JP5814697B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus capable of capturing a horizontal image.

  Conventionally, in an imaging device such as a silver salt camera or a digital camera, a tilted image is captured because the imaging device is tilted even though the user intends to capture a horizontal image. There was a problem.

  In order to solve such a problem, for example, a digital camera equipped with a display device such as a liquid crystal is provided with a means for detecting the tilt of the digital camera, the tilt degree of the digital camera is displayed on the display device, and the tilt degree of the digital camera is determined. It is known to inform the user. However, it is generally difficult to shoot a moving subject while holding the digital camera horizontally while viewing such a display. Therefore, establishment of a technique capable of easily taking a horizontal image has been an issue.

  Many inventions related to the above-described technique capable of easily capturing a horizontal image have been proposed (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

JP 2006-245726 A JP-A-6-178190

  However, the conventional techniques described above have the following problems. In Patent Document 1, when the enlargement process is performed, the amount of enlargement varies depending on the tilt angle of the digital camera, so the angle of view of the generated image varies depending on the tilt angle of the digital camera. Further, since it is not known in what composition the image can be formed until the photographing operation is performed, it is impossible to photograph with the composition intended by the user. On the other hand, when the reduction process is performed, an image obtained by rotating a rectangular image as it is is formed, so that the image is generally difficult to handle.

  In Patent Document 2, since a certain range smaller than the image sensor is always cut out regardless of the tilt angle, image information generated by the image sensor is not always used in a certain amount. The generated image information could not be used effectively.

(Object of invention)
An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of capturing a horizontal image at a constant angle of view regardless of the inclination of the imaging apparatus while effectively using the image information generated by the imaging means. .

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus of the present invention includes an imaging means having a light receiving surface for receiving an image of a subject,
An optical zoom means for changing a focal length of the imaging optical system and performing a zooming operation;
An inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination around the optical axis of the imaging optical system;
A cutout unit that cuts out an image cutout region having a predetermined size from the image obtained from the imaging unit ;
Rotating means for rotating the image cutout region so that the image of the image cutout region is horizontal according to the inclination;
If there is a shooting instruction, expand the image cutout area within a range that does not protrude from the light receiving surface of the image pickup means in accordance with the tilt, at the same time, the change to the wide angle side of the angle due to the expansion of the image cutout area An image pickup apparatus having control means for generating an image of the image cutout region as image data after operating the optical zoom means so as to cancel
The clipping means is configured to prevent the image clipping area from protruding from the light receiving surface of the imaging means when rotating the image clipping area so that an image of the image clipping area is horizontal according to the inclination. Set the size of the image clipping area,
The control means is an optical zoom magnification that can be manually set by a photographer so as to secure a zooming area by the optical zoom means necessary for canceling a change in angle of view due to a change in the size of the image cutout area. The range is limited.
Further, an imaging apparatus of the present invention includes an imaging unit having a light receiving surface that receives an image of a subject, an optical zoom unit that changes a focal length of the imaging optical system, and performs a zooming operation,
An inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination around the optical axis of the imaging optical system;
A cutout unit that cuts out an image cutout region that decreases in size as the inclination increases, from the image obtained from the imaging unit ;
Rotating means for rotating the image cutout region so that the image of the image cutout region is horizontal according to the inclination;
The image cut out Shi actuates said optical zoom means so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the magnitude of the change in the region, an image of the image cut-out area an imaging apparatus and a control means for generating an image data ,
The clipping means is configured to prevent the image clipping area from protruding from the light receiving surface of the imaging means when rotating the image clipping area so that an image of the image clipping area is horizontal according to the inclination. Set the size of the image clipping area,
The control means is an optical zoom magnification that can be manually set by a photographer so as to secure a zooming area by the optical zoom means necessary for canceling a change in angle of view due to a change in the size of the image cutout area. The range is limited.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a horizontal image can be image | photographed with a fixed angle of view irrespective of the inclination of an imaging device, utilizing the image information produced | generated by the imaging means effectively.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a digital camera that is Embodiment 1 of an imaging apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a digital camera according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a part of main routine of a digital camera. It is a conceptual diagram of horizontal correction. It is a conceptual diagram when not performing the rotation process of an image cut-out area | region. It is a conceptual diagram when an image cut-out area | region protrudes from the light-receiving surface of an image sensor. It is a conceptual diagram at the time of still image photography. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a horizontal correction processing procedure according to the first exemplary embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a horizontal correction processing procedure according to the second embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which changes the magnitude | size of an image cut-out area | region according to the inclination of a digital camera. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a horizontal correction processing procedure according to the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a horizontal correction processing procedure according to the fourth embodiment.

  The mode for carrying out the present invention is as described in Examples 1 to 4 below.

  Hereinafter, the horizontal image capturing operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the first embodiment, a digital camera will be described as an example of an imaging apparatus that performs a horizontal image capturing operation according to the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the digital camera has a taking lens 10. In the first embodiment, the photographing lens 10 is a so-called zoom lens capable of changing the focal length. The zoom lens is composed of a plurality of lenses, and the focal length, that is, the zoom magnification is changed by moving the lens position. In the first embodiment, as will be described in detail later, this zoom lens is used when performing horizontal correction.

  There is a barrier 102 in front of the taking lens 10. The barrier 102 covers the photographing lens 10 when the photographing lens 10 is not used. Covering with the barrier 102 prevents the image pickup unit including the photographing lens 10 of the digital camera from being stained or damaged.

  A shutter 12 having a diaphragm function is included in the photographing lens 10. Although arranged at a predetermined position in the photographing lens 10 constituted by a plurality of lenses, it is shown behind the photographing lens 10 for convenience. An imaging element 14 is located at the imaging position of the taking lens 10. The image sensor 14 receives an image of a subject on the light receiving surface and converts the optical image into an analog signal of an electric signal. The analog signal output of the image sensor 14 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 16. The imaging element 14 corresponds to the imaging means of the present invention.

  The timing generation circuit 18 is controlled by the memory control circuit 22 and the system control circuit 50. The timing generation circuit 18 supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14, the A / D converter 16, and the D / A converter 26.

  Data from the A / D converter 16 or data from the memory control circuit 22 enters the image processing circuit 20. The image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 16 or the data from the memory control circuit 22.

  Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and sends the obtained calculation result to the system control circuit 50.

  The system control circuit 50 controls the exposure control unit 40 and the focus control unit 42 based on the calculation result of the image processing circuit 20.

  TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-control) that control the focusing and exposure of the digital camera using light information taken from the taking lens 10 (Emission) processing is performed.

  Further, the image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result.

  The memory control circuit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation circuit 18, the image processing circuit 20, the image display memory 24, the D / A converter 26, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression circuit 32.

  The data of the A / D converter 16 is directly written into the image display memory 24 or the memory 30 via the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22 or the data of the A / D converter 16 via the memory control circuit 22. It is.

  The data written in the image display memory 24 is display image data, which is D / A converted by the D / A converter 26 to be converted into an analog signal, and then displayed on the image display unit 28 including a TFT LCD or the like.

  An electronic viewfinder function (monitor) can be realized by sequentially displaying image data captured using the image display unit 28.

  It is also possible to display a bitmap such as an icon or a character string on the captured image data on the image display unit 28.

  In addition to the electronic viewfinder function, shooting information can be displayed with icons and character strings. The shooting information includes a display area for visually recognizing the zoom magnification, the number of pixels, a focus method, an exposure correction value, and the like. The image display memory 24 constitutes the information display means of the present embodiment.

  Further, the image display unit 28 can arbitrarily turn on / off the display according to an instruction from the system control circuit 50. When the display is turned off, the power consumption of the digital camera can be greatly reduced.

  The memory 30 is a memory for storing captured still images and moving images. The memory 30 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images and a moving image for a predetermined time. This makes it possible to write a large amount of images to the memory 30 at high speed even in continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot. The memory 30 can also be used as a work area for the system control circuit 50.

  The compression / decompression circuit 32 is a circuit that compresses and decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like. The compression / decompression circuit 32 reads an image stored in the memory 30, performs a compression process or an expansion process, and writes the processed data to the memory 30.

  The exposure control unit 40 controls the shutter 12 having a diaphragm function, and has a flash light control function in cooperation with the flash 48.

  The focus control unit 42 controls focusing of the photographic lens 10, and the zoom control unit 44 controls zooming of the photographic lens 10. The barrier control unit 46 controls the operation of the barrier 102.

  The flash 48 performs an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function. The exposure control unit 40 and the focus control unit 42 are controlled using the TTL method. The system control circuit 50 controls the exposure control unit 40 and the focus control unit 42 based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the captured image data by the image processing circuit 20.

  The overall operation of the digital camera is controlled by a system control circuit 50 configured by a microcomputer. Constants, variables, programs, and the like for operation of the system control circuit 50 are stored in the memory 52.

  In accordance with the execution of the program in the system control circuit 50, the operating state, messages, and the like are expressed by a display unit 54 such as a liquid crystal display device or a speaker using characters, images, sounds, and the like. The display unit 54 is installed in a single or a plurality of locations near the operation unit of the digital camera so as to be easily visible, and is configured by a combination of, for example, an LCD, an LED, and a sounding element.

  The display unit 54 has a part of its function installed in the optical viewfinder 104. Reference numeral 56 denotes an electrically erasable / recordable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM.

  The gyro 300 is used to detect rotation about the photographing optical axis of the digital camera.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a digital camera 100 to which the present invention can be applied. Reference numeral 10 schematically represents a photographing lens of the digital camera 100. The gyro 300 can detect the tilt angle θ of the digital camera 100 around the vector 302 that passes through the gyro 300 and is perpendicular to the light receiving surface of the image sensor 14, and the tilt angle information is based on the detected tilt angle θ. This is transmitted to the control circuit 50. In the first embodiment, the system control circuit 50 performs horizontal image photographing processing based on the tilt angle information generated by the gyro 300. The horizontal image shooting process will be described in detail later.

  The mode dial switch 60 switches and sets various function modes such as power-off, automatic shooting mode, shooting mode, panoramic shooting mode, playback mode, multi-screen playback / erase mode, and PC connection mode.

  The shutter switch 62 is configured to be pressed in two steps, and is configured such that SW1 is turned on when the first step is pressed and SW2 is turned on when the second step is pressed.

  SW1 is turned on during operation of a shutter button (not shown), and when turned on, operations such as AF (auto focus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing are started. Instruct.

  SW2 is turned on when the operation of a shutter button (not shown) is completed, and when it is turned on, an exposure processing operation for writing a signal read from the image sensor 12 to the memory 30 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22 Instruct the start. Also, a development process using an operation in the image processing circuit 20 or the memory control circuit 22, a recording process in which image data is read out from the memory 30, compressed in the compression / decompression circuit 32, and the image data is written in the recording medium 200 or 210. Instructs the start of a series of processing operations.

  The image display ON / OFF switch 64 can set ON / OFF of the image display unit 28. With this function, when photographing is performed using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power by cutting off the current supply to the image display unit 28 including a TFT LCD or the like.

  The zoom switch 66 is a switch that can select at least three of an OFF, a tele switch, and a wide switch. When the tele switch is turned on, zoom is performed on the tele side, when the wide switch is turned on, zoom is performed on the wide side, and when the tele switch is turned off, the zoom is stopped.

  The operation unit 70 includes various buttons and a touch panel.

  The power supply control unit 80 is configured by a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches blocks to be energized, and the like.

  The connector 82 is electrically connected to the power supply 86 and the power supply control unit 80 by fastening to the connector 84.

  Interfaces 90 and 94 serve as interfaces with recording media such as memory cards and hard disks. Connectors 92 and 96 are connectors for connecting to recording media 200 and 210 such as a memory card and a hard disk. The recording medium attachment / detachment detection unit 98 detects whether or not the recording mediums 200 and 210 are attached to the connectors 92 and 96.

  The optical viewfinder 104 can perform photographing using only the optical viewfinder 104 without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28.

  The communication unit 110 has various communication functions. The connector 112 is a means for connecting the digital camera to other devices by the communication unit 110, and is a connector or an antenna in the case of wireless communication.

  The recording media 200 and 210 include recording units 202 and 212 configured by a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and the like, interfaces 204 and 214 with the digital camera 100, and connectors 206 and 216 for connecting with the digital camera 100.

  The LCD display image recorded in the image display memory 24 is displayed on the image display unit 28 via the memory control unit 22.

  This LCD display image has the same number of pixels as the number of pixels of the image display unit 28. The electronic viewfinder function is realized by sequentially capturing image data from the image sensor 14 and displaying the image data on the image display unit 28.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the main routine of the digital camera.

  Upon power-on such as battery replacement, the system control circuit 50 initializes flags, control variables, and the like (step S101), and initializes the image display of the image display unit 28 to an OFF state (step S102).

  Next, the system control circuit 50 determines the setting position of the mode dial 60 (step S103). If the mode dial 60 is set to power OFF, the display on each display unit is changed to the end state, and the barrier is set. 102 is closed to protect the taking lens 10. At the same time, necessary parameters, setting values, and setting modes including flags and control variables are recorded in the nonvolatile memory 56. Then, after the power control unit 80 performs predetermined end processing such as shutting off unnecessary power of each part of the digital camera including the image display unit 28 (step S105), the process returns to step S103.

  If the mode dial 60 is set to the photographing mode (step S103), the process proceeds to step S106. If the mode dial 60 is set to another mode (step S103), the system control circuit 50 executes a process according to the selected mode (step S104). Return to.

  The system control circuit 50 determines whether there is a problem in the operation of the digital camera in terms of the remaining capacity and the operation status of the power source 86 configured by a battery or the like by the power source control unit 80 (step S106). If there is a problem, a predetermined warning is displayed by image or sound using the display unit 54 (step S108), and the process returns to step S103.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S106 is that there is no problem with the power supply 86, the system control circuit 50 indicates that the operation state of the recording media 200 and 210 is a problem with the operation of the digital camera, particularly with respect to the recording / reproducing operation of image data on the recording medium. It is determined whether or not there is (step S107). If there is a problem, a predetermined warning is displayed by image or sound using the display unit 54 (step S108), and the process returns to step S103.

  On the other hand, if there is no problem in the operation state of the recording media 200 and 210 as a result of the determination in step S107, the display unit 54 is used to display various setting states of the digital camera 100 using images and sounds (step S109).

  Subsequently, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the image display ON / OFF switch 66 has been pressed (step S110). If the result of this determination is that the image display ON / OFF switch 66 has been pressed, the image display flag is checked for ON / OFF (step S111). If the image display flag is set to OFF, the image display flag is set to ON (step S112), and the image display of the image display unit 28 is set to ON (step S113).

  Further, a through display state in which captured image data is sequentially displayed is set (step S114), and a display area for visually recognizing the zoom magnification is displayed on the through display (step S115), and the process proceeds to step S119. The display for visually recognizing the zoom magnification is performed by drawing and displaying a bitmap. The drawn bitmap is displayed so as to be superimposed on the EVF (electronic finder). A method of displaying a bitmap on an EVF is widely known and will not be described here.

  In the through display state, the data sequentially written in the image display memory 24 via the image sensor 12, the A / D converter 16, the image processing circuit 20, and the memory control circuit 22 are converted into the memory control circuit 22 and the D The images are sequentially displayed by the image display unit 28 via the / A converter 26. Thereby, the electronic finder function is realized.

  If the image display flag is set to ON (step S111), the image display flag is canceled (step S116), the image display of the image display unit 28 is set to the OFF state (step S117), and step S118. Proceed to

  When the image display is OFF, shooting is performed using the optical viewfinder 104 without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28.

  In this case, it is possible to reduce power consumption of the image display unit 28, the D / A converter 26, and the like that consume a large amount of power. The state of the image display flag is stored in the internal memory of the system control circuit 50 or the memory 52. Further, the image display flag is OFF at the time of activation.

  Subsequently, the system control circuit 50 performs zoom processing (step S118) according to the selected zoom mode.

  After that, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the shutter switch 62, the operation unit 70, and other switches are ON (step S119). After executing the process according to the state of the selected switch (step S120), the process returns to step S103. On the other hand, if the switch state is OFF, the process returns to step S103 without doing anything.

  Subsequently, the horizontal image capturing method will be described in detail.

  The horizontal image shooting method includes a still image shooting and a moving image shooting. In the first embodiment, the case of still image shooting will be described.

  In the first embodiment, the following horizontal correction is performed in order to capture a horizontal still image.

  When photographing with the optical axis of the taking lens 10 slightly upward or downward with respect to the horizontal line, when the elevation angle is α, the rotation angle around the optical axis of the camera detected by the gyro 300 is θ. The horizontal correction should be θ × COSα. However, since COSα is 0.9 when α is 25 degrees or more, it hardly occurs when overcorrection due to the effect of elevation angle becomes a problem. Therefore, in order to simplify the description, in the first embodiment, detection of the rotation amount in two directions perpendicular to the optical axis is omitted.

  4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating the concept of horizontal correction according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A illustrates a state in which the digital camera 100 is not tilted, and FIG. 4B illustrates the vector 302 in FIG. A case is shown in which the rotation is about θ with respect to a horizontal plane 404 perpendicular to the direction of gravity. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 400 denotes a light receiving surface of the image sensor 14. In the first embodiment, in order to perform horizontal correction, a certain range 402 in the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor is cut out, and only the cut out area is displayed on the image display unit 28. Hereinafter, 402 is referred to as an image cutout region. In the first embodiment, the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 and the image cutout region 402 are similar. Further, the center of gravity of the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 and the center of gravity of the image cutout region 402 are the same. As shown in FIG. 4B, the case where the digital camera 100 is rotated by θ around a vector 302 in FIG. 2 with respect to a horizontal plane 404 perpendicular to the direction of gravity will be described. In this case, the image cutout area 402 is rotated by θ in the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 in the direction opposite to the tilt direction of the digital camera 100 with the center of gravity of the image cutout area 402 as the rotation center. By performing such processing, even when the digital camera 100 is rotated by θ, the side 406 of the image cutout region 402 is parallel to the horizontal plane 404 perpendicular to the direction of gravity in the image display unit 28. The image in the clear image cutout area 402 is displayed.

  In the first embodiment, the horizontal correction is performed only when the inclination θ of the digital camera 100 with respect to the horizontal plane 404 perpendicular to the direction of gravity around the vector 302 in FIG. 2 is within the limit angle (θ <= θmax). To do. That is, when the tilt of the digital camera is not within the limit angle (θ> θmax) θ, as shown in FIG. 5, the image clipping region 402 is not rotated and the same tilt as the digital camera is obtained. The image in the image cutout area 402 is displayed on the image display unit 28. In the first embodiment, the limit angle θmax is a predetermined value.

  Next, the size of the image cutout area 402 will be described. When the tilt θ of the digital camera is θmax> = θ, the size of the image cutout area 402 is such that the image cutout area 402 does not protrude from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 when rotation correction is performed. It must be large. As shown in FIG. 6, if the image cutout region 402 protrudes from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14, there is no image data of the black-filled portion 402 </ b> A in FIG. 6. This is because the missing image is displayed.

  In the first embodiment, shooting data at the time of shooting a still image is generated using data in the image cutout area 402. The image quality is improved when more information generated in the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 is used, but information generated in an area other than the image cutout area 402 in the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 is used. It will never be done. Therefore, in order to improve the image quality of the shooting data, it is effective to increase the size of the image cutout area 402 as much as possible when shooting a still image. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the following process is performed so that the image cutout area 402 is enlarged when a still image is taken.

  FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram at the time of still image shooting. If a still image shooting instruction is given when the digital camera has a certain inclination θ, the image cutout area 402 is enlarged within a range that does not protrude from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 as shown in FIG. . By such processing, the image cutout area 402 becomes large, and the image quality of the captured data is improved. However, on the other hand, the photographer determines the angle of view while viewing the image cut out in the image cutout area 402 displayed on the image display unit 28, and gives a shooting instruction to the digital camera. However, when the processing for enlarging the image cutout area 402 at the time of shooting is performed as described above, the angle of view of the shooting data changes to the wide angle side, and the angle of view is different from the angle of view intended by the photographer. The image is taken. In order to solve this problem, in the first embodiment, the optical zoom is operated to the telephoto side at the same time as changing the image cutout area 402 so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the enlargement of the image cutout area 402. Take action and record an image. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 408 denotes an area before the size of the image cutout area 402 is changed. As shown in FIG. 7, during the shooting operation, the image cutout region 402 is larger than the region 408 within a range that does not protrude from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven to the telephoto side so that the angle of view of the captured image becomes the same as the angle of view of the area 408 before the size of the image cutout area 402 is changed.

  In the first embodiment, since the configuration is as described above, when the digital camera is set to the mode for performing horizontal correction, the optical zoom has an angle of view due to a change in the size of the image clipping region 402. As long as it can cancel the change to the wide-angle side, there must be room for zooming to the telephoto side. When the camera tilt θ is θ = 0, the image cutout area 402 can be enlarged to the same size as the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14, that is, when θ = 0, the image cutout area is the largest at the time of shooting. The change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of 402 is large. Therefore, the optical zoom only needs to secure a zooming area toward the telephoto side that can cancel the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402 when θ = 0. If the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cut-out area 402 when θ = 0 is α times, this zooming must be canceled out by driving the optical zoom. The magnification must be changed by β times which is 1 / α. Accordingly, when the optical zoom of the digital camera can perform zooming up to γ times as a whole, since γ / β = γ * α, zooming that can be manually changed by the photographer (optical zoom) It is necessary to limit the range of (magnification) from 1 to γ * α times or less.

  The horizontal correction still image shooting processing of the digital camera of the first embodiment having such a configuration will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the digital camera is set to the horizontal correction still image shooting mode by operating the operation unit 70, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the optical zoom magnification is equal to or less than a predetermined magnification (step S200). If it is determined that the magnification of the optical zoom is not less than or equal to the predetermined magnification (N in step S200), the magnification of the optical zoom is changed to the wide angle side up to a predetermined magnification (step S201). After the end of step S201, or when it is determined that the optical zoom magnification is equal to or smaller than the predetermined magnification (Y in step S200), the range of zooming of the optical zoom that can be set by the photographer is The range is limited to a range from the lowest magnification (1 ×) on the wide angle side to a predetermined magnification (S202).

  The system control circuit 50 cuts out only the image cutout area 402 having a predetermined size from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 and displays it on the image display unit 28 (step S203). Next, based on the tilt angle information generated by the gyro 300, it is determined whether the tilt θ of the digital camera is within the limit angle θmax (step S204).

  When θ <= θmax, the image clipping region 402 is set in the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 in the direction opposite to the tilt direction of the digital camera 100 with the center of gravity of the image clipping region 402 as the rotation center. It is rotated by the inclination θ (step S205). As a result, the image cutout area 402 becomes horizontal.

  In step S206, it is determined whether there is a shooting instruction. If it is determined in step S206 that there is a shooting instruction (Y in step S206), the area of the image cutout area 402 is enlarged in a range that does not protrude from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven to the telephoto side so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402 (step S207). Then, image data is generated and recorded using the data generated on the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 in the image cutout area 402 (step S208).

  Thereafter, the optical zoom is performed so that the size of the image cutout area 402 is returned to the size of the image cutout area 402 before the photographing instruction is given, and at the same time the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402 is canceled. Drive to the wide-angle side (step S209), and return to step S202.

  If it is determined in step S206 that there is no shooting instruction (N in step S206), the process returns to step S204.

  If θ> θmax (N in step S204), the inclination of the image cutout area 402 is made the same as the inclination θ of the digital camera 100 (step S210).

  Next, in step S211, it is determined whether there is a shooting instruction. If it is determined in step S211 that there is a shooting instruction (Y in step S211), the area of the image cutout area 402 is enlarged in a range that does not protrude from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven to the telephoto side so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402 (step S212). Then, image data is generated and recorded using the data generated on the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 in the image cutout area 402 (step S213).

  Thereafter, the optical zoom is driven to the wide-angle side so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402 at the same time as returning the size of the image cutout area 402 to the size before the shooting instruction is given. (Step S214), the process returns to Step S204.

  If it is determined in step S211 that there is no shooting instruction (N in step S211), the process returns to step S204.

  Hereinafter, the horizontal image capturing operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. The same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Similar to the first embodiment, the second embodiment will be described by taking a digital camera as an example of an imaging apparatus that performs a horizontal image photographing operation.

  In the second embodiment as well, a case where it is adapted to still image shooting as in the first embodiment will be described.

  The first and second embodiments are the same in that the horizontal correction is not performed when the inclination θ of the digital camera is larger than the predetermined limit angle θmax, and the horizontal correction is performed otherwise. However, the processing in the first embodiment and the second embodiment is different when the tilt θ of the digital camera is larger than the predetermined limit angle θmax.

  In the first embodiment, when the inclination θ of the digital camera is larger than the predetermined limit angle θmax, the image cutout region 402 is not rotated. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, when the inclination θ of the digital camera is larger than a predetermined limit angle θmax, a part of the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 is not cut out by the image cutout region 402. And Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  The horizontal correction still image shooting processing of the digital camera of the second embodiment having such a configuration will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the digital camera is set to the horizontal correction still image shooting mode by operating the operation unit 70, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the optical zoom magnification is equal to or less than a predetermined magnification (step S300). If it is determined that the magnification of the optical zoom is not less than or equal to the predetermined magnification (N in step S300), the magnification of the optical zoom is changed to the wide angle side to a predetermined magnification (step S301). After the end of step S301, or when it is determined that the optical zoom magnification is equal to or smaller than the predetermined magnification (Y in step S300), the zoom range of the optical zoom that can be set by the photographer is The range is limited to a range from the lowest magnification (1 ×) on the wide angle side to a predetermined magnification (S302).

  The system control circuit 50 cuts out only the image cutout area 402 having a predetermined size from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 and displays it on the image display unit 28 (step S303). Next, based on the tilt angle information generated by the gyro 300, it is determined whether or not the tilt θ of the digital camera 100 is within θmax (step S304).

  When θ <= θmax (Y in step S304), the image cutout area 402 is opposite to the tilt direction of the digital camera 100 with the center of gravity of the image cutout area 402 as the rotation center in the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14. The direction is rotated by the inclination θ of the digital camera 100 (step S305).

  In step S306, it is determined whether there is a shooting instruction. If it is determined in step S306 that there is a shooting instruction (Y in step S306), the area of the image cutout area 402 is enlarged within a range that does not protrude from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven to the telephoto side so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402 (step S307). Then, image data is generated and recorded using the data generated on the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 in the image cutout area 402 (step S308).

  Thereafter, the size of the image cut-out area 402 is returned to the size of the image cut-out area 402 before the shooting instruction is given. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven to the wide angle side so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402 (step S309), and the process returns to step S304.

  If it is determined in step S306 that there is no shooting instruction (N in step S306), the process returns to step S304.

  When θ> θmax is satisfied (N in step S304), only the image cutout area 402 having a predetermined size is cut out from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 and stopped from being displayed on the image display unit 28. . Then, an image based on the entire data generated on the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 is displayed on the image display unit 28. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven to the telephoto side so as to cancel the change in the angle of view caused by stopping the cutout of only the image cutout area 402 and displaying it on the image display unit 28 (step S310).

  In step S311, it is determined whether there is a shooting instruction. If it is determined in step S311 that there is a shooting instruction (Y in step S311), image data is generated and recorded using data generated on the entire light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 (step S312).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the inclination θ of the digital camera 100 is within θmax (step S313).

  When θ <= θmax (Y in step S313), canceling the cutout operation stop of the image cutout region 402 and canceling the change in the angle of view caused by canceling the cutout operation stop of the image cutout region 402 are as follows. The optical zoom is driven to the wide angle side (step S314), and the process proceeds to step S305.

  If θ> θmax (N in step S313), the process returns to step S311.

  If it is determined in step S311 that there is no shooting instruction (N in step S311), the process proceeds to step S313.

  With such a configuration, when the inclination θ is larger than the predetermined limit angle θmax, it is not necessary to change the size of the image cutout area 402 and drive the optical zoom when there is a shooting instruction. . Therefore, the processing at the time of photographing when the inclination θ is larger than the predetermined limit angle θmax is simplified. However, it is necessary to change the size of the image cutout region 402 and drive the optical zoom every time the inclination θ falls below the limit angle θmax.

  Hereinafter, the horizontal image capturing operation according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. The same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Similar to the first embodiment, the third embodiment will be described by taking a digital camera as an example of an imaging apparatus that performs a horizontal image photographing operation.

  Also in the third embodiment, a case where it is adapted to still image shooting as in the first and second embodiments will be described.

  The second and third embodiments are the same in that the horizontal correction is not performed when the inclination θ of the digital camera is larger than the predetermined limit angle θmax, and the horizontal correction is performed otherwise. However, the processing in the second and third embodiments is different when the tilt θ of the digital camera is within a predetermined limit angle θmax.

  The processing in the third embodiment when the tilt θ of the digital camera is within a predetermined limit angle θmax will be described. In the third embodiment, the size of the image cutout area 402 is sequentially changed according to the inclination θ of the digital camera. More specifically, the size of the image cutout area 402 is reduced as the difference between the inclination θ of the digital camera and the angle between the image cutout area 402 increases. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing that the image cutout area 402 changes depending on the inclination θ of the digital camera. 10A shows the case where the tilt θ of the digital camera is 0, FIG. 10B shows the case where the digital camera is inclined by θ1, and FIG. 10C shows the case where the digital camera is inclined by θ2. Yes. 0 <θ1 <θ2 <θmax. As shown in FIG. 10, the larger the tilt θ of the digital camera is, the smaller the size of the image cutout area 402 is. By performing such processing, it is possible to prevent the image cutout region 402 from protruding from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14. However, when such processing is performed, the angle of view of the image displayed on the image display unit 28 changes to the telephoto side as the tilt θ of the digital camera 100 increases. In order to solve such a problem, in the third embodiment, the optical zoom is performed at a wide angle as the tilt θ of the digital camera 100 increases so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402. It is going to change to the side.

  In the third embodiment, when the mode for performing horizontal correction is set, it is possible to cancel the change in the angle of view displayed on the image display unit 28 to the telephoto side as the inclination θ increases. The optical zoom must leave room for zooming to the wide-angle side. When θ = θmax, the size of the image cutout region 402 is the smallest. Therefore, when the inclination θ changes from 0 to θmax, the angle of view is changed to the telephoto side due to the change in the size of the image cutout region 402. It must be possible to cancel by zooming to the wide angle side. When the magnification of the angle of view displayed on the image display unit 28 due to the change in the size of the image cutout region 402 when the inclination θ changes from 0 to θmax is δ, to cancel the magnification. The optical zoom must be capable of zooming to the wide angle side by 1 / δ. Since zooming of the optical zoom is not a value less than 1 × in principle, when the tilt θ of the digital camera 100 is θ = 0, the optical zoom must be zoomed by δ times or more to the telephoto side.

  The horizontal correction still image shooting process of the digital camera of the third embodiment having such a configuration will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the digital camera is set to the horizontal correction still image shooting mode by operating the operation unit 70, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the magnification of the optical zoom is equal to or greater than a predetermined magnification (step S400). If it is determined that the optical zoom magnification is not greater than or equal to the predetermined magnification (N in step S400), the optical zoom magnification is changed to the telephoto side up to a predetermined magnification (step S401). After the end of step S401, and when it is determined that the optical zoom magnification is equal to or higher than the predetermined magnification (Y in step S400), the zoom range of the optical zoom that can be set by the photographer is The range is limited from a predetermined magnification to the maximum zoom on the telephoto side (S402).

  Next, based on the tilt angle information generated by the gyro 300, it is determined whether the tilt θ of the digital camera is within θmax (step S403).

  If θ <= θmax (Y in step S403), the image cutout area 402 is continuously changed to a size corresponding to the inclination θ of the digital camera. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven so as to cancel the change in the angle of view of the image displayed on the image display unit 28 due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402. At the same time, the image cutout region 402 is continuously formed on the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 by the tilt angle θ of the digital camera 100 in the direction opposite to the tilt direction of the digital camera 100 with the center of gravity of the image cutout region 402 as the rotation center. (Step S404).

  In step S405, it is determined whether there is a shooting instruction. If it is determined in step S405 that there is a shooting instruction (Y in step S405), image data is generated and recorded using data generated on the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 in the image cutout area 402. (Step S406).

  After step S406, or when it is determined in step S405 that there is no shooting instruction (N in step S405), whether or not the inclination θ is within θmax based on the inclination angle information generated by the gyro 300 Is determined (step S407).

  If θ <= θmax (Y in step S407), the process returns to step S404.

  When θ> θmax is satisfied (N in step S407), cutting out the image cutout area 402 from the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 and displaying it on the image display unit 28 is stopped. Then, an image based on the entire data generated on the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 is displayed on the image display unit 28. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven to the telephoto side so as to cancel the change in the angle of view by stopping the cutout of only the image cutout area 402 and displaying it on the image display unit 28 (step S408).

  After step S408 is completed, or if it is determined in step S403 that θ> θmax, it is determined in step S409 whether there is a shooting instruction.

  If it is determined in step S409 that there is a shooting instruction (Y in step S409), image data is generated and recorded using data generated on the entire light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 (step S410). Thereafter, the process returns to step S403.

  If it is determined in step S409 that there is no shooting instruction (N in step S409), the process returns to step S403.

  With such a configuration, it is not necessary to change the size of the image cutout area 402 and drive the optical zoom when there is a shooting instruction. Therefore, processing at the time of shooting is simplified. However, it is necessary to sequentially change the size of the image cutout area 402 and drive the optical zoom every time the value of the inclination θ of the digital camera 100 changes.

  Hereinafter, the horizontal image capturing operation according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. The same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Similar to the first embodiment, the fourth embodiment will be described by taking a digital camera as an example of an imaging apparatus that performs a horizontal image photographing operation.

  Although the first to third embodiments have been described with respect to an embodiment adapted to still image shooting, the fourth embodiment will be described with respect to an embodiment adapted to moving image shooting.

  The fourth embodiment is the same as the third embodiment in that the horizontal correction is not performed when the tilt θ of the digital camera 100 is larger than the predetermined limit angle θmax, and the horizontal correction is performed otherwise. Example 4 has the following differences from Example 3. In the third embodiment, when the horizontal correction is stopped, the image displayed on the image display unit 28 is suddenly changed to the same angle as the inclination θ of the digital camera. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, when the horizontal correction is stopped, the inclination of the image cut-out area 402 is continuously changed to the same angle as the inclination of the digital camera, so that it is displayed on the image display unit 28. The tilt of the image does not change suddenly. Because of such a configuration, when moving image shooting is performed using the horizontal correction according to the fourth embodiment, the inclination of the image is prevented from changing suddenly at the end of the horizontal correction in the generated moving image data. I can do it.

  Hereinafter, the horizontal correction process of the digital camera according to the fourth embodiment will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the digital camera is set to the horizontal correction moving image shooting mode by operating the operation unit 70, the system control circuit 50 determines whether or not the optical zoom magnification is equal to or higher than a predetermined magnification (step S500). If it is determined that the optical zoom magnification is not equal to or greater than the predetermined magnification (N in step S500), the optical zoom magnification is changed to the telephoto side up to a predetermined magnification (step S501). After completion of step S501, or when it is determined that the optical zoom magnification is equal to or higher than a predetermined magnification, the range of optical zoom magnification that can be set by the photographer is determined from a predetermined magnification. The range is limited to the maximum magnification on the telephoto side (S502).

  In step S503, it is determined whether there is a moving image shooting start instruction. If there is no instruction to start moving image shooting (N in step S503), the process returns to step S503. If there is a moving image shooting start instruction, the moving image shooting start process is started (step S504), and thereafter, the moving image shooting end process (step S508) is performed by the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 in the image cutout area 402. Continue to store the generated data at regular intervals.

  Next, based on the tilt angle information generated by the gyro 300, it is determined whether the tilt θ of the digital camera is within θmax (step S505).

  If θ <= θmax (Y in step S505), the image cutout area 402 is continuously changed to a size corresponding to the inclination θ of the digital camera. At the same time, the optical zoom is driven so as to cancel the change in the angle of view of the image displayed on the image display unit 28 due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402. At the same time, the image cutout area 402 is continuously rotated in the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 by the inclination θ in the direction opposite to the inclination direction of the digital camera 100 with the center of gravity of the image cutout area 402 as the rotation center (step S506).

  Next, in step S507, it is determined whether there is a moving image shooting end instruction. If it is determined in step S507 that there is an instruction to end moving image shooting (Y in step S507), moving image shooting end processing is performed (step S508). The moving image shooting end process stops storing data generated by the light receiving surface 400 of the image sensor 14 in the image cutout area 402 at regular intervals. And the data of the predetermined moving image format are produced | generated using the data produced | generated by the light-receiving surface 400 of the image pick-up element 14 memorize | stored.

  After the moving image shooting end process is completed, the process returns to step S503.

  If it is determined in step S507 that there is no moving image shooting end instruction (N in step S507), it is determined whether or not the inclination θ of the digital camera is within θmax based on the inclination angle information generated by the gyro 300 ( Step S509).

  If θ <= θmax (Y in step S509), the process returns to step S506.

  If θ> θmax (N in step S509), the size of the image cutout region 402 is continuously changed to a size corresponding to the difference between the angle of the image cutout region 402 and the tilt angle of the digital camera. . At the same time, the optical zoom is driven so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the change in the size of the image cutout area 402. At the same time, the image cutout area 402 is continuously rotated until the angle of the image cutout area 402 is equal to the tilt angle of the digital camera. That is, as the image cutout area 402 rotates in the direction in which the angle of the image cutout area 402 and the tilt of the digital camera match, the difference between the angle of the image cutout area 402 and the tilt angle of the digital camera becomes smaller. Along with this, the size of the image cutout area 402 becomes larger, and the image displayed in the image display unit 28 and the image pickup element 14 in the image cutout area 402 that is continuously stored every predetermined time by moving image shooting processing. The image based on the data changes to the wide angle side. Therefore, the optical zoom is driven to the telephoto side so as to cancel it (step S510).

  Next, in step S511, it is determined whether there is a moving image shooting end instruction. If it is determined in step S511 that there is an instruction to end moving image shooting (Y in step S511), moving image shooting end processing is performed (step S508).

  If it is determined in step S511 that there is no moving image shooting end instruction (N in step S511), the process returns to step S505.

  If θ> θmax in step S505 (N in step S505), the process proceeds to step S511.

  Similar to the third embodiment, the horizontal correction is not performed when the tilt angle θ of the digital camera is larger than the predetermined limit angle θmax, and the horizontal correction is performed when the tilt angle θmax is equal to or smaller than the limit angle θmax. When the horizontal correction is finished, the image displayed on the image display unit 28 and the image inclination based on the data of the image sensor 14 in the image cutout area 402 continuously stored every predetermined time by the moving image shooting process are continuous. Therefore, it prevents the image tilt from changing suddenly at the end of the horizontal correction in the generated video data, and the image tilt changes smoothly. I can do it.

  Therefore, the horizontal correction according to the fourth embodiment is an embodiment suitable for moving image shooting.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, the limit angle θmax is described as an example of a predetermined value. However, the photographer may arbitrarily determine the value.

  The photographer may select which processing operation to be used from among the processing operations shown in the first to fourth embodiments. Further, the processing operation shown in the first embodiment is used in the horizontal correction still image shooting mode, and the processing operation shown in the fourth embodiment is used in the horizontal correction moving image shooting mode. May be.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, a digital camera has been described as an example. However, other imaging devices such as a digital video may be used.

  It should be noted that each of the above-described embodiments is merely a specific example for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea or the main features thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Image sensor 28 Image display part 50 System control circuit 300 Gyro 402 Image clipping area

Claims (6)

An imaging means having a light receiving surface for receiving an image of a subject;
An optical zoom means for changing a focal length of the imaging optical system and performing a zooming operation;
An inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination around the optical axis of the imaging optical system;
A cutout unit that cuts out an image cutout region having a predetermined size from the image obtained from the imaging unit ;
Rotating means for rotating the image cutout region so that the image of the image cutout region is horizontal according to the inclination;
If there is a shooting instruction, expand the image cutout area within a range that does not protrude from the light receiving surface of the image pickup means in accordance with the tilt, at the same time, the change to the wide angle side of the angle due to the expansion of the image cutout area An image pickup apparatus having control means for generating an image of the image cutout region as image data after operating the optical zoom means so as to cancel
The clipping means is configured to prevent the image clipping area from protruding from the light receiving surface of the imaging means when rotating the image clipping area so that an image of the image clipping area is horizontal according to the inclination. Set the size of the image clipping area,
The control means is an optical zoom magnification that can be manually set by a photographer so as to secure a zooming area by the optical zoom means necessary for canceling a change in angle of view due to a change in the size of the image cutout area. An imaging apparatus characterized by limiting the range of the image. The control means controls the image cutout region to be horizontal when the tilt is within a predetermined limit angle, and when the tilt is not within the limit angle, the tilt of the image cutout region is the imaging The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is controlled so as to have the same inclination as the apparatus. Wherein, when within limits angle which the slope is predetermined, the image cutout area is controlled to be horizontal, when the slope is not within the limits angle, stop clipping operation of the image cutout area The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: An image pickup means having a light receiving surface for receiving an image of an object, an optical zoom means for changing a focal length of the image pickup optical system, and performing a zooming operation;
An inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination around the optical axis of the imaging optical system;
A cutout unit that cuts out an image cutout region that decreases in size as the inclination increases, from the image obtained from the imaging unit ;
Rotating means for rotating the image cutout region so that the image of the image cutout region is horizontal according to the inclination;
The image cut out Shi actuates said optical zoom means so as to cancel the change in the angle of view due to the magnitude of the change in the region, an image of the image cut-out area an imaging apparatus and a control means for generating an image data ,
The clipping means is configured to prevent the image clipping area from protruding from the light receiving surface of the imaging means when rotating the image clipping area so that an image of the image clipping area is horizontal according to the inclination. Set the size of the image clipping area,
The control means is an optical zoom magnification that can be manually set by a photographer so as to secure a zooming area by the optical zoom means necessary for canceling a change in angle of view due to a change in the size of the image cutout area. An imaging apparatus characterized by limiting the range of the image. Wherein, when within limits angle which the slope is predetermined, the image cutout area is controlled to be horizontal, when the slope is not within the limits angle, stop clipping operation of the image cutout area The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: Wherein, when within limits angle which the slope is predetermined such that said image cutout area is horizontal, and the change is controlled to be continuously, when the slope is not within the limits angle the imaging apparatus according to claim 4, the inclination of the image cutout area to be the same as the inclination of the imaging apparatus, and changes and controls to be continuous.

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