JP2012198564A - Digital camera, and self-timer control method and self-timer control program therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stop a countdown operation of remaining time in self-timer photography if necessary without adding a remote control function.SOLUTION: When a predetermined photographing mode is set, a through-image display is started, and processing to continuously recognize a face of a specified person previously stored as image data on successively picked-up subject images is started simultaneously. When a specified person "A" enters an angle of view (b) and his/her face is recognized on the subject image, a countdown of remaining time until photography by a self-timer is started. Thereafter, the face of the specified person "A" is continuously recognized on the subject image during the countdown operation. When the face of the specified person "A" cannot be recognized, the countdown operation is temporarily stopped at such a point of time. Then, the stopped countdown operation is restarted at a point of time when the face of the specified person "A" cannot be recognized again.

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera, a self-timer control method thereof, and a self-timer control program.

  Conventionally, a digital camera has been provided with a self-timer for causing an actual photographing operation to be performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the shutter was pressed. In shooting using the self-timer (hereinafter referred to as self-timer shooting), when the countdown of the remaining time until shooting is started by the self-timer, shooting is performed at the end of the countdown regardless of the photographer's convenience. For example, if the photographer who pressed the shutter when taking a group photo is not in time for preparations at the planned location, unintentional shooting may be performed in some cases, thereby recording the recorded image In some cases, the memory capacity is wasted.

  In this regard, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 describes a technique that allows a camera apparatus to cancel shooting by remote control operation even after the remaining time is being counted down after instructing self-timer shooting by remote control operation. ing.

2004-012491

  However, although the above technique is effective as long as it has a remote control function, it cannot be applied to a digital camera that does not have a remote control function. In addition, with the addition of a remote control function, it is essential to provide a remote control unit for transmitting a remote control signal (generally an infrared signal) and a receiver for receiving the remote control signal in the camera body, which increases the cost of the camera. And an obstacle to downsizing. Moreover, considering the specifications at, for example, travel destinations, there is a problem in that not only the camera but also the remote control unit needs to manage the power source and the storage location, which reduces usability.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and a digital camera capable of stopping the countdown operation of the remaining time at the time of self-timer shooting as necessary without adding a remote control function, and An object is to provide a self-timer control method and a self-timer control program.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the digital camera according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a digital camera provided with a self-timer, an imaging unit for imaging a subject, and a subject image captured by the imaging unit Image recognition means for performing predetermined image recognition, and self-timer control means for stopping the countdown operation in response to the image recognition result by the image recognition means during the countdown operation of the remaining time by the selftimer. Features.

  In the digital camera according to claim 2, the self-timer control means stops the countdown operation in response to a predetermined change in the image recognition result by the image recognition means. To do.

  In the digital camera according to the third aspect of the present invention, the predetermined image recognition for the subject image by the image recognition means is recognition of a predetermined subject portion in the subject image, and the self-timer control means is During the remaining time countdown operation by the self-timer, the countdown operation is stopped in response to a recognition result of a predetermined subject portion by the image recognition means.

  In the digital camera according to claim 4, the self-timer control means stops the countdown operation in response to the fact that the predetermined object portion cannot be recognized by the image recognition means. It is characterized by.

  In the digital camera according to claim 5, the self-timer control means temporarily performs the countdown operation in response to the fact that the predetermined object portion cannot be recognized by the image recognition means. After the stop, the count down operation is resumed in response to the predetermined object portion being recognized again by the image recognition means.

  In the digital camera according to the invention described in claim 6, the self-timer control means is a predetermined subject by the image recognition means before and after a predetermined time elapses during a countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer. The countdown operation is stopped in response to the amount of change in the recognition position of the portion exceeding a predetermined amount.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the digital camera includes a recognition target storage unit that stores a pre-registered image, and the image recognition unit recognizes the recognition from the subject image captured by the imaging unit. A subject portion corresponding to an image stored in the target storage means is recognized.

  In the digital camera according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the recognition target storage unit stores a face image of a specific person registered in advance.

  In the digital camera according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the self-timer control means changes the number of recognition of a predetermined subject portion by the image recognition means during the countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer. In response, the countdown operation is stopped.

  In the self-timer control method according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera equipped with the self-timer, the subject image picked up by the image pickup means during the count-down operation of the remaining time by the self-timer is predetermined. And a step of stopping the countdown operation in response to the image recognition result.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, a predetermined image recognition is performed on the subject image captured by the imaging means during the countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer in the computer of the digital camera equipped with the self-timer. And a self-timer control program for executing the procedure for stopping the countdown operation in response to the image recognition result.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to stop the countdown operation of the remaining time during self-timer shooting as necessary without adding a remote control function.

1 is a block diagram of a digital camera according to the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the memory area ensured by RAM in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in the embodiment. It is the figure which illustrated the change of the through image at the time of self-timer photography. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in the self-timer imaging | photography mode in other embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
First, the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to the present embodiment. This digital camera is provided with a self-timer and mainly includes the following parts.

  That is, the digital camera converts the CCD 1 that is the image sensor, the drive circuit of the CCD 1 and the output signal (imaging signal) of the CCD 1 into digital data, performs various processes on the converted digital data, and is imaged by the CCD 1. An image photographing processing unit 2 including various signal processing circuits for generating image data of a subject is provided.

  The image data generated by the image photographing processing unit 2 is sent to the control unit 3 and then recorded as an image file in the image recording unit 5 via the file access unit 4. The image recording unit 5 is an arbitrary recording medium such as various memory cards that can be attached to and detached from the digital camera, and the file access unit 4 is an interface circuit for inputting and outputting image data to the recording medium.

  The control unit 3 is mainly composed of a CPU and its peripheral circuits, and controls the entire digital camera. Further, the control unit 3 includes a CODEC (coder-decoder) for compressing / decompressing the image data, and compressing the image data at the time of recording and decompressing the compressed data at the time of reproducing the recorded image. Is also performed in the control unit 3.

  The digital camera has an LCD display unit 6, a key input unit 7, an RTC (Real Time clock) 8, an image recognition processing unit 9, a ROM 10, and a RAM 11.

  The LCD display unit 6 displays an image based on the image data read from the image recording unit 5 in the reproduction mode, and the subject based on the image data generated by the image shooting processing unit 2 in the shooting standby state in the recording mode. By displaying the live view image, it functions as an electronic viewfinder. In addition, a setting screen for setting the operation content of the digital camera is displayed.

  The key input unit 7 includes a plurality of keys such as a mode switching key and a shutter key for switching the operation mode of the digital camera between a recording mode for shooting and a playback mode for displaying a recorded image. Are sequentially detected by the control unit 3.

  The RTC 8 is a built-in clock that measures the current time, and in the digital camera of this embodiment, the control unit 3 counts a predetermined self-timer time (remaining time until shooting) based on a time signal generated by the RTC 8. It functions as a self-timer.

  The image recognition processing unit 9 is an image obtained by binarization, contour extraction, pattern matching, or the like on subject image data (subject image) captured by the CCD 1 and generated by the image photographing processing unit 2 in a self-timer photographing mode described later. The image recognition means of the present invention recognizes a person's face from a subject image through recognition processing.

  The ROM 10 is a program memory in which various programs and data for causing the control unit 3 to control each of the above-described units are stored. In the present embodiment, the ROM 10 is configured to cause the control unit 3 to function as a self-timer control unit of the present invention. The program is stored.

  The RAM 11 is a working memory for the control unit 3. In this embodiment, the RAM 11 stores the image creation area 11 a, the time measurement area 11 b, the image data registration area 11 c, and the number of shots recorded in the memory space shown in FIG. 2. Data storage areas such as the area 11d and the general-purpose work area 11e are secured.

  The image creation area 11a is an area used in the generation of a through image based on the image data generated by the image photographing processing unit 2 in the control unit 3 and the above-described image data compression / decompression process. As described above, the time measurement area 11b is an area in which the elapsed time from when the shutter key is pressed is stored when the control unit 3 functions as a self-timer together with the RTC 8.

  The image data registration area 11c is image data registered by a user in a registration mode prepared in advance in the digital camera, and a specific person to be recognized from the image data (subject image) of the subject by the image recognition processing unit 9 This is an area for storing face data (recognition target). That is, in the present embodiment, the RAM 11 is used as a recognition target storage unit of the present invention. Here, in the registration mode, a pre-captured image is displayed on the LCD display unit 6 and the user designates a desired area by a predetermined key operation, and the image data of the designated area is cut out and stored. It is a mode to do. The specific operation of the registration mode is arbitrary and is not limited to the above-described operation. For example, the face portion is automatically recognized from an image taken by the user, and the recognized face portion is stored. It does not matter.

  The number-of-shots recording area 11d is an area in which the number of times of shooting designated by the user in the setting mode prepared in advance for the digital camera is stored, and the number of times of shooting in the self-timer shooting mode described later is stored. The general-purpose work area 11e is an area for storing various data other than those described above.

  Hereinafter, the operation according to the present invention in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the control unit 3 when the self-timer photographing mode prepared as a lower mode of the recording mode in the digital camera is selected.

  In the following description, the image data registration area 11c of the RAM 11 previously stores image data of the face portion of the user (photographer) as the image data of the face of the specific person, and the number of shots recorded area of the RAM 11 In this example, “3” is stored in 11d, and the photographer takes a commemorative photo or a group photo of a plurality of people including himself.

  When the self-timer shooting mode is set, the control unit 3 immediately starts capturing the subject image by the image shooting processing unit 2 and displaying the through image on the LCD display unit 6, and also sends the image recognition processing unit 9 to the image recognition processing unit 9. A recognition process of a registered face (photographer's face) is started with respect to the captured subject image data (step SA1). The recognition processing by the image recognition processing unit 9 may be performed every time a new subject image is captured (for each frame), or may be performed every time a subject image is captured a predetermined number of times (every frame). Good.

  Thereafter, the control unit 3 sequentially checks whether or not the photographer's face can be recognized in the subject image, and if the photographer's face can be recognized (YES in step SA2), at that time, the shooting countdown (until shooting) The remaining time is counted) (step SA3). In other words, the elapsed time from when the shutter key is pressed is counted based on the time signal generated by the RTC 8, and the elapsed time is sequentially recorded (updated) in the time measurement area 11b of the RAM 11. Start.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram exemplifying a change in the subject image (through image) at that time. FIG. 4A shows another person (B) while assuming his / her standing position by the photographer (A). , C) during framing to fit within the angle of view, (b) in the figure is when the photographer has moved to the planned location after framing and turned his face to the camera. It is a figure showing each state, and the part (area) indicated by the broken line in FIG. 5B is a face part to be recognized.

  In addition, after the above-described photographing countdown is started, the control unit 3 causes the image recognition processing unit 9 to continue the recognition process and sequentially confirms the success or failure. If the photographer's face can be recognized (YES in step SA4), it is further determined whether or not the shooting time (predetermined self-timer time) has been reached. If the shooting time has not been reached (step SA5). NO), the above confirmation is repeated.

  On the other hand, if the subject image changes as shown in FIG. 4A and the photographer's face cannot be recognized before reaching the shooting time, that is, disappears from the angle of view (NO in step SA4), At this point, after the photographing countdown is stopped (step SA6), the image recognition processing unit 9 continues the recognition process, and the success or failure is sequentially confirmed (step SA7).

  Thereafter, if the photographer's face can be recognized again while repeating the above confirmation, that is, if the photographer's face is re-entered within the angle of view (YES in step SA7), the photographing countdown stopped in step SA6 is resumed at that point. (Step SA8), the process returns to the above-described step AS4. For example, when the self-timer time is 10 seconds and the elapsed time from the time when the shutter key is pressed is 6 seconds when the photographing countdown is stopped, it is stored in the time measurement area 11b of the RAM 11. The elapsed time counting process for 6 seconds or later is restarted without resetting the elapsed time being set.

  Then, when the elapsed time from when the shutter key is pressed while the photographer's face is recognized reaches the shooting time (both steps SA4 and SA5 are YES), the image pickup for recording by the CCD 1 and the image pickup are performed. The photographing process consisting of the image data compression and recording is executed (step SA9). As a result, a commemorative photo, a group photo, or the like in which the photographer's face is reflected is surely taken.

  Subsequently, the number of times of photographing in the self-timer photographing mode is incremented (step SA10). If self-timer photographing for three times has not been completed (NO in step SA11), the process returns to the above-described step SA3 and a new photographing countdown is performed. To start. Thereafter, the processing after step S4 is repeated, and when the self-timer photographing for three times is completed (YES in step SA11), the processing in the self-timer photographing mode is terminated.

  In the self-timer shooting mode described above, when the face of a specific person (photographer) registered in advance cannot be recognized in the subject image even after the shooting countdown is started, that is, the specific person When the face changes from a state that can be recognized in the subject image to a state that cannot be recognized, the countdown operation of the remaining time can be stopped at that time. That is, the countdown operation of the remaining time at the time of self-timer photographing can be stopped as necessary without adding a remote control function.

  Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a situation in which useless shooting is performed at the time of self-timer shooting while maintaining the cost reduction and downsizing of the digital camera. Moreover, it is not necessary to reduce the usability when bringing a digital camera to a travel destination or the like.

  In addition to the above, in the above-described self-timer shooting mode, the countdown operation once stopped can be resumed in response to the change of the face of the specific person to a state where it can be recognized again in the subject image. Is very good.

  For example, as described above, when taking a commemorative photo or group photo for multiple persons, if the person's standing position is to be changed after the countdown operation is started, the photographer is once out of the angle of view. Or stop the countdown operation by turning the face away from the camera or hiding it with your hand, and after changing the standing position, if the photographer returns to the angle of view or shows the face, the countdown The operation can be resumed. That is, it is possible to save time and effort for the photographer to return to the camera installation location and redo the operation for photographing, and to save unnecessary time.

  Unlike the present embodiment, when the face of a specific person becomes unrecognizable in the subject image after starting the shooting countdown, all the processes in the self-timer shooting mode may be immediately terminated. Even in such a case, it is possible to eliminate a situation where useless shooting is performed because self-timer shooting cannot be stopped.

  In the present embodiment, the image recognition processing unit 9 continuously recognizes the face of the specific person registered in advance in the subject image, and recognizes the face of the specific person that has been recognized in the subject image until then. The controller 3 is configured to stop the countdown operation on the condition that it cannot be performed, but the following may be adopted.

  In other words, the image recognition processing unit 9 recognizes the face of an unspecified person, that is, performs simple face detection for recognizing a portion where eyes, nose, and mouth are in a certain arrangement relationship, and is detected in the subject image until then. The controller 3 may be configured to stop the countdown operation on condition that an arbitrary face that has been made cannot be detected. Even in such a configuration, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained in the case of taking a commemorative photo for only the photographer.

  In the case where the recognition target is registered in advance as in this embodiment, the recognition target in the subject image does not necessarily have to be a human face, for example, a specific shape (such as a V sign) is created. It may be a finger, and may not be a part of the body but may be baggage.

  In the self-timer shooting mode described above, the countdown operation is started on the condition that the face of the specific person can be recognized in the subject image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and after setting the self-timer shooting mode, The countdown operation may be started on the condition that the shutter key is pressed as in the case of typical self-timer shooting.

  In that case, for example, the confirmation of whether or not the face of a specific person (or unspecified person) that could be recognized in the subject image until then has become unrecognizable starts after a certain time has elapsed since the countdown operation was started. You may let them. Furthermore, the countdown operation may be stopped on condition that the face of the specific person or the like is once recognized in the subject image and then changed to a state where the face of the specific person or the like cannot be recognized. That is, the countdown operation may be stopped in response to a two-stage change in the recognition result for the subject image.

  In the self-timer shooting mode described above, the shooting process by the self-timer shooting is performed a plurality of times, but the shooting process may be performed once.

  Further, the information to be recognized does not necessarily have to be image data. For example, a specific color designated by the user (such as the color of clothes worn by the photographer or the color of belongings) can be registered, and the subject image The start, stop, and restart of the countdown operation may be controlled based on whether or not a specific color portion (however, a certain area or more) can be recognized.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the condition for stopping the countdown operation is that the predetermined recognition target (a face of a specific person) described above cannot be recognized in the subject image, but the countdown operation is that the predetermined recognition target can be recognized. It can also be set as a stop condition. For example, the fact that the above-mentioned specific baggage and personal belongings can be recognized may be used as a stop condition for the countdown operation. That is, any change in the recognition result for the subject image may be used. In addition to this, the change in the recognition result may be a change in a continuous series of subject images. For example, a specific movement (an up-and-down direction or a part of the body) (Movement in the horizontal direction).

  In the present embodiment, as the countdown operation of the remaining time until shooting, a process of counting the elapsed time from the time when the shutter key is pressed is performed, and shooting is performed when the elapsed time reaches a predetermined self-timer time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as a countdown operation of the remaining time until shooting, a process of counting down a predetermined self-timer time from the time when the shutter key is pressed is performed, and when it becomes 0 It is possible to adopt a configuration in which shooting is performed.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, in the digital camera having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the image recognition processing unit 9 does not include the image data registration area 11 c described in the first embodiment in the RAM 11. Face recognition processing is performed by simple face detection for recognizing the face of an arbitrary person from the image data (subject image), that is, for recognizing a portion where eyes, nose and mouth are in a certain arrangement relationship. Since other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the control unit 3 when the self-timer shooting mode prepared as a lower mode of the recording mode is selected in the present embodiment.

  When the self-timer shooting mode is set, the control unit 3 immediately starts capturing the subject image by the image shooting processing unit 2 and displaying the through image on the LCD display unit 6 (step SB1), and then pressing the sitter key. The presence / absence is confirmed, and the normal shooting standby state is maintained until the sitter key is pressed (NO in step SB2).

  Subsequently, when the sitter key is pressed (YES in step SB2), the shooting countdown is started at that time, and the face recognition process of the unspecified person existing in the captured subject image is started by the image recognition processing unit 9. (Step SB3).

  After that, when the time after the sitter key is pressed reaches half of the total self-timer time (YES in step SB4), the subject image (shooting area) is detected by face recognition processing in the image recognition processing unit 9 at that time. The coordinate position (# 1) of the part recognized as the face in (inside) is acquired and stored in the RAM 11 (step SB5).

  Thereafter, each time the self-timer time is counted down by 1 second (YES in step SB6), the current coordinate position (# 2) of the portion recognized as a face in the subject image (in the shooting area) is acquired at that time ( Step SB7). Then, whether or not the coordinate position (# 2) and the previous coordinate position (# 1) stored in advance are greatly different, that is, the previous coordinate position (# 1) and the current coordinate position (# It is checked whether or not the position change of the part recognized as a face exceeds a predetermined amount determined from the difference of 2). If it exceeds the predetermined amount (YES in step SB8), the process immediately returns to step SB2. . That is, the countdown operation is stopped at that time.

  When the position change of the part recognized as a face does not exceed the predetermined amount (NO in step SB8), the current coordinate position (# 2) is replaced with the previous coordinate position (# 1) (step SB9). That is, the previously stored previous coordinate position (# 1) is updated to the current coordinate position (# 2).

  Until the shooting time is reached (NO in step SB10), the above processing (steps SB6 to SB10) is repeated. When the shooting time is reached (YES in step SB10), recording for recording by the CCD 1 and Shooting processing including compression and recording of captured image data is executed (step SB11), and all the processing ends.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in response to the change in the recognition position before and after a certain period (1 second in the present embodiment) elapses in the subject portion recognized as a face in the subject image, The countdown operation for the remaining time is stopped. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to eliminate a situation in which useless shooting is performed during self-timer shooting while maintaining the cost reduction and downsizing of the digital camera. Moreover, it is not necessary to reduce the usability when bringing a digital camera to a travel destination or the like.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the countdown operation is stopped on the condition that the face of the person has moved greatly. For example, when taking a group photo, the composition that was initially determined, that is, the arrangement of the person (face position), etc. You can eliminate wasted shooting in the state that you have.

  In the self-timer shooting mode according to the present embodiment, the shooting process by self-timer shooting may be performed a plurality of times as in the first embodiment. In that case, when the face of an arbitrary person or the face of one or more specific persons moves greatly, the shooting process by one self-timer shooting is stopped on the condition, and the number of shots remains May start the shooting countdown for the next self-timer shooting, or may immediately end all shooting regardless of the remaining number of shootings.

  In this embodiment, the image recognition processing unit 9 performs face recognition processing for an arbitrary person, and the fact that the face of the arbitrary person has moved greatly is set as a stop condition for the countdown operation. The processing unit 9 may recognize the face of the specific person as in the first embodiment, and the fact that it has moved greatly may be used as a stop condition for the countdown operation.

  In other words, as the face of a specific person (recognition target), the faces of a plurality of persons to be photographed are registered in advance, and the stop condition of the countdown operation is that any one of the recognized faces of the person has moved beyond a predetermined amount You may make it. Further, the face of a specific person registered in advance may be the face of a single person, and if the person is a person to be photographed, it is a person other than the photographer, for example, a child in the case of a family photograph. Also good.

  Also, when the face of one or more specific persons registered in advance as described above is recognized, and the stop condition of the countdown operation is that the face of any recognized person has moved beyond a predetermined amount May temporarily stop the countdown operation. For example, the coordinate position (# 1) of the face of one or more specific persons recognized when half the time of the total self-timer has elapsed is stored separately as a reference position, and recognized. If any person's face moves beyond a predetermined amount, the self-timer shooting is not immediately terminated, and the countdown operation is temporarily stopped at that time. After that, the face recognition process is continued, and during that time, when the amount of change between the coordinate position of the recognized face of one or more specific persons and the reference position becomes a predetermined amount or less, The countdown operation that has been temporarily stopped may be resumed.

  Further, as described in the first embodiment, in the configuration in which the recognition target is registered in advance, the recognition target in the subject image does not necessarily need to be a human face, and the information on the recognition target is not necessarily an image. It doesn't have to be data. Further, the countdown operation of the remaining time until photographing may be performed by a method of counting down a predetermined self-timer time from the time when the shutter key is pressed.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. Similarly to the second embodiment, in this embodiment, the image recognition processing unit 9 does not provide the image data registration area 11c described in the first embodiment in the RAM 11, and the image recognition processing unit 9 Face recognition processing by simple face detection for recognizing the face of an arbitrary person from the image), that is, for recognizing a portion where eyes, nose and mouth are in a certain positional relationship. Since other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the control unit 3 when the self-timer shooting mode prepared as a lower mode of the recording mode is selected in the present embodiment.

  When the self-timer shooting mode is set, as in the second embodiment, the control unit 3 immediately starts capturing the subject image by the image shooting processing unit 2 and displaying the through image on the LCD display unit 6 (Step S3). SC1) When the sitter key is pressed (YES in step SC2), shooting countdown is started at that time, and face recognition processing of an unspecified person existing in the captured subject image is started by the image recognition processing unit 9 (Step SC3).

  Thereafter, when the time since the sitter key is pressed reaches half of the total self-timer time (YES in step SC4), the subject image (shooting area) is obtained by face recognition processing in the image recognition processing unit 9 at that time. The number (# 1) of the parts recognized as faces in (in) is acquired and stored in the RAM 11 (step SC5).

  Thereafter, each time the self-timer time is counted down by 1 second (YES in step SC6), the number (# 2) of portions recognized as faces in the subject image (in the shooting area) at that time is acquired (step SC7). . Then, it is checked whether or not the number (# 2) and the previously recognized number (# 1) stored previously have changed (different), and when they have changed (YES in step SC8), Immediately return to step SC2. That is, the countdown operation is stopped at that time.

  If the number of parts recognized as a face has not changed (NO in step SC8), the current recognition number (# 2) is set as the previous recognition number (# 1) when the above determination is performed next. Store (step SC9). That is, the previous recognition number (# 1) already stored is updated to the current recognition number (# 2).

  Until the shooting time is reached (NO in step SC10), the above processing (steps SC6 to SC10) is repeated. When the shooting time is reached (YES in step SC10), recording for recording by the CCD 1 and An imaging process including compression and recording of the captured image data is executed (step SC11), and all the processes are terminated.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in response to the change in the number of subject portions recognized as faces in the subject image before and after the lapse of a certain period (1 second in the present embodiment), that is, within the angle of view. The countdown operation for the remaining time is stopped on the condition that the number of faces existing in has changed. Therefore, as in the first and second embodiments, it is possible to eliminate a situation where useless shooting is performed during self-timer shooting while maintaining a reduction in cost and size of the digital camera. Moreover, it is not necessary to reduce the usability when bringing a digital camera to a travel destination or the like.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the countdown operation is stopped on the condition that the number of faces existing in the angle of view has changed. For example, when taking a group photo, the face of one person is the face of another person. When you take a commemorative photo, you can eliminate the useless shooting when the face of someone else who passes by is within the angle of view. .

  In the self-timer shooting mode according to the present embodiment, the shooting process by self-timer shooting may be performed a plurality of times as in the first embodiment. In that case, if the number of recognized faces changes, the shooting process by one self-timer shooting is stopped on the condition, and if the number of shootings remains, the next self-timer shooting is taken. The shooting countdown may be started, or all shooting may be immediately terminated regardless of the remaining number of shootings.

  In this embodiment, the image recognition processing unit 9 performs face recognition processing for an arbitrary person, and the change in the number of faces of the arbitrary person is set as a stop condition for the countdown operation. The recognition processing unit 9 may recognize the face of a specific person as in the first embodiment, and the change in the number (for example, reduction) may be used as a stop condition for the countdown operation. In that case, for example, when taking a family photo, if the faces of all members of the family are registered in advance, a photo in which the faces of the whole family are reliably captured can be taken.

  Further, when the face of a plurality of specific persons registered in advance as described above is recognized and the change in the number of recognitions is used as a stop condition for the countdown operation, the stop of the countdown operation due to the change in the number of recognitions is temporarily stopped. It may be good. For example, when the number of recognized faces changes, the self-timer shooting is not immediately terminated, and the countdown operation is temporarily stopped at that time, and the face recognition processing is continued after that. When the recognized number of faces can be recognized again, the countdown operation that has been temporarily stopped may be resumed.

  In the configuration in which the recognition target is registered in advance, the start of the shooting countdown is not immediately started by pressing the shutter key. For example, the following may be performed. That is, face recognition of a plurality of specific persons may be started in response to pressing of the shutter key, and then the shooting countdown may be started when the number of recognized faces increases.

  Further, the countdown operation of the remaining time until photographing may be performed by a method of counting down a predetermined self-timer time from the time when the shutter key is pressed.

(Other embodiments)
In addition to the embodiment described above, in the digital camera having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, when the self-timer shooting mode is selected, if the control unit 3 performs the process shown in FIG. It is possible to eliminate wasteful memory consumption of the recording medium due to unintentional shooting at the time of timer shooting.

  That is, after the setting of the self-timer shooting mode, the capturing of the subject image by the image shooting processing unit 2, and the display of the through image on the LCD display unit 6 are started, as in the second and third embodiments described above. (Step SD1) When the sitter key is pressed (YES in Step SD2), shooting countdown at that time and face recognition processing of an unspecified person existing in the subject image by the image recognition processing unit 9 are started (Step S1). SD3).

  Thereafter, when the shooting time is reached (YES in step SD4), at that time, it is confirmed whether or not a portion that can be recognized as a face exists in the shooting target, that is, whether or not the face recognition in the image recognition processing unit 9 is successful. When a recognizable part exists in the object to be imaged (YES in step SD5), an image capturing process including recording for recording by the CCD 1, compression of the captured image data, and recording is executed as it is (step SD7).

  Conversely, when there is no portion that can be recognized as a face in the shooting target (NO in step SD5), processing for reducing the shooting image quality is performed (step SD6). That is, the compression rate when compressing the data of the subject image for recording is changed to a value higher than the compression rate set at that time. Thereafter, an imaging process for performing data compression at the changed compression rate is executed (step SD7). Thereby, useless memory consumption of the recording medium due to unintentional shooting is eliminated.

  Note that the shooting image quality reduction process in step SD6 is replaced with a shooting size reduction process, that is, a process of changing the size of the recorded image (number of recorded pixels) to a size value smaller than the size set at that time. In this case, useless memory consumption of the recording medium due to unintentional shooting can be eliminated.

  Also, here, the description has been given of performing the shooting image quality degradation process on the condition that the face recognition of the unspecified person cannot be recognized when the shooting time is reached after the sitter key is pressed. It may be performed according to the conditions.

  For example, the recognition target in the subject image is the face of a specific person registered in advance or the faces of a plurality of specific persons registered in advance. In the former case, the shooting time has been reached Shooting image quality reduction processing is performed on the condition that the face of a specific person cannot be recognized at the time, and in the latter case, all the faces of a specific person cannot be recognized when the shooting time is reached, or any specific The photographic image quality reduction process may be performed on the condition that the face of a person cannot be recognized.

  Further, in the configuration in which the recognition target is registered in advance as described above, as described in the first embodiment, the recognition target in the subject image does not necessarily need to be a person's face. The information is not necessarily image data.

  The face recognition described above is performed when a predetermined time (such as half of the total self-timer time) has passed since the sitter key was pressed, and the position of the recognized face is stored and the shooting time is reached. If the amount of change between the recognized face position and the previously stored face position exceeds a predetermined amount, the image quality reduction process is performed on the condition. It may be done. Also in that case, the recognition target may be the face of one or more specific persons registered in advance. Furthermore, if the recognition target is registered in advance, the recognition target need not be a person's face, and the recognition target information need not necessarily be image data.

  The face recognition described above is performed when a predetermined time (such as half of the total self-timer time) elapses after the sitter key is pressed, and the number of recognized faces is stored and the shooting time is reached. At that time, face recognition is performed again, and when the number of faces recognized at that time has changed from the previously stored number, the image quality reduction processing may be performed on the condition. Also in that case, the recognition target may be the face of one or more specific persons registered in advance. Furthermore, if the recognition target is registered in advance, the recognition target need not be a person's face, and the recognition target information need not necessarily be image data.

  On the other hand, in the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital camera having a general configuration has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to digital cameras incorporated in other information devices.

1 CCD
2 Image capture processing unit 3 Control unit 4 File access unit 5 Image recording unit 6 LCD display unit 7 Key input unit 8 RTC
9 Image recognition processor 10 ROM
11 RAM

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem , and can eliminate a situation in which useless shooting is performed during self-timer shooting while maintaining cost reduction and downsizing of a digital camera. It is an object to provide a digital camera, a self-timer control method thereof, and a self-timer control program.

In order to solve the above-described problem, in the digital camera according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera provided with a self-timer, an imaging unit for imaging a subject and a predetermined image in the subject image captured by the imaging unit An image recognition means for recognizing a subject portion, and a self-timer for starting the countdown operation in response to an increase in the number of recognition of a predetermined subject portion by the image recognition means during a countdown operation of a remaining time by a self-timer And a control means.

In the digital camera according to claim 2, the recognition of the predetermined subject portion by the image recognition means is face recognition, and the self-timer control means is performing a countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer. In addition, the countdown operation is started in response to an increase in the number of face recognition by the image recognition means.

In the self-timer control method according to the third aspect of the present invention, in a digital camera equipped with a self-timer, a predetermined subject in a subject image picked up by the image pickup means during the countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer A step of recognizing a portion, and a step of starting the countdown operation in response to an increase in the number of recognitions of the predetermined subject portion .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer of a digital camera equipped with a self-timer recognizes a predetermined subject portion in a subject image taken by the imaging means during the countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer. And a self-timer control program for executing a procedure for starting the countdown operation in response to an increase in the number of recognitions of the predetermined subject portion .

According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate a situation in which useless shooting is performed during self-timer shooting while maintaining cost reduction and downsizing of a digital camera .

Claims (11)

In a digital camera with a self-timer,
Imaging means for imaging a subject;
Image recognition means for performing predetermined image recognition on the subject image captured by the imaging means;
A digital camera comprising: self-timer control means for stopping the count-down operation in response to an image recognition result by the image recognition means during a count-down operation of the remaining time by a self-timer.   The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the self-timer control unit stops the countdown operation in response to a predetermined change in an image recognition result by the image recognition unit. The predetermined image recognition for the subject image by the image recognition means is recognition of a predetermined subject portion in the subject image,
2. The self-timer control unit stops the count-down operation in response to a recognition result of a predetermined subject portion by the image recognition unit during a count-down operation of the remaining time by the self-timer. Digital camera.   4. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein the self-timer control means stops the countdown operation in response to the fact that the predetermined object portion cannot be recognized by the image recognition means.   The self-timer control means temporarily stops the countdown operation in response to the fact that the predetermined object portion cannot be recognized by the image recognition means, and then recognizes the predetermined object portion again by the image recognition means. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein the countdown operation is resumed in response to being performed.   The self-timer control means responds when the amount of change in the recognition position of the predetermined subject portion by the image recognition means before and after a predetermined time elapses during a countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer. 4. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein the countdown operation is stopped. A recognition object storage means for storing a pre-registered image;
The digital image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image recognition unit recognizes a subject portion corresponding to an image stored in the recognition target storage unit from a subject image captured by the imaging unit. camera.   The digital camera according to claim 7, wherein the recognition target storage unit stores a face image of a specific person registered in advance.   The self-timer control unit stops the count-down operation in response to a change in the number of recognition of a predetermined subject portion by the image recognition unit during a count-down operation of the remaining time by the self-timer. Item 4. The digital camera according to Item 3. In a digital camera with a self-timer,
Performing a predetermined image recognition on the subject image captured by the imaging means during the countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer;
And a step of stopping the countdown operation in response to the image recognition result. A computer with a digital camera equipped with a self-timer
A procedure for performing predetermined image recognition on the subject image captured by the imaging means during the countdown operation of the remaining time by the self-timer;
A self-timer control program for executing a procedure for stopping the countdown operation in response to the image recognition result.

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