JP4095372B2 - Video recording device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a video recording apparatus, method, or system having an imaging unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In video recording devices such as video cameras and digital cameras with LCD (liquid crystal) monitor panels, the size of devices is generally about twice that of palms due to its portability. Apart from the (Electrical View Finder), the LCD monitor panel for checking the captured video and displaying various system information is also equipped with a display screen of about 1.5 to 3 inches. Under such circumstances, when the photographer holds the photographing device by hand, the distance between the photographer and the video recording device is close, so that the LCD panel can be viewed with high visibility. However, as a matter of course, the absolute size of the display screen is not as large as that of a television or the like as described above, so there is no problem as long as the photographer holds it by hand. As the distance increases, the visibility of the display contents on the LCD panel decreases.
[0003]
On the other hand, in many digital video cameras and some digital cameras, the LCD panel is a mechanism that can be rotated, and the photographer himself or herself faces the display surface of the LCD panel toward the subject facing the imaging lens. It is possible to “face-to-face shooting” while shooting while monitoring oneself.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Against this background, the purpose is to compensate for the difficulty of confirming the display content on the small LCD panel by the subject itself as the distance between the subject and the photographer and the camera increases during “face-to-face photography”. Therefore, in the present invention, depending on the distance between the subject and the photographer, the LCD panel displays a color frame or a solid color, or changes the color of the displayed figure or blinks the figure display. This makes it easy to convey information to the subject / photographer who is far away from the video display unit (LCD panel).
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention related to the present application is a video recording apparatus including an imaging unit, a video display unit, a variable mechanism for changing the orientation of the video display unit, and the video A direction detecting means for detecting the orientation of the display section, a distance detecting means for measuring the distance between the video recording apparatus and the subject, and when the orientation detecting means detects that the video display section is directed to the subject. In addition, it is characterized by further comprising display control means for controlling the display content of the video display unit in accordance with the distance detection distance.
[0006]
The present invention also relates to a video recording apparatus including an imaging unit, a video display unit, a variable mechanism that changes a direction of the video display unit, and a direction detection unit that detects a direction of the video display unit. And when the orientation detection means detects that the video display unit is directed to the subject, the first information is displayed by superimposing the status information of the video recording device on the captured image displayed on the video display unit. Switching means for switching between the display mode and the second display mode for displaying only the status information of the video recording apparatus on the video display unit.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Example 1
An embodiment of a video recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The number of claims corresponding to the description in the present embodiment is not limited to one. Also, this description does not limit the elements of each claim.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a digital video camera (hereinafter referred to as DVC (Digital Video Camera)) as a video recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 shows a control procedure (flow chart) for realizing the present invention.
[0017]
In FIG.
Reference numeral 101 denotes a DVC lens unit, which is a lens group having a zoom function for capturing a subject (not shown) and a focus function for determining focus.
Reference numeral 102 denotes a lens driving unit that drives the lens in the lens unit 101 by control from the camera signal processing unit to perform zoom operation and autofocus (AF) control.
Reference numeral 103 denotes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), which is an image pickup element that picks up an image coming from an optical system constituted by the lens unit 101. Here, a CCD having a total of 680,000 pixels and 360,000 effective pixels is used, and an area outside the effective pixel area is used for an electronic camera shake correction function.
Reference numeral 104 denotes an image sensor driving unit that drives the CCD 103 according to the timing from the camera signal processing unit.
Reference numeral 105 denotes a CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) and AGC (Auto Gain Controller) section which samples an analog signal from the CCD 103 and controls the gain of the signal level under the control of the camera signal processing section 107.
Reference numeral 106 denotes an A / D (Analog to Digital) converter that converts an analog signal from the previous stage into a digital signal.
A camera signal processing unit 107 controls the camera imaging system in cooperation with the system control unit 112 such as timing generation, AE (Auto Exposure) control, and AF (Auto Focus) control.
Reference numeral 108 denotes a memory control unit that controls the general-purpose storage unit 109 and encodes or decodes the video signal from the camera signal processing unit 107 into the DV format in cooperation with the video control unit 110 and the system control unit 112. Recording or reading is performed on a DV cassette tape in the video recording / playback unit 111.
109 is a general-purpose storage unit that stores programs and data for realizing various control means of the present invention, and is used as a work area for video processing and program execution as needed for control execution, Flash) ROM.
A video signal processing unit 110 includes an encoder and a decoder for data compression, performs encoding / decoding into DV format, and performs write or read control of the DV cassette tape through the video recording / playback unit 111. In general, an encoder predicts motion of an input image, performs discrete cosine transform (DCT) on the residual signal, and performs quantization, zigzag scan or alternate scan, variable length decoding (VLD). ) And encode. In the decoder, processing proceeds in the reverse order of the encoder, and decoding is performed to obtain a decoded image. In addition, the digital video signal input from the imaging system, the text title generated by the character generator 116, and the image information recorded on the external video information recording recording medium 118 are combined in cooperation with the system control unit 112. Control such as to do.
Reference numeral 111 denotes a video recording / playback unit which loads a DV cassette tape as a recording medium and stores a video signal encoded in the DV format by the video signal processing unit 110. On the other hand, the recorded video data is read out during the reproduction operation. Here, a magnetic tape is used as the recording medium, but an HDD, a large-capacity memory card, a write-once DVD medium, or the like may be used. Of course, the recording format is not limited to the DV format, but can be applied to the MPEG2 format and the like.
A system control unit 112 is a control unit for executing each control procedure of the present invention. Various control procedures such as a flowchart shown in FIG. 4 to be described later are executed.
Reference numeral 113 denotes a gyro sensor unit that detects a shake or vibration of the video camera body and transmits the information to the system control unit 112. Receiving the detection information such as the angular displacement, angular velocity, and angular acceleration of the blur by the gyro sensor, the system control unit 112 performs an operation for canceling the blur and uses the result to control the effective pixel area read from the CCD.
Reference numeral 114 denotes an input operation unit, which includes a selection button, a determination button, various mode buttons, and the like as in 211 of FIG.
Reference numeral 115 denotes a timekeeping unit which includes a real time clock (RTC) and a backup battery, counts the date and time, and returns date information in response to a request from the control unit 113.
116 is a character generator unit, which reads characters and symbols from the built-in read-only memory (ROM) in which pixel patterns of characters and symbols to be displayed are recorded according to instructions from the system control unit 112. read out. Then, in the video signal processing unit 110, the video information is synthesized with video information according to the horizontal and vertical synchronization signals of the video (screen) to be synthesized.
Reference numeral 117 denotes an external recording medium connection interface, which is a memory card slot here.
118 is an external storage medium, here a memory card.
Reference numeral 119 denotes a face-to-face shooting detection switch, which detects that an LCD panel, which is a second display unit 123 described later, is turned and a face-to-face shooting is possible. Here, a Hall element capable of non-contact detection and a permanent magnet are used in combination.
Reference numeral 120 denotes an EVF drive circuit that drives the EVF 121 to display captured video, playback video, system information, and the like sent through the video signal processing unit 110.
Reference numeral 121 denotes a first display unit, which is an EVF (Electrical View Finder). When recording, the input video from the imaging system is displayed, and when playing back, the video recorded on the tape is displayed. Also, input operation information by the user from the input operation unit 114, arbitrary image information in the external recording medium, and the like are displayed. Further, various system information including the remaining tape amount and the remaining battery amount is also displayed.
Reference numeral 122 denotes an LCD drive circuit, which, like the EVF drive circuit 120, drives the LCD panel 123 to display captured video, playback video, system information, etc. sent through the video signal processing unit 110.
Reference numeral 123 denotes a second display unit, which is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). When recording, the input video from the imaging system is displayed, and when playing back, the video recorded on the tape is displayed. Also, input operation information by the user from the input operation unit 114, arbitrary image information in the external recording medium, and the like are displayed. Further, various system information including the remaining tape amount and the remaining battery amount is also displayed.
In terms of structure, as shown in FIG. 2, a hall element capable of detecting magnetic fluctuation is incorporated as a detection switch 212 in a housing that houses the LCD panel 202. A permanent magnet 213 is provided on the main body 201 side, and when the display surface is rotated around the Y axis of the hinge 203 as shown in FIG. 3 from the state of the LCD panel 202 of FIG. And the permanent magnet 213 come close to each other, it is detected whether the display surface of the LCD panel 202 is directed in the photographing direction toward the lens 204, that is, whether it is in the “face-to-face photographing” state.
[0018]
In this DVC, for example, when the photographer fixes this DVC on a tripod or the like and the photographer himself / herself becomes a subject in the face-to-face photographing state, By devising the method of displaying information on the panel 202, it is possible to convey various information even when the distance between the DVC and the subject is large and the display content of the LCD panel 202 is difficult to visually recognize conventionally. Is possible.
[0019]
In other words, even when you are away from the video camera body during face-to-face shooting, you can change the display color on the LCD panel, blink the display, change the display figure, etc. to start shooting, shoot time, framing, battery level, remaining media, etc. Achieving quantity, etc. easily and without increasing costs.
[0020]
Conventionally, during face-to-face shooting, there has been an invention in which the same display content as in normal shooting or the size for displaying a figure is changed. In addition to the LCD panel that displays images, there are some that perform countdown during shooting or self-timer shooting by turning on or blinking a “tally” using high-brightness LEDs or the like. . However, unlike the above, the present invention uses an LCD panel portion that displays an image, covers the functions provided by the “tally”, and is adapted to the LCD panel according to the distance between the subject photographer and the camera portion. The present invention provides a system for easily changing the contents to be displayed and notifying the state of the camera.
[0021]
Hereinafter, the implementation of the convenience according to the present invention as described above in this DVC will be described according to the control procedure example shown in the flowchart of FIG.
[0022]
Assume that at the start of S401, the camera is turned on and started up in the camera shooting mode. At that time, the image entered through the lens unit 101/204 is displayed on the EVF 121 (FIG. 1) / 205 (FIG. 2) (hereinafter the same description) or the LCD panel 123/202. Here, since the feature of the present invention is irrelevant to the presence or absence of video recording, the flowchart does not particularly describe control such as shooting recording start and recording interruption. In terms of operation, it can be considered that the control shown in this flowchart as one task is performed mainly by the system control unit 112.
[0023]
In step S <b> 402, the lens driving unit 104 drives the lens in the lens unit 101 by the control from the camera signal processing unit 107 to perform auto focus control. In principle, the camera signal processing unit 107 detects the peak of the high frequency component of the video signal. In order to focus, the lens driving unit 102 drives the focus lens so that the peak is large.
[0024]
In S403, the distance to the subject is calculated from the focal length of the lens when the focus is achieved in S402.
[0025]
In S404, as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, a hall element capable of detecting magnetic fluctuation is incorporated as a detection switch 212 in the housing in which the LCD panel 202 is housed. A permanent magnet 213 is provided on the main body 201 side, and when the display surface is rotated around the Y axis of the hinge 203 as shown in FIG. 3 from the state of the LCD panel 202 of FIG. And the permanent magnet 213 come close to each other, it is detected whether the display surface of the LCD panel 202 is directed in the photographing direction toward the lens 204, that is, whether it is in the “face-to-face photographing” state.
[0026]
If it is not the face-to-face shooting state but the normal shooting state, the process skips S405 and proceeds to S406, and if it is the face-to-face shooting state, the process proceeds to S405.
[0027]
In S405, depending on the distance to the subject calculated in S403 and an arbitrary set distance, the process proceeds to S406 or S407, the display mode is switched, and the content displayed on the LCD panel 123/202 is controlled.
[0028]
In S406, when it is determined that the camera is not in the face-to-face shooting state in S404, or when the normal display mode may be used in the comparison in S405 between the distance to the subject calculated in S403 and an arbitrary set distance set separately, Keep normal display mode or switch to normal display mode.
[0029]
In S407, in the comparison in S405 between the distance to the subject calculated in S403 and an arbitrary set distance set separately, it is determined that the display mode is the face-to-face display mode, so the mode is switched to the face-to-face display mode.
[0030]
Since it is extremely easy to realize a means for setting an arbitrary set distance that is set separately, a description thereof will be omitted.
[0031]
Here, FIG. 5 shows a state of display on the LCD panel 123/202 in the case of face-to-face shooting and when the distance to the subject is longer than an arbitrary set distance.
[0032]
<Remaining tape / Battery remaining>
The contents are the remaining tape display and remaining battery display. For comparison, 5-11 and 5-12 on the left side of FIG. 5 are conventional display examples, and 5-21 and 5-22 on the right side are the actual display examples. It is a display example which shows the characteristic of invention.
[0033]
In the conventional display example, the tape mark and the battery mark are blinked on the screen when the remaining tape amount is exhausted or the remaining battery amount is exhausted. However, when the display panel is separated from the LCD panel 123/202, which is the display screen, each mark expression is small, and the visibility is poor. In addition, the blinking mark represented by a line may be difficult to see from a distance depending on the background image.
[0034]
On the other hand, in an example of the present invention, in 5-21 in FIG. 5, the red frame indicating that recording is in progress is displayed with a pink color or the like so that it can be viewed away from the LCD panel 123/202. The warning display is visible at a glance. Also, as an application, the pink part is blinked, the display time is increased as the remaining tape amount decreases, and when the tape is completely gone, the video display is completely painted in pink without being visible at all. It is possible that the display remains on.
[0035]
Further, 5-22 in FIG. 5 shows a case where the left and right halves of the LCD panel 123/202 are used for warning display of the remaining tape amount and the remaining battery amount. In this case, by changing each warning job, it is possible to ensure reliable visibility even when the operator is further away from the LCD panel 123/202.
[0036]
Other examples will be described in Example 2.
[0037]
In S408, the end of the shooting mode is detected. When the shooting mode is terminated, the process proceeds to S409, and when the shooting mode is continued, the process returns to S402.
[0038]
The process ends in S409, and starts again in S401 as necessary.
In the example here, the arbitrarily set distance is one, but by providing a plurality of distances, it is possible to further control the display content.
[0039]
As described above, it has been compensated that, as the distance between the subject / photographer and the camera becomes longer during “face-to-face shooting”, it is difficult to confirm the display content on the small LCD panel by the subject itself. It becomes easy to convey information to a subject / photographer who is away from the display unit (LCD panel).
[0040]
(Example 2)
A second embodiment of the video reproduction apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, some examples of display methods in the face-to-face display mode in S407 of the first embodiment are given.
[0041]
<Shooting start countdown>
FIG. 6 shows a countdown display during self-timer shooting. In the past, there were examples and ideas such as counting down numbers, flashing round and square dots faster like a tally, and shortening horizontal bars in any situation. The present invention is different in that the display contents are switched in accordance with the distance to the subject and the switched display method is improved in visibility by changing the combination of color and shape.
[0042]
FIG. 6 shows the following operation.
[0043]
6-1: 5 seconds before 6-2: 4 seconds before 6-3: 3 seconds before 6-4: 2 seconds before 6-5: 1 second before 6-6: 0 seconds before 6-7: Recording video < During effect shooting>
FIG. 7 shows a technique similar to that described above.
By displaying a frame on the video display of the LCD panel 123/202 and blinking the frame line in green and red during the fade-in period, it indicates that the fade-in is in progress. A fixed display with a red frame indicates that shooting is being recorded.
[0044]
Even in this case, when the subject / photographer is more than the set distance, it is difficult to recognize the subject image, so the subject image display is stopped and the solid image is displayed instead of the color frame. It does not matter as a system.
[0045]
<Framing / Left / Right Assist>
FIG. 8 detects changes in video luminance and color difference signals at the edge of video data displayed on the LCD panel 123/202. There are many ways of looking at video changes to detect, and each is not good, but here, the subject simply touches the edge of the frame when the luminance and color differences of the left and right edges of the video data have changed. It is considered to have been. A possible adverse effect is that a background change unrelated to the subject is mistaken as a subject change, but there is room for various ideas, but this is not particularly mentioned here. The captured image data that enters the camera signal processing unit differs depending on whether the image sensor (CCD) 103 uses a primary color filter or a complementary color filter. In the processing unit, it is common to treat the luminance and color difference components as Y, Cr, and Cb instead of RGB. Here, the sum of the luminance (Y) components of all the dots from the top to the bottom at either the left or right edge of the video data when the subject is on the edge of the frame changes to a certain threshold or more, and at the same time all dots When the sum of the color difference (Cr, Cb) components changes to a certain threshold or more, it is recognized that the subject is about to protrude from the left or right frame frame.
[0046]
When it is recognized that the subject protrudes from either the left or right frame, a graphic indicating that is displayed. In 8-2 of FIG. 8, it protrudes to the left side (8-2 'when the display without framing assist is performed), so point to the right side with a light blue triangle (arrow) and pay attention to the subject and photographer. Prompt. When the subject who saw this reenters the frame as shown in 8-3 of FIG. 8, the light blue triangle displayed in 8-2 of FIG. 8 is erased and the subject enters the frame. Let them know.
[0047]
Here, attention is paid only to the left and right frames, but there is no particular limitation.
[0048]
As described above in the second embodiment, conventionally, the LCD panel 123/202 has mainly displayed the system information mainly on the photographed video, but in the face-to-face photography, the camera and When the subject / photographer leaves the LCD panel 123/202 attached to the camera, pay attention to the fact that the visibility of the LCD panel 123/202 by the subject itself decreases, By combining the shape, blinking, etc., it is possible to flexibly convey the shooting situation to the subject / photographer even under various situations, corresponding to an arbitrary set distance.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in a video recording apparatus including an imaging unit, a video display unit, a variable mechanism that changes the orientation of the video display unit, and a direction detection that detects the orientation of the video display unit. A distance detecting means for measuring a distance between the video recording apparatus and the subject, and when the direction detecting means detects that the video display unit is directed toward the subject, according to the distance detection distance. By providing display control means for controlling the display content of the video display unit, the display content of the video display unit can be easily identified from the subject.
[0050]
Further, in the video recording apparatus including the imaging unit, the video display unit, the variable mechanism that changes the direction of the video display unit, the direction detection unit that detects the direction of the video display unit, and the direction detection unit A first display mode for superimposing and displaying status information of a video recording device on a captured image displayed on the video display unit when it is detected that the video display unit is directed toward the subject; and the video display By providing switching means for switching between the second display mode for displaying only the state information of the video recording apparatus in the unit, the state information of the video recording apparatus can be easily identified from the subject.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a video recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a control procedure in the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of DVC as viewed from the rear (photographing position) in the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of DVC as viewed from the front (lens direction) in the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing a display example of an LCD panel in the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an image diagram showing a display example of an LCD panel in the second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an image diagram showing a display example of an LCD panel in the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an image diagram showing a display example of an LCD panel in the second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
• 101 Lens unit • 102 Lens drive • 103 CCD (Charge Coupled Device)
104 image sensor driving unit 105 CDS (Correlated Double Sampling), AGC (Auto Gain Controller) 106 A / D (Analog to Digital) converter 107 Camera signal processing unit 108 Memory control unit 109 General-purpose storage unit 110 video signal processing unit 111 video recording / playback unit 112 system control unit 113 gyro sensor unit 114 input operation unit 115 timing unit 116 character generator unit 117 external recording medium connection interface 118 external storage medium 119 Shooting detection switch 120 EVF drive circuit 121 First display: EVF (Electrical View Finder)
122 LCD drive circuit 123 Second display: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

Claims (5)

In a video recording apparatus having an imaging unit,
A video display unit;
A variable mechanism for changing the orientation of the video display unit;
Orientation detection means for detecting the orientation of the video display unit;
Distance detection means for measuring the distance between the video recording device and the subject;
When it is detected that the video display unit is directed to the subject by the orientation detection unit, a display control unit that controls display content of the video display unit according to the distance detection distance is provided. Video recording device.   The display control means displays the status information of the video recording device in a color or display form or a blinking display, or an arbitrary combination of color / form / flashing, superimposed on a captured image. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1.   The display control means reduces or deforms the captured image, distinguishes the status information of the video recording device by color or display shape or blinking display, or any combination of color / shape / flashing, and the captured video The video recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video recording apparatus is displayed on a display unit other than the display unit.   The display control means displays the state information of the video recording device by distinguishing the color or display form or blinking display, or any combination of color / form / flashing, without displaying the photographed video. The video recording apparatus according to claim 1. In a video recording apparatus having an imaging unit,
A video display unit;
A variable mechanism for changing the orientation of the video display unit;
Orientation detection means for detecting the orientation of the video display unit;
A first display for displaying the state information of the video recording device on the captured image displayed on the video display unit when the orientation detection unit detects that the video display unit is directed toward the subject. A video recording apparatus comprising switching means for switching between a mode and a second display mode in which only the status information of the video recording apparatus is displayed on the video display unit.

Images