input image requiring the size adjustment of the face area of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of an image in which the size of the face region of FIG. 7 is adjusted in the position of the face region.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an embodiment of a digital image processing apparatus equipped with a driving unit rotatable vertically and horizontally.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating another embodiment of a digital image processing apparatus in which a driving unit rotatable vertically and horizontally and a lens unit is mounted.

Claims (20)

(a) receiving an input image; (b) detecting a face of a person from the input image; (c) selecting a tracking face by recognizing the detected face; (d) setting a setup composition for a face area of the tracking face in the input image; (e) tracking the tracking face in the newly input image; And (f) adjusting the composition so that the face area of the tracking face is arranged by the set composition in the image; And a method of controlling the composition by moving the digital image processing apparatus. The method of claim 1, At least one human face is detected from the input image, and one of the detected faces is selected as the tracking face. The method of claim 2, The control method of the digital image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracking face is selected by searching for a face of a specific person corresponding to the detected image information of the at least one or more faces. The method of claim 2, Designating a selection face to be selected as the tracking face; And controlling the selected face to recognize the selected face as the tracking face. The method of claim 1, The control method of the digital image processing apparatus for recognizing the detected face as the face of a specific person to select the tracking face. The method of claim 1, And the setting composition is set according to the size and position of the face region in the input image. The method of claim 1, In step (d), Setting an area having a size and shape set around a center point of the input image as a reference area; and And resetting the position of the reference area about the center point of the face area of the tracking face. The method of claim 7, wherein In step (f), Adjusting the size of the face area, and And adjusting the position of the face region. The method of claim 8, Adjust the zoom level so that the size of the face area is substantially the same as the size of the face area set by the composition, and adjust the size of the face area, And controlling the position of the face region by moving the digital image processing apparatus such that a center point of the face region is located within the reference region. The method of claim 8, And controlling the position of the face area after adjusting the size of the face area. The method of claim 8, Determining whether the face area can be resized, and And if it is impossible to resize the face area, outputting a resizing failure message of the face area. main body; An image input unit which receives an input image; A driving unit mounted to the main body to move the main body; And And a controller configured to recognize a face of the person from the input image and to control the driver to track the face. The method of claim 12, The control unit detects a face of a person from the input image, recognizes the detected face to select a tracking face, sets a configuration composition for the face area of the tracking face in the input image, and newly inputs an image. Tracks the tracking face in the control unit, and controls to adjust the composition such that the face area of the tracking face is arranged by the set composition in the image. The method of claim 13, Designating a selection face to be selected as the tracking face, and recognizing the selection face from the input image and selecting the selection face as the tracking face. The method of claim 12, The drive unit, A zoom level adjusting unit for adjusting a zoom level of the image input unit; A first driving unit moving the main body left and right, and And a second driver moving the main body up and down. The method of claim 15, The main body, A first main body mounted on the support to be rotatable about one axis, and And a second main body mounted on the first main body so as to be rotatable about another axis. The method of claim 13, And a storage unit for storing image information of at least one or more persons' faces. And a face of a specific person corresponding to the detected image information of the face among the faces stored in the image information to select the tracking face. The method of claim 15, The setting composition is set according to the size and position of the face region in the input image, And adjusting the composition of the face area by adjusting the size of the face area and adjusting the position of the face area so that the face area of the tracking face is arranged by the set composition in the image. The method of claim 18, An area having a size and shape set around a center point of the face area of the tracking face is set as a reference area, the size of the face area is adjusted by the zoom level adjusting unit, and by the first driving unit or the second driving unit. And a digital image processing device for adjusting the position of the face area. The method of claim 12, And a display unit for displaying the image and the face area.

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