JP2009049503A - Digital camera, photography method and photography program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a digital camera and a photography method for performing appropriate photography in accordance with the state of an object, and to provide a photography program. <P>SOLUTION: Before normal photography, the CPU 40 of the digital camera performs preliminary photography for allowing image information which are continuously acquired by a CCD 24 in a state where an imaging direction by the CCD 24 is continuously moved in a prescribed direction, to be stored to a memory card 52 as preliminary photography image information. When the normal photography is performed, the CPU 40 performs control so as to continuously display in real-time the object which is indicated by the image information continuously acquired by the CCD 24, with respect to an LCD 38, and also so as to allow the object which is indicated by the preliminary photography image information stored to the memory card 52, to be displayed so as to move at predetermined speed and at constant speed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera, a photographing method, and a photographing program, and in particular, a digital camera having display means for displaying a subject obtained by photographing, a photographing method using the digital camera, and a photographing program executed by the digital camera. About.

  In recent years, with the increase in resolution of solid-state imaging devices such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) area sensors and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors, digital electronic still cameras, digital video cameras, mobile phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) , Portable information terminals) and other information devices having a photographing function are rapidly increasing. In the present specification, an information device having a photographing function using the solid-state imaging device as described above is referred to as a “digital camera”.

  By the way, not only the digital video camera but also other digital cameras whose main purpose is to capture still images have a function of capturing moving images (hereinafter referred to as “moving image capturing function”) and a continuous shooting function. It has increased.

  On the other hand, as a usage form of a digital camera having this kind of video shooting function or continuous shooting function, in addition to a usage form in which a moving image is shot or continuously shot while the digital camera is moved, the moving image is shot or continuously shot. There is a usage form in which a plurality of images obtained by copying are connected to create a panoramic still image.

  Here, the panning speed or tilt of the digital camera in any of the usage mode for capturing the moving image, the usage mode for performing the continuous shooting, and the usage mode for creating the panoramic still image. ) The movement speed of the digital camera, such as the speed at which the image is taken, is very uneven when the image obtained by shooting is played back, and the width of the image used to create the panoramic still image is also uneven. As a result, the image may not be connected properly.

  As a technique that can be applied to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that a camera-integrated VTR displays a camera shake state, a panning speed, and the like on an electronic viewfinder, so that even a user unfamiliar with camera shooting can stably In order to enable photographing, the first means for detecting the movement of the casing and the camera shake correction in at least one of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction based on the output of the first means A second means for calculating a frequency exceeding the range; a third means for integrating at least one of the movements of the casing in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction for a predetermined time based on the output of the first means; And a fourth means for displaying that the output of the second means exceeds a predetermined first reference value, and the output of the third means is predetermined. Second When less than Jun'ne, technology for display by said fourth means is disclosed.

  According to this technique, the motion of the image is detected by the motion vector detector, and the frequency and amount when the camera shake correction range is exceeded are calculated by the microcomputer based on the output of the motion vector detector. In response, the character generator is controlled to generate characters and patterns for displaying camera shake, etc., mixed with the video signal in the monitor signal processing circuit, and supplied to the electronic viewfinder.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a plurality of images created by imaging a subject for the purpose of performing an appropriate panning operation by displaying a panning state at the time of panoramic shooting on a viewfinder or the like. A device for creating a panoramic still image by joining together, a first means for detecting horizontal and vertical movements of the casing, and a panning speed and an appropriate value based on the output of the first means A technique is disclosed that includes second means for determining the relationship, and third means for displaying the relationship between the panning speed and the appropriate value based on the output of the second means.

According to this technology, when panning a panoramic still image creation device to create a panoramic still image, the panning indicator is at the center of the screen when detecting the movement of the housing and displaying the panning state on a viewfinder or the like. Indicates that the panning speed is appropriate, indicates that the speed is too high when in the panning direction, and indicates that the speed is too low when in the direction opposite to the panning direction.
JP-A-6-303495 JP-A-8-223481

  However, in the techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, characters, patterns, and panning indicators are displayed in order to display the panning state. There has been a problem in that attention may be focused on the subject and it may not be possible to perform appropriate shooting according to the state of the subject.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a digital camera, a photographing method, and a photographing program capable of performing appropriate photographing according to the state of a subject.

  In order to achieve the above object, a digital camera according to claim 1, an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image information indicating the subject, and image information acquired by the imaging unit is stored. Storage means, display means for displaying a subject indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging means, and the imaging in a state in which the imaging direction by the imaging means is continuously moved in a predetermined direction prior to actual imaging Pre-shooting means for performing pre-shooting in which image information continuously acquired by the means is stored in the storage means as pre-shot image information, and when performing main shooting, the display means is continuously connected to the display means by the image pickup means. The subject indicated by the acquired image information is controlled to be continuously displayed in real time, and the pre-stored by the storage means is stored. And a, and control means for controlling so as to be displayed so as to move in a constant speed at a rate subject predetermined indicated by the captured image information.

  According to the digital camera of claim 1, a subject is imaged by the imaging unit and image information indicating the subject is acquired, and the image information acquired by the imaging unit is stored by the storage unit, and the display unit is displayed. Thus, the subject indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging means is displayed.

  The imaging means includes a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD area sensor or a CMOS image sensor. The storage means includes a RAM (Random Access Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), a semiconductor storage element such as a flash EEPROM (Flash EEPROM), an xD picture card (registered trademark), a flexible disk, etc. Examples include a portable recording medium, a fixed recording medium such as a hard disk, or an external storage device provided in a server computer connected to a network. Further, the display means includes various display devices such as a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, and an organic EL display device.

  Here, in the present invention, prior to the main photographing, the preliminary photographing means preliminarily captures image information continuously acquired by the imaging means while the imaging direction by the imaging means is continuously moved in a predetermined direction. The captured image information is stored in the storage means.

  In the present invention, when the main photographing is performed by the control means, the subject indicated by the image information continuously acquired by the imaging means is continuously displayed on the display means in real time. And the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information stored by the storage means is displayed so as to move at a predetermined speed at a constant speed.

  Therefore, when the user of the digital camera according to the present invention performs the main shooting, the subject displayed in real time by the display unit is changed to a subject that is obtained by preliminary shooting and moves at a constant speed at a predetermined speed. By moving the shooting direction of the digital camera according to the present invention so as to follow, the moving speed in the shooting direction becomes substantially constant, and the main shooting can be performed without unevenness. At this time, since the reference image for making the movement in the shooting direction constant speed movement is the same subject obtained by the preliminary shooting, it is possible to perform shooting without a sense of incongruity. Appropriate shooting can be performed.

  As described above, according to the digital camera of the first aspect, the imaging unit that captures an image of the subject and acquires image information indicating the subject, and the subject indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging unit are displayed. Display means, and prior to the main shooting, the image information continuously acquired by the imaging means in a state in which the imaging direction by the imaging means is continuously moved in a predetermined direction is stored as preliminary captured image information When the pre-shooting is stored and the main shooting is performed, the display unit is controlled so that the subject indicated by the image information continuously acquired by the imaging unit is continuously displayed in real time. At the same time, the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information stored by the storage means is displayed so as to move at a constant speed at a predetermined speed. Since the controlled so, it is possible to perform appropriate imaging in accordance with the state of the subject.

  The digital camera of the present invention includes information devices having a photographing function such as a digital electronic still camera, a digital video camera, a mobile phone, and a PDA.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the second aspect of the invention, the control unit causes the subject continuously displayed in real time and the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information to be in the predetermined direction. You may control the said display means so that it may arrange and display in the orthogonal direction. As a result, the main shooting can be performed without a sense of incongruity, and as a result, more appropriate shooting according to the state of the subject can be performed.

  According to the present invention, as in the invention described in claim 3, the predetermined speed is such that N is a frame rate by the imaging unit, X is the number of pixels of the imaging unit in the predetermined direction, and ΔX Is the speed at which the relationship expressed by the following equation holds, where is the number of moving pixels between temporally adjacent frame images of the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information.

As a result, the subject indicated by the image information obtained by the actual photographing can be brought into a state in which there is little blurring in the moving direction of the photographing direction, so that high-quality image information can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the invention described in claim 4, the control means moves the subject at a constant speed by at least one of deletion of frame image information and insertion of frame image information with respect to the preliminary photographed image information. You may control so that it may be displayed. Thereby, the image of the subject obtained by the preliminary shooting can be displayed so as to be moved more easily at a constant speed.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the control unit performs the main photographing, the movement of the subject between the frame images indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging unit is performed. Instruction information for instructing the start of shooting is output when the amount shifts from the increased state to the substantially constant amount state, and instruction information for instructing the end of shooting when the amount of movement shifts from the substantially constant amount state to the decreased state. You may control to output. As a result, the photographing range at the time of the main photographing can be set within a range where the moving speed of the digital camera is substantially constant, so that higher quality image information can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the sixth aspect of the present invention, prior to the main photographing, a plurality of subjects indicated by the preliminary photographed image information are displayed by the display means in order of photographing time and continuously. Then, the operation means operated at the first timing at which the subject for which the main shooting is to be started is displayed and the second timing at which the subject for which the main shooting is to be ended is displayed, and the information indicating the first timing is started to be shot. Shooting timing storage means for storing information indicating the second timing as shooting end information, and the control means indicates the shooting start information when performing the main shooting. When the subject corresponding to the first timing is displayed on the display means, the instruction information for instructing the start of shooting is output and is indicated by the shooting end information. Subject corresponding to second timing may be controlled so as to output the instruction information instructing imaging end when it is displayed by the display means. As a result, the shooting range at the time of the main shooting can be set to a desired range by the user, so that a desired subject can be shot more reliably.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the invention described in claim 7, when the control unit performs the main shooting, image information obtained by the main shooting is stored in the storage unit as main shooting image information. When the instruction information for instructing the display of the subject indicated by the actual captured image information is input, the subject indicated by the actual captured image information and the preliminary captured image corresponding to the actual captured image information The display means may be controlled to display the subject indicated by the information side by side. As a result, the image obtained at the time of preliminary photographing and the image obtained at the time of actual photographing can be referred to at the same time, so that these images can be easily compared and examined.

  Particularly, in the invention described in claim 7, as in the invention described in claim 8, the control unit stores the main captured image information in the storage unit in association with the corresponding preliminary captured image information. May be. As a result, the main captured image information and the corresponding pre-captured image information can be easily specified. As a result, each image information can be managed easily.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, an imaging method according to claim 9 is indicated by an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image information indicating the subject, and image information acquired by the imaging unit. An image capturing method for a digital camera including a display unit for displaying a subject, wherein the image capturing unit continuously moves the image capturing direction of the image capturing unit in a predetermined direction prior to the main image capturing. Preliminary photographing step for performing preliminary photographing for storing the acquired image information as preliminary photographing image information in the storage means, and image information continuously obtained by the imaging means for the display means when performing the main photographing. The subject indicated by is controlled so as to be continuously displayed in real time, and the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information stored by the storage means is controlled. Body and a control step of controlling so as to be displayed so as to move in a constant speed at a predetermined rate.

  Therefore, according to the photographing method of the ninth aspect, since it operates in the same manner as the first aspect of the invention, the appropriate photographing according to the state of the subject is performed as in the first aspect of the invention. be able to.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, an imaging program according to claim 10 is indicated by an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image information indicating the subject, and image information acquired by the imaging unit. An imaging program executed by a digital camera having a display means for displaying a subject, wherein an imaging direction by the imaging means is continuously moved in a predetermined direction before the actual imaging by the imaging means. Preliminary photographing step for performing preliminary photographing in which continuously acquired image information is stored in the storage means as preliminary photographing image information, and when performing main photographing, the display means is continuously obtained by the imaging means. Control so that the subject indicated by the image information is continuously displayed in real time. Subject indicated by the pre-captured image information to execute a control step of controlling so as to be displayed so as to move in a constant speed at a predetermined speed, to the computer.

  Therefore, according to the shooting program of the tenth aspect, since the computer can be operated in the same manner as the first aspect of the invention, the computer program according to the state of the subject as in the first aspect of the invention. Appropriate shooting can be performed.

  According to the present invention, an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image information indicating the subject, and a display unit that displays the subject indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging unit are provided prior to the main photographing. Then, pre-shooting is performed by preliminarily capturing the image information continuously acquired by the image capturing unit in the state where the image capturing direction by the image capturing unit is continuously moved in a predetermined direction in the storage unit as pre-captured image information, When performing the control, the display unit is controlled so that the subject indicated by the image information continuously acquired by the imaging unit is continuously displayed in real time, and the storage unit stores the storage unit. Control is performed so that the subject indicated by the pre-captured image information is displayed so as to move at a constant speed at a predetermined speed. It is possible to perform appropriate imaging according an advantage of being.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a case will be described in which the present invention is applied to a digital camera having a function of capturing both still images and moving images.

  First, an external configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In front of the digital camera 10, a lens 21 for forming a subject image, a strobe 44 that emits light to irradiate the subject as necessary during photographing, and a finder used for determining the composition of the subject to be photographed. 20 is provided. Further, on the upper surface of the digital camera 10, a release switch (so-called shutter) 56A, a power switch 56B, and a mode changeover switch 56C that are pressed when performing shooting are provided.

  Note that the release switch 56A of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment is pressed down to an intermediate position (hereinafter referred to as “half-pressed state”) and to a final pressed position beyond the intermediate position. A two-stage pressing operation of a state (hereinafter referred to as a “fully pressed state”) can be detected.

  In the digital camera 10, the release switch 56A is pressed halfway to activate the AE (Automatic Exposure) function to set the exposure state (shutter speed, aperture state), and then AF (Auto Focus). , Automatic focusing) function is performed to control focusing, and then exposure (photographing) is performed when the button is fully pressed.

  The mode changeover switch 56C is a still image shooting mode that is a mode for shooting still images, a moving image shooting mode that is a mode for shooting moving images, and a playback mode that is a mode for playing back a subject image on the LCD 38 described later. Rotation is performed when setting any of the modes.

  On the other hand, on the back surface of the digital camera 10, an eyepiece of the finder 20, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as “LCD”) 38 for displaying a photographed subject image, a menu screen, and the like, and a cross cursor switch 56D. And are provided. The cross-cursor switch 56D includes four arrow keys that indicate four moving directions of up, down, left, and right in the display area of the LCD 38.

  Furthermore, on the back of the digital camera 10, a menu switch that is pressed when displaying the menu screen on the LCD 38, a determination switch 56E that is pressed when confirming the operation content up to that point, and the previous operation content And a cancel switch that is pressed when canceling.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the main part of the electrical system of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  The digital camera 10 includes an optical unit 22 including the lens 21 described above, a charge coupled device (hereinafter referred to as “CCD”) 24 disposed behind the optical axis of the lens 21, and an input analog. And an analog signal processing unit 26 that performs various analog signal processing on the signal.

  The digital camera 10 also performs an analog / digital converter (hereinafter referred to as “ADC”) 28 that converts an input analog signal into digital data, and performs various digital signal processing on the input digital data. And a digital signal processing unit 30.

  The digital signal processing unit 30 has a built-in line buffer having a predetermined capacity, and also performs control to directly store the input digital data in a predetermined area of the memory 48 described later.

  The output terminal of the CCD 24 is connected to the input terminal of the analog signal processing unit 26, the output terminal of the analog signal processing unit 26 is connected to the input terminal of the ADC 28, and the output terminal of the ADC 28 is connected to the input terminal of the digital signal processing unit 30. . Accordingly, the analog signal indicating the subject image output from the CCD 24 is subjected to predetermined analog signal processing by the analog signal processing unit 26, converted into digital image data by the ADC 28, and then input to the digital signal processing unit 30.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 generates a signal for displaying a subject image, a menu screen or the like on the LCD 38 and supplies the signal to the LCD 38, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 40 that controls the operation of the entire digital camera 10. A memory 48 that temporarily stores digital image data obtained by imaging and the like, and a memory interface 46 that controls access to the memory 48 are included.

  Further, the digital camera 10 includes an external memory interface 50 for enabling the portable memory card 52 to be accessed by the digital camera 10, and a compression / decompression processing circuit 54 for performing compression processing and decompression processing on the digital image data. It is configured to include.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, a flash memory is used as the memory 48 and an xD picture card (registered trademark) is used as the memory card 52.

  The digital signal processing unit 30, the LCD interface 36, the CPU 40, the memory interface 46, the external memory interface 50, and the compression / decompression processing circuit 54 are connected to each other via a system bus BUS. Therefore, the CPU 40 controls the operation of the digital signal processing unit 30 and the compression / decompression processing circuit 54, displays various information via the LCD interface 36 to the LCD 38, and the memory interface 46 or the external memory interface to the memory 48 and the memory card 52. 50 can be accessed each.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 includes a timing generator 32 that mainly generates a timing signal for driving the CCD 24 and supplies the timing signal to the CCD 24, and the driving of the CCD 24 is controlled by the CPU 40 via the timing generator 32.

  Further, the digital camera 10 is provided with a motor drive unit 34, and driving of a focus adjustment motor, a zoom motor, and an aperture drive motor (not shown) provided in the optical unit 22 is also controlled by the CPU 40 via the motor drive unit 34. The

  In other words, the lens 21 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of lenses, is configured as a zoom lens that can change (magnify) the focal length, and includes a lens driving mechanism (not shown). The lens drive mechanism includes the focus adjustment motor, the zoom motor, and the aperture drive motor, and these motors are each driven by a drive signal supplied from the motor drive unit 34 under the control of the CPU 40.

  Further, various switches such as the release switch 56A, the power switch 56B, the mode change switch 56C, the cross cursor switch 56D, and the decision switch 56E (generally referred to as “operation unit 56” in the figure) are connected to the CPU 40. The CPU 40 can always grasp the operation state of the operation unit 56.

  In addition, the digital camera 10 includes a charging unit 42 that is interposed between the strobe 44 and the CPU 40 and charges power for causing the strobe 44 to emit light under the control of the CPU 40. Further, the strobe 44 is also connected to the CPU 40, and the light emission of the strobe 44 is controlled by the CPU 40.

  Next, an overall operation at the time of shooting of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment will be briefly described.

  First, the CCD 24 performs imaging through the optical unit 22 and sequentially outputs analog signals for R (red), G (green), and B (blue) indicating the subject image to the analog signal processing unit 26. The analog signal processing unit 26 performs analog signal processing such as correlated double sampling processing on the analog signal input from the CCD 24 and sequentially outputs the analog signal to the ADC 28.

  The ADC 28 converts the R, G, and B analog signals input from the analog signal processing unit 26 into 12-bit R, G, and B signals (digital image data) and sequentially outputs them to the digital signal processing unit 30. To do. The digital signal processing unit 30 accumulates digital image data sequentially input from the ADC 28 in a built-in line buffer and temporarily stores the digital image data directly in a predetermined area of the memory 48.

  The digital image data stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 is read out by the digital signal processing unit 30 according to the control by the CPU 40, and is subjected to white gain by applying a digital gain for each of R, G, and B according to a predetermined physical quantity. In addition to performing balance adjustment, gamma processing and sharpness processing are performed to generate 8-bit digital image data.

  The digital signal processing unit 30 performs YC signal processing on the generated 8-bit digital image data to generate a luminance signal Y and chroma signals Cr and Cb (hereinafter referred to as “YC signal”), and the YC signal. Are stored in an area different from the predetermined area of the memory 48.

  The LCD 38 is configured to display a moving image (through image) obtained by continuous imaging by the CCD 24 and can be used as a finder. When the LCD 38 is used as a finder, the LCD 38 is generated. The YC signals thus output are sequentially output to the LCD 38 via the LCD interface 36. As a result, a through image is displayed on the LCD 38.

  Here, when the still image shooting mode is set, the AF function is activated after the AE function is activated and the exposure state is set as described above at the timing when the release switch 56A is half-pressed by the user. The YC signal stored in the memory 48 at that time when the in-focus control is performed and then the fully-pressed state is continued, and the compression / decompression processing circuit 54 converts the YC signal into a predetermined compression format (in this embodiment, JPEG The image is recorded as an electronic file on the memory card 52 via the external memory interface 50 after being compressed in the format).

  On the other hand, when the moving image shooting mode is set, the YC signal stored in the memory 48 from that point in time is compressed / expanded in a time series every predetermined period when the release switch 56A is fully pressed. After compression in a predetermined compression format (in this embodiment, Motion JPEG format) by the processing circuit 54, recording is sequentially performed on the memory card 52 via the external memory interface 50, and the release switch 56A is fully pressed again. At this timing, the recording operation is terminated and shooting is performed.

  By the way, in the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, a state in which the shooting direction of the digital camera 10 with respect to a stationary subject (hereinafter referred to as “shooting subject”) is moved in a predetermined direction (this embodiment). In the embodiment, prior to moving image shooting (hereinafter referred to as “main shooting”) in a state of being moved in the horizontal direction (a panned state) or a state of being moved in a vertical direction (a tilted state)). Then, preliminary shooting is performed in which the digital image data continuously acquired by the CCD 24 is stored in the memory card 52 as preliminary shooting image information in a state where the imaging direction by the CCD 24 is continuously moved in the predetermined direction, and the main shooting is performed. When performing, the subject indicated by the digital image data continuously acquired by the CCD 24 is continuously displayed on the LCD 38 in real time. And a moving image shooting assisting function for controlling the subject indicated by the preliminary shooting image information stored in the memory card 52 to move at a predetermined speed so as to move at a constant speed. ing.

  Next, the operation of the digital camera 10 at the time of executing the moving image shooting assistance function according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, in order to avoid complications, the horizontal direction is applied as the predetermined direction, and the moving direction of the shooting direction when shooting a moving image with respect to the digital camera 10 is the horizontal direction (panning and moving image A case will be described in which shooting is performed in advance.

  First, the operation of the digital camera 10 when performing preliminary shooting will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the flow of processing of a preliminary shooting processing program executed by the CPU 40 of the digital camera 10 when the moving image shooting mode is set and an instruction to perform preliminary shooting is input by the user. The program is stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 in advance.

  At this time, the user shoots a moving image in a state where the digital camera 10 is panned so as to include the shooting range for the shooting target subject when performing the main shooting.

  Therefore, first, in step 100 of the figure, the user waits until the release switch 56A is fully pressed to wait for a moving image shooting start instruction, and in the next step 102, the moving image shooting is performed. To start. By the processing of step 102, the digital image data (in this embodiment, YC signal after compression processing by the compression / decompression processing circuit 54) is transferred to the memory card 52 at a predetermined frame rate (30 fps in this embodiment). Recording (moving image shooting) is started.

  In the next step 104, the user waits until the release switch 56 </ b> A is fully pressed again to wait for a moving image shooting end instruction. In the next step 106, the moving image shooting is stopped. The digital image data of the moving image recorded in the memory card 52 by the above processing is hereinafter referred to as “preliminarily captured image information”.

  In the next step 108, the moving speed of the subject when the subject indicated by the pre-captured image information is displayed (reproduced) on the LCD 38 by the moving picture photographing assist function is expressed by the following equation (1). The preliminary captured image information is adjusted so that the subject moves at a constant speed. As shown in FIG. 4, X in the equation (1) is the number of pixels of the CCD 24 with respect to the predetermined direction (horizontal direction in the present embodiment), and ΔX is the time series of the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information. The number of moving pixels between adjacent frame images in order, and N, the frame rate by the CCD 24, respectively.

Here, the number of moving pixels ΔX can be obtained by using a corresponding point detection technique such as a conventionally known correlation method or gradient method. Further, the adjustment of the preliminary photographed image information may be performed by performing at least one of deletion of the frame image information and insertion of the frame image information with respect to the preliminary photographed image information, as schematically shown in FIG. 5 as an example. it can. Needless to say, the method of adjusting the pre-photographed image information is not limited to this method.

  When the process of step 108 is completed, the preliminary photographing process program is terminated.

  By the way, in the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, prior to the main shooting, a plurality of subjects indicated by the preliminary shooting image information are displayed on the LCD 38 in order of shooting time and continuously with respect to the user. The first timing at which the subject for which the main shooting is to be started is displayed and the second timing at which the subject for which the main shooting is to be ended are designated, and information indicating the first timing is stored as shooting start information. Information indicating the second timing is stored as shooting end information, and shooting is started when the subject corresponding to the first timing indicated by the shooting start information is displayed on the LCD 38 when performing actual shooting. Instruction information is output, and the LCD 38 displays a subject corresponding to the second timing indicated by the shooting end information. Shooting period presentation function is mounted for outputting indication information indicating imaging end when it is.

  In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, the case where the instruction information is output by display on the LCD 38 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the digital camera 10 has a sound such as a buzzer. It goes without saying that other forms such as a form in which a generation device is provided and a predetermined sound is reproduced by the sound generation device can be used.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the digital camera 10 when storing the shooting start information and the shooting end information will be described. FIG. 6 shows the flow of processing of the shooting timing setting processing program executed by the CPU 40 of the digital camera 10 when the user inputs an instruction to store the shooting start information and shooting end information. This is a flowchart, and the program is also stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 in advance.

  In step 200 in the figure, the pre-photographed image information obtained by the pre-photographing processing program is read from the memory card 52, and display (reproduction) of the subject indicated by the pre-photographed image information on the LCD 38 is started.

  Here, the user switches a predetermined switch (when the subject desired to start the main shooting is displayed on the LCD 38 (first timing) and when the subject desired to end the main shooting is displayed on the LCD 38 (second timing). In the present embodiment, the determination switch 56E) is pressed.

  Therefore, in the next step 202, the pressing operation of the predetermined switch is waited, and in the next step 204, information indicating the timing at this time is stored in the predetermined area of the memory card 52 as the photographing start information. In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, information indicating the frame number of the subject displayed on the LCD 38 at this time is applied as the shooting start information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that other forms such as a form in which the information indicating the elapsed time since the reproduction of the subject indicated by the pre-photographed image information is started by the process 200 are applied.

  In the next step 206, the operation of waiting for pressing the predetermined switch is performed, and in the next step 208, information indicating the timing at this time is stored in the predetermined area of the memory card 52 as the photographing end information. In the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, information indicating the frame number of the subject displayed on the LCD 38 at this time is also applied as the shooting end information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it goes without saying that other forms such as a form in which information indicating the elapsed time since the reproduction of the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information is started by the processing in step 200 are applicable.

  In the next step 210, the reproduction of the subject started by the process of step 200 is ended, and then the main photographing timing setting processing program is ended.

  Next, the operation of the digital camera 10 when performing actual photographing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows the flow of processing of the main shooting processing program executed by the CPU 40 of the digital camera 10 when the moving image shooting mode is set and the user inputs an instruction to perform main shooting. This program is also stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 in advance.

  In step 300 in the figure, the pre-photographed image information obtained by the pre-photographing processing program is read from the memory card 52, and the subject of the first frame indicated by the pre-photographed image information is displayed (reproduced) on the LCD 38. The subject (through image) indicated by the digital image data continuously acquired by the CCD 24 is controlled to be continuously displayed on the LCD 38 in real time.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of an image displayed on the LCD 38 by the process of step 300 described above. As shown in the figure, in the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, as the display image, a subject (hereinafter referred to as a “preliminary captured image”) indicated by preliminary captured image information on the upper side of the display area of the LCD 38. Is displayed, and a through image is displayed on the lower side. At this time, the CPU 40 controls the LCD 38 so that the preliminary captured image and the through image are displayed side by side in a direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the predetermined direction (horizontal direction in the present embodiment).

  When the image shown in the figure is displayed on the LCD 38, the user positions the shooting direction of the digital camera 10 so that the through image is in the same state as the displayed preliminary shooting image. Then, after the positioning, the user presses a predetermined switch (in this embodiment, the determination switch 56E) to start the reproduction of the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information (the reproduction of the moving image).

  Therefore, in the next step 302, the process waits until the predetermined switch is pressed, and in the next step 304, reproduction of the subject (preliminary captured image) indicated by the read preliminary captured image information is started.

  Here, the user moves the shooting direction of the digital camera 10 so that the subject indicated by the through image follows the movement of the subject indicated by the preliminary shot image. Then, the user fully presses the release switch 56A when starting the main shooting, and sets the release switch 56A fully pressed again when the main shooting ends.

  Therefore, in the next step 306, it is determined whether or not the start of the main photographing is instructed by determining whether or not the release switch 56A is fully pressed. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 312. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 308.

  In step 308, by determining whether or not the subject indicated by the shooting start information stored by the shooting timing setting processing program is displayed on the LCD 38, the first time set as the timing at which the user wants to start the main shooting is determined. It is determined whether or not the timing has come. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 310.

  In step 310, instruction information for instructing the user to start shooting is displayed on the LCD 38 (for example, character string information “start shooting”), and then the process returns to step 306. If a negative determination is made in step 308, the process returns to step 306 without executing the process of step 310.

  The user can start the main shooting at the start timing designated by the user by fully pressing the release switch 56A at the timing when the instruction information is displayed on the LCD 38 by the process of step 310 above.

  In step 312, shooting of a moving image is started. By the processing in step 312, the digital image data (in this embodiment, the YC signal after compression processing by the compression / decompression processing circuit 54) is transferred to the memory card 52 at a predetermined frame rate (30 fps in this embodiment). Recording (moving image shooting) is started.

  In the next step 314, it is determined whether the release switch 56A has been fully pressed again, thereby determining whether the end of the main shooting has been instructed. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 320. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 316.

  In step 316, by determining whether or not the subject indicated by the shooting end information stored by the shooting timing setting processing program is displayed on the LCD 38, the second time set as the timing at which the user wants to end the main shooting is determined. It is determined whether or not the timing has come. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 318.

  In step 318, the LCD 38 displays instruction information for instructing the user to end shooting (for example, character string information “Please end shooting”), and then returns to step 314. If a negative determination is made in step 316, the process returns to step 314 without executing the process of step 318.

  The user can end the main photographing at the end timing designated by the user by fully pressing the release switch 56A at the timing when the instruction information is displayed on the LCD 38 by the process of step 318.

  In step 320, moving image shooting is stopped, and then the main shooting processing program ends. The digital image data of the moving image recorded on the memory card 52 by the above processing is referred to as “main photographed image information”.

  In the main photographing processing program, the main photographing image information is stored in the memory card 52 in association with the corresponding preliminary photographing image information. In the present photographing processing program according to the present embodiment, the above association is made common to a part of the name of the digitized file of the actual photographed image information and a part of the name of the corresponding digitized file of the preliminary photographed image information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, table information for storing the name of the digitized file of the main captured image information and the name of the corresponding digitized file of the preliminary captured image information is stored. It goes without saying that other forms such as a form to be stored and a form in which information for specifying the corresponding pre-photographed image information is incorporated in the name of the digitized file of the main photographed image information can be used.

  By the way, when the instruction information for instructing the display of the subject indicated by the actual captured image information is input to the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment, the subject indicated by the actual captured image information and the actual captured image are displayed. A comparison display function for displaying the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information corresponding to the information side by side on the LCD 38 is installed.

  Next, the operation of the digital camera 10 when the comparison display function is activated will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the comparison display processing program executed by the CPU 40 of the digital camera 10 when the user inputs an instruction to activate the comparison display function. Stored in a predetermined area of the memory 48 in advance.

  In step 400 of the figure, control is performed so that a predetermined image selection screen is displayed on the LCD 38, and in the next step 402, input of predetermined information is waited.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the display state of the image selection screen displayed on the LCD 38 by the process of step 400 described above. As shown in the figure, on the image selection screen according to the present embodiment, a message prompting the user to select an image is displayed, and the pre-shooting image information and the main shooting image stored in the memory card 52 at this time are displayed. Information thumbnails (Thumbnail) are displayed in a list so that corresponding ones are adjacent to each other. Note that, as described above, the actual captured image information is stored in association with the corresponding preliminary captured image information, so that the corresponding items can be easily identified.

  When the image selection screen shown in the figure is displayed on the LCD 38, the user designates a thumbnail display area indicating an image to be displayed by operating the cross cursor switch 56D or the like. It should be noted that the thumbnail designated at this time may indicate a pre-photographed image or a real-captured image. When an image to be displayed is designated by the user, the above step 402 is affirmative and the process proceeds to step 404.

  In step 404, pre-photographed image information and main-photographed image information corresponding to the image designated by the user, and photographing start information corresponding to the pre-photographed image information are read from the memory card 52, and in the next step 406, the pre-photographed image information is read. The reproduction of the subject indicated by the preliminary image information is started.

  In the next step 408, by waiting for the display of the subject indicated by the read shooting start information on the LCD 38, the user waits for the arrival of the first timing set as the timing at which the user wants to start the main shooting. In 410, the reproduction of the subject indicated by the actual captured image information read out in the process of step 404 is started, and then the comparison display processing program is terminated.

  In this comparison display processing program, the subject indicated by the pre-photographed image information and the subject indicated by the real-photographed image information are displayed side by side in the same state as shown in FIG. 8 as an example. .

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, the imaging unit (here, the CCD 24) that captures an image of the subject and acquires image information indicating the subject, and the image information acquired by the imaging unit. Display means (in this case, LCD 38) for displaying a subject, and obtained prior to the main photographing by the imaging means in a state in which the imaging direction by the imaging means is continuously moved in a predetermined direction. Preliminary shooting is performed in which image information is stored in a storage unit (here, the memory card 52) as preliminary shooting image information, and images acquired continuously by the imaging unit are performed on the display unit when performing main shooting. Control is performed so that the subject indicated by the information is continuously displayed in real time, and the preliminary photographed image information stored by the storage means . Doing so may subject represented is controlled to be displayed so as to move a constant velocity in at a predetermined speed, it is possible to perform appropriate imaging in accordance with the state of the subject.

  In the present embodiment, the display means is controlled so that the subject continuously displayed in real time and the subject indicated by the preliminary photographed image information are displayed side by side in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. Therefore, as a result of being able to perform the main shooting without a sense of incongruity, it is possible to perform more appropriate shooting according to the state of the subject.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the predetermined speed is set to a speed that satisfies the relationship expressed by the above equation (1). Therefore, the subject indicated by the image information obtained by the main shooting is determined with respect to the moving direction of the shooting direction. As a result of reducing blurring, high-quality image information can be obtained.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the subject is controlled to move at a constant speed by at least one of deletion of frame image information and insertion of frame image information with respect to the preliminary captured image information, An image of a subject obtained by shooting can be displayed so as to be moved at a constant speed more easily.

  Further, in the present embodiment, prior to the main shooting, a subject to be started for main shooting is displayed in a state where a plurality of subjects indicated by the preliminary shooting image information are displayed on the display unit in order of shooting time and continuously. The operating means (here, the decision switch 56E) operated at the displayed first timing and the second timing at which the subject for which the actual photographing is to be finished is displayed, and information indicating the first timing is the photographing start information. And a shooting timing storage means (here, a memory card 52) that stores information indicating the second timing as shooting end information, and is indicated by the shooting start information when performing the main shooting. When the subject corresponding to the first timing is displayed on the display means, instruction information for instructing the start of shooting is output, and the shooting ends Since the instruction information for instructing the end of photographing is output when the subject corresponding to the second timing indicated by the information is displayed by the display means, the photographing range at the time of the main photographing is desired by the user. As a result, it is possible to capture a desired subject more reliably.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when performing the main photographing, control is performed to store the image information obtained by the main photographing as the main photographing image information in the storage unit, and the subject indicated by the main photographing image information. When the instruction information for instructing display is input, the display is performed so that the subject indicated by the main captured image information and the subject indicated by the preliminary captured image information corresponding to the main captured image information are displayed side by side. Since the means is controlled, an image obtained at the time of preliminary photographing and an image obtained at the time of actual photographing can be referred to at the same time, so that these images can be easily compared and examined.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the actual captured image information is stored in the storage means in association with the corresponding preliminary captured image information, so that the actual captured image information and the corresponding preliminary captured image information As a result, it is possible to easily manage each piece of image information.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the image selection screen shown in FIG. 10 is applied has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the image selection screen shown in FIG. 11 is applied. It can also be in the form. In the image selection screen shown in the figure, a thumbnail indicating the actual captured image is displayed, and an icon (Icon) 60 indicating that a preliminary captured image corresponding to the actual captured image exists is superimposed on the thumbnail. Is displayed. In this case, since only one thumbnail is displayed for one shooting target, an image showing a larger number of shooting targets can be displayed as an image to be selected, and as a result, convenience can be improved. .

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where adjustment of the pre-shooting image information is performed by the pre-shooting processing program has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and when the shooting timing setting processing program is executed, It is also possible to adopt a form that is performed when the photographing processing program is executed. Also in this case, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, prior to the main shooting, the user specifies the timing for starting and ending the shooting at the main shooting in a state where the preliminary shooting image is reproduced, and starts and ends the shooting at the specified timing. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. Between the frame images of the subject indicated by the digital image data acquired by the CCD 24 at the time of actual photographing. Instruction information for instructing the start of shooting when the movement amount of the camera shifts from the increased state to the substantially constant amount state, and an instruction for instructing the end of shooting when the movement amount shifts from the substantially constant amount state to the decreasing state It is good also as a form controlled to output information.

  The amount of movement of the subject between the frames can be obtained by using a corresponding point detection technique such as a conventionally known correlation method or gradient method. Also, in this case, it is determined whether or not the shooting start timing has arrived by determining whether or not the movement amount has shifted from the increased state to the substantially constant amount state in step 308 of the main shooting processing program. Thus, the processing in step 316 determines whether or not the photographing end timing has arrived by determining whether or not the movement amount has shifted from the substantially constant amount state to the decreasing state. As a result, the photographing range at the time of the main photographing can be set within a range where the moving speed of the digital camera is substantially constant, so that higher quality image information can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the relationship of the expression (1) is derived using the corresponding point detection technique has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, FIG. As shown, an angular velocity sensor 62 is provided in the digital camera 10, and the relationship of the formula (1) can be derived by the following formula (2).

Here, the zoom position is a value obtained by dividing the focal length of the lens 21 at the time of actual photographing by the focal length at the wide end. For example, when the focal length at the wide end is 35 mm and the focal length at the time of actual photographing is 70 mm, “2” is obtained.

  Further, the default angular velocity is an angular velocity of the digital camera 10 that is determined in advance so that the expression (1) is satisfied when the digital camera 10 is designed. As a condition at this time, the zoom position is “1” and recording is performed. The resolution is also a preset value.

  The pan angular velocity is an average angular velocity at the time of preliminary photographing measured using the angular velocity sensor 62. The recording resolution coefficient is a value obtained by dividing the recording resolution at the time of actual shooting by the recording resolution of the preset. For example, when the recording resolution at the time of actual shooting is VGA, the recording resolution at the time of actual shooting is VGA. Will be '2'. Further, K is an adjustment coefficient for adjusting the equation (2), and usually “1” is applied, and depending on the type of the digital camera 10, a value corresponding to the type is applied. It should be noted that a three-dimensional sensor can be applied instead of the angular velocity sensor 62.

  Also in this case, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the moving image shooting is applied as the preliminary shooting and the main shooting of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a mode in which shooting by continuous shooting is applied. It can also be. Also in this case, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, the configuration of the digital camera 10 according to the present embodiment (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is an example, and it is needless to say that the configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  The display states of the various display screens shown in this embodiment (FIGS. 8, 10, and 11) are also examples, and it goes without saying that they can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  Furthermore, the flow of processing of various programs described in the present embodiment (see FIGS. 3, 6, 7, and 9) is also an example, and processing of each step is within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. Needless to say, it is possible to change the order, change the processing contents, delete unnecessary steps, add new steps, and the like.

  In this embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital electronic still camera has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a photographing function of a digital video camera, a mobile phone, a PDA, or the like. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to other information devices having the above.

It is an external view which shows the external appearance of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the electric system of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the preliminary photography process program which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the specific example of the pixel number X which concerns on embodiment, and the moving pixel number (DELTA) X. It is a schematic diagram with which it uses for description of adjustment of the preliminary | backup image information which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the imaging | photography timing setting process program which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of this imaging | photography process program which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the example of a display state of the image displayed on LCD by the main imaging | photography process program which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the comparison display process program which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the example of a display state of the image selection screen which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the other example of the display state of the image selection screen which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram with which it uses for description of the modification of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 Digital camera 24 CCD (Imaging means)
38 LCD (display means)
40 CPU (preliminary photographing means, control means)
52 Memory card (storage means, photographing timing storage means)
56E Determination switch (operating means)

Claims (10)

Imaging means for imaging a subject and obtaining image information indicating the subject;
Storage means for storing image information acquired by the imaging means;
Display means for displaying the subject indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging means;
Prior to the main photographing, preliminary photographing that stores image information continuously acquired by the imaging means in the state where the imaging direction by the imaging means is continuously moved in a predetermined direction as preliminary photographing image information in the storage means Preliminary shooting means for performing,
When performing actual photographing, the display unit is controlled so that the subject indicated by the image information continuously acquired by the imaging unit is continuously displayed in real time, and is stored by the storage unit. Control means for controlling the subject indicated by the preliminary image information to be displayed so as to move at a constant speed at a predetermined speed;
Digital camera equipped with. The control means controls the display means to display the subject continuously displayed in real time and the subject indicated by the preliminary captured image information side by side in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. 1. The digital camera according to 1. The predetermined speed is such that N is a frame rate by the imaging unit, X is the number of pixels of the imaging unit with respect to the predetermined direction, and ΔX is a temporally adjacent frame of the subject indicated by the preliminary captured image information When the number of moving pixels between images is used, this is the speed at which the relationship shown by the following equation is satisfied.
The digital camera according to claim 1 or 2. The control unit controls the subject to be displayed so as to move at a constant speed by at least one of deletion of frame image information and insertion of frame image information with respect to the preliminary captured image information. The digital camera according to any one of the above. When the main photographing is performed, the control unit starts photographing when the movement amount between the frame images of the subject indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging unit shifts from an increased state to a substantially constant amount state. 5. Instruction information for instructing is output, and control is performed so as to output instruction information for instructing the end of photographing when the movement amount shifts from the substantially constant amount state to the decreasing state. The digital camera described in the section. Prior to the main shooting, a first timing at which a subject for which main shooting is to be started is displayed in a state in which a plurality of subjects indicated by the preliminary shooting image information are displayed on the display unit in order of shooting time and continuously. Operating means operated at a second timing when the subject for which the main shooting is to be ended is displayed;
Shooting timing storage means for storing information indicating the first timing as shooting start information and storing information indicating the second timing as shooting end information;
Further comprising
When the main photographing is performed, the control means outputs instruction information for instructing the photographing start when the subject corresponding to the first timing indicated by the photographing start information is displayed by the display means. The control is performed so as to output instruction information for instructing the end of photographing when a subject corresponding to the second timing indicated by the photographing end information is displayed by the display unit. The digital camera described. The control means performs control to store the image information obtained by the main photographing in the storage means as the main photographing image information when performing the main photographing, and displays the subject indicated by the main photographing image information. When the instruction information to be instructed is input, the display unit is controlled so that the subject indicated by the main captured image information and the subject indicated by the preliminary captured image information corresponding to the main captured image information are displayed side by side. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The digital camera according to claim 7, wherein the control unit stores the main captured image information in the storage unit in association with the corresponding preliminary captured image information. An imaging method for a digital camera comprising: an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and acquires image information indicating the subject; and a display unit that displays the subject indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging unit.
Prior to the main shooting, preliminary shooting is performed in which image information continuously acquired by the imaging unit in a state where the imaging direction of the imaging unit is continuously moved in a predetermined direction is stored in the storage unit as preliminary shooting image information. A preliminary shooting process to be performed;
When performing actual photographing, the display unit is controlled so that the subject indicated by the image information continuously acquired by the imaging unit is continuously displayed in real time, and is stored by the storage unit. A control step of controlling the subject indicated by the preliminary image information to be displayed so as to move at a constant speed at a predetermined speed;
A photographing method comprising: An imaging program executed by a digital camera including an imaging unit that images a subject and acquires image information indicating the subject, and a display unit that displays the subject indicated by the image information acquired by the imaging unit. And
Prior to the main shooting, preliminary shooting is performed in which image information continuously acquired by the imaging unit in a state where the imaging direction of the imaging unit is continuously moved in a predetermined direction is stored in the storage unit as preliminary shooting image information. Pre-shooting steps to be performed;
When performing actual photographing, the display unit is controlled so that the subject indicated by the image information continuously acquired by the imaging unit is continuously displayed in real time, and is stored by the storage unit. A control step for controlling the subject indicated by the preliminary captured image information to be displayed so as to move at a constant speed at a predetermined speed;
A shooting program that causes a computer to execute.