JP7341670B2 - Imaging device, imaging device control method, program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device having a function of notifying a user using sound.

2. Description of the Related Art Imaging devices such as digital cameras are equipped with a technology to obtain multiple images in a short period of time by continuously capturing images (so-called continuous shooting). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging device that adds azimuth information to each image during continuous shooting.

Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-191300

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, some digital cameras are capable of taking several dozen images per second. If the performance of such continuous shooting improves, many images can be obtained at once, but these images often include out-of-focus images, making it difficult for users to choose which images to choose. Something happened.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to notify the user whether or not the user's desired image is obtained during photographing.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging device of the present invention includes an imaging device, an exposure device that performs exposure using the imaging device, an image acquisition device that acquires an image after completion of exposure by the exposure device, and an image analysis means for analyzing an image obtained from the acquisition means in a predetermined method; a judgment criterion setting means for setting a judgment criterion for the analysis result of the image analysis means; and a judgment criterion for the analysis result of the image analysis means. A determining means for making a determination according to a determination criterion set by the standard setting means; and an audio means for outputting a shutter sound in response to a predetermined number of exposures when the exposure means continuously performs multiple exposures. and when the exposure means continuously performs multiple exposures, all of the images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures are determined by the determination means to not satisfy the determination criteria. If the sound means is not determined to be successful, the sound means outputs a first shutter sound based on the determination that the sound is not successful, and when the exposure means successively performs a plurality of exposures, the sound means outputs a first shutter sound based on the determination that the sound is not successful. If at least one image among the images is determined by the determination means to satisfy the determination criteria, the sound means outputs a second shutter sound based on the determination of success . Features.

According to the present invention, it is possible to notify the user whether or not the user's desired image has been obtained during photographing.

(A) Configuration diagram of the imaging device, (B) Block diagram of the imaging device Flow diagram in the first embodiment Diagram showing an example of audio output in the first embodiment Diagram showing an example of determination in the first embodiment Flow diagram in the second embodiment Timing diagram in second embodiment

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail using attached drawing.

Note that the embodiment described below is an example of means for realizing the present invention, and may be modified or changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. It is also possible to combine the embodiments as appropriate.

[First embodiment]
<Digital camera configuration>
FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a digital camera that is an example of an imaging device according to this embodiment. The photographing optical system 100 includes an aperture 11, an image stabilization lens group 12, and a focus lens group 13, and can guide an optical image to the camera body 200. The camera body 200 includes an image sensor 21 that photoelectrically converts an optical image of the photographic optical system 100 and a mechanical shutter 22 that adjusts exposure time.

The camera body 200 includes a rear liquid crystal 23 on the back, a small liquid crystal 24 and an optical system 25 on the finder, and can display images captured by the image sensor 21. Note that if the image sensor is equipped with an electronic shutter function, a mechanical shutter is not necessary, and even if the image sensor is equipped with a mechanical shutter, the mechanical shutter remains fully open when adjusting the exposure time with the electronic shutter. When taking a picture, by lightly pressing the shutter button (not shown) to the first step, so-called "half-pressing", the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms set the shutter speed, aperture value, and other shooting conditions.

Further, by pressing the shutter button deeply from the halfway position to the second position, so-called "fully pressing", the mechanical shutter 22 or the electronic shutter function of the image sensor 21 is activated to capture an image. The mechanical shutter or electronic shutter described above is an exposure means that performs exposure using an image sensor. Further, by keeping the shutter button pressed, the exposure means can perform multiple exposures consecutively.

FIG. 1(B) is a block diagram of the imaging device of this embodiment. The camera body 200 includes an electric circuit 20, and the electric circuit 20 is equipped with a CPU, an image processing circuit, a control circuit, an audio reproduction circuit, and the like. An image acquisition unit that acquires an image after the exposure unit completes exposure, and an image analysis unit that analyzes the image obtained from the image acquisition unit using a predetermined method are implemented in the image processing circuit. Further, a judgment criterion setting means for setting a judgment criterion for the analysis result of the image analysis means, and a judgment means for making a judgment according to the judgment criterion set by the judgment criterion setting means for the analysis result of the image analysis means are also included in the image analysis means. Implemented within the processing circuit. The aperture 11, the image stabilization lens group 12, the focus lens group 13, and the mechanical shutter 22 are each controlled by a control circuit via driving means (not shown). The signal photoelectrically converted by the image sensor 21 can be converted into digital data via an image processing circuit and stored in a recording medium (not shown).

The finder section is equipped with an eyepiece sensor 26, which can detect whether or not the photographer's eye is close to the finder section. The camera body 200 includes an audio output section 27, and can output audio reproduced by an audio reproduction circuit. The audio reproduction circuit is audio means that outputs audio in response to a predetermined number of exposures. If the audio output unit 27 is a speaker, for example, the audio can be directly reproduced. Furthermore, if the audio output section 27 is a connection means to an external audio reproducing means such as an earphone, the audio can be reproduced by the external audio reproducing means. The connection to the external audio reproduction means may be wired or wireless. The CPU is a processing device that can electrically control all of the above elements. In FIG. 1, control signal lines are omitted, and only the flow of information between each element is shown by arrows.

Next, the operation of the imaging device of the first embodiment will be explained. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing when the imaging device of this embodiment operates. Note that the processing shown in this flowchart is realized by a CPU installed in the electric circuit 20 of the imaging device controlling each part of the imaging device according to input signals and programs.

The continuous shooting mode is started when the user sets the continuous shooting mode for continuous shooting.

In step S201, it is determined whether or not photography has been started by the user. If photography has started, the process moves to step S202; if photography has not started, the state of step S201 is maintained, which is a so-called photography standby state. . In step S202, the number of notifications is set, and the process moves to step S203. The number of notifications is a setting value that determines how many times exposure processing must be performed before audio output is performed, and may be a value automatically set by the imaging device or a value specified in advance by the user. Good too.

In step S203, exposure processing is performed, and the process moves to step S204. In step S204, image acquisition is performed, and the process moves to step S205. In step S205, image analysis is performed, and the process moves to step S206.

In step S206, the presence or absence of an OK image is determined from the image analysis result in step S205, and if it is determined that there is an OK image, the process moves to step S207, and if it is determined that there is no OK image, the process moves to step S208. In step S207, the result of determining that there is an OK image is temporarily stored, and the process moves to step S208. Here, the OK image means, for example, a successful image in which everyone in a group photo does not have their eyes closed. On the other hand, an NG image means a failed image such as a group photo in which there are people with their eyes closed. Criteria for determining success and failure are not limited to eyes closed, and other determination examples will be described later.

Note that in determining whether an image is OK or NG, a predetermined standard may be recorded in advance and the image may be compared with the standard to make a judgment, or a learning device that has learned the predetermined standard may be used. You can also let them decide.

In step S208, the number of times exposure processing has been performed is counted, and the process moves to step S209. In step S209, the number of notifications set in step S202 and the number of exposures counted in step S208 are compared, and if they are the same, the process moves to step S210, and if they are different, the process moves to step S213. Transition. In step S210, the number of exposures is initialized, and the process moves to step S211.

In step S211, the audio to be output in response to a predetermined number of exposures is switched and output based on the determination result of the determination means temporarily stored in step S207, and the process moves to step S212. In step S212, the determination result temporarily saved in step S207 is initialized, and the process moves to step S213. In step S213, it is determined whether or not the user has given an instruction to end shooting. If shooting has been completed, the continuous shooting mode is ended, and if shooting has not been completed, the process moves to step S202.

Next, the audio output of the first embodiment will be explained using FIG. 3.

The audio output unit 27 outputs audio in accordance with the result of image analysis performed by the image processing circuit installed in the electric circuit 20. FIG. 3 shows examples of output voices for each NG judgment and OK judgment for Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4. The sound at the time of No. 1 NG determination is an image sound of "click", and a sound similar to the sound emitted when the mechanical shutter 22 is driven is outputted.

The sound at the time of the No. 1 OK determination is an image sound of "Kashan", and a sound that can be identified as being different from the sound at the time of the NG determination is output. Similarly, for No. 2 and No. 3, a sound that can be identified as being different from the sound at the time of the NG determination and the sound at the time of the OK determination is output. No. 4 does not output a sound when an NG determination is made, but outputs a sound similar to the "click" sound that is emitted when the mechanical shutter 22 is driven when an OK determination is made.

Next, the criteria for determining OK and NG as a result of image analysis will be explained using FIG. 4.

The determination standard is a standard for making an OK determination based on the analysis result of the image analysis means. The determination criteria can be changed according to instructions from the user, and FIG. 4 shows the determination details of Nos. 1, 2, and 3 and an example of the OK determination criteria.

The determination criteria shown in FIG. 4 are all based on feature determination of facial parts from facial image information. The No. 1 determination is to determine whether the eyes are closed, and the OK determination criterion is to determine whether all the people in the image have their eyes open. The determination content No. 2 is face orientation determination, and the OK determination criterion is determining whether all the people in the image are facing forward. The determination content No. 3 is a face focus determination, and the OK determination criterion is to determine whether or not the in-focus point is on the person's face.

The above-mentioned determination criteria are just examples, and the determination content may be the same as described above, or the OK determination criteria may be different. Further, OK judgment criteria for other judgment contents may be used.

By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to easily confirm whether desired photographs have been obtained during continuous photographing. Note that this determination result may be recorded on a recording medium together with the image so that the user can understand the determination when viewing the image later. Further, as a determination result, audio data output at the time of photographing may be recorded in association with the image.

[Second embodiment]
The configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention will be shown below. The flow of the second embodiment will be described using FIG. 5.

The continuous shooting mode is started when the user sets the continuous shooting mode for continuous shooting. In step S301, the audio output time is calculated, and the process moves to step S302. The audio output time is, for example, when the exposure interval is 0.2 seconds, that is, an imaging device that can take 5 consecutive images per second, and the user sets the audio output to output 4 times every 10 images. 10÷4×0.2 = every 0.5 seconds.

In step S302, it is determined whether the user has started photographing. If photographing has not started, the state of step S302 is maintained, which is a so-called photographing standby state, and if photographing has started, the process moves to step S303 and step S309, and processing is performed in parallel.

In step S303, a time counter is counted up, and the process moves to step S304. In step S304, it is determined whether the time counter has expired the audio output time calculated in step S301. If the time counter has expired, the process moves to step S305, and if it has not expired, the process moves to step S303.

In step S305, the audio to be output according to a predetermined number of exposures is switched and outputted according to the determination result of the determination means temporarily stored in step S313, which will be described later, and the process moves to step S306.

In step S306, a flag is set to be used for determination in step S314, which will be described later, and the process moves to step S307. The flag setting set in step S314 indicates that audio was output in step S305. In step S307, a time counter is initialized, and the process moves to step S308.

In step S308, it is determined whether or not the user has given an instruction to end shooting. If shooting has been completed, the continuous shooting mode is ended, and if shooting has not been completed, the process moves to step S303.

In step S309, exposure processing is performed, and the process moves to step S310. In step S310, image acquisition is performed, and the process moves to step S311. In step S311, image analysis is performed, and the process moves to step S312. In step S312, it is determined whether there is an OK image. If it is determined that there is an OK image, the process moves to step S313, and if it is determined that there is no OK image, the process moves to step S314. In step S313, the result of determining that there is an OK image is temporarily stored, and the process moves to step S314.

In step S314, it is determined whether or not the audio output flag was set in step S306. If the audio output flag is set, the process moves to step S315, and if the audio output flag is not set, the process moves to step S316. In step S316, it is determined whether or not the user has given an instruction to end shooting. If shooting has been completed, the continuous shooting mode is ended, and if shooting has not been completed, the process moves to step S309.

Next, exposure timing and audio output timing will be explained using FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an imaging apparatus in which the exposure is performed once every 0.2 seconds to take a picture, and the exposure interval is 0.2 seconds, that is, it is possible to take five consecutive pictures per second. IN0 to IN7 indicate exposure timing, and OUT0 to OUT7 indicate audio output timing. The audio output timing is determined by the time expressed by the following equation 1 when the exposure interval is T seconds and the audio is output M times every N images are taken.
(Formula 1) N÷M×T

Figure 6(a) shows the case where the sound is output once every time one photograph is taken and the photographing exposure interval is 0.2 seconds, and the sound output time interval is 1÷1×0.2=0.2, which is 0. .Outputs audio every 2 seconds. Exposure IN0 is performed from time 0.0 seconds, and audio output OUT0 is performed at time 0.2 regarding the determination result for one acquired image. Similarly, the audio output of the determination result for one image is performed, such as OUT1 for IN1 and OUT2 for IN2, until the continuous shooting is completed.

Figure 6(b) shows the case where the sound is output once every two images are taken and the shooting exposure interval is 0.2 seconds, and the sound output time interval is 2 ÷ 1 x 0.2 = 0.4, which is 0. .Audio output every 4 seconds. Exposure IN0 and exposure IN1 are performed continuously from time 0.0 seconds, and audio output OUT0 is performed at time 0.4 regarding the determination results for the two acquired images. Similarly, OUT1 is output to IN2 and IN3, and so on, and the audio output of the determination results for the two images is performed until the continuous shooting is completed.

Figure 6(c) shows the case where the sound is output twice every 7 shots and the shooting exposure interval is 0.2 seconds, and the sound output time interval is 7÷2×0.2=0.7, which is 0. .Outputs audio every 7 seconds. Exposure IN0, exposure IN1, and exposure IN2 are performed continuously from time 0.0 seconds, and audio output OUT0 is performed at time 0.7 regarding the determination results for the three acquired images. Although the exposure processing of exposure IN3 has been completed, the subsequent image acquisition and image analysis have not been completed, so at the timing of time 0.7, the presence or absence of an OK image has not been determined, so the judgment is not made to the audio output OUT0. The results are not reflected. The determination result of exposure IN3 is reflected on the audio output OUT1 together with exposure IN4, exposure IN5, and exposure IN6.

Similarly, after IN7, audio output of the judgment results for the seven images is performed until the continuous shooting is completed.

By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to easily confirm whether desired photographs have been obtained during continuous photographing.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention provides a system or device with a program that implements one or more functions of the embodiments described above via a network or a recording medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. This can also be achieved by processing. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims (11)

An image sensor and
an exposure unit that performs exposure using the image sensor;
image acquisition means for acquiring an image after completion of exposure by the exposure means;
image analysis means for analyzing the image obtained from the image acquisition means using a predetermined method;
Judgment standard setting means for setting judgment criteria for the analysis results of the image analysis means;
determination means for making a determination on the analysis result of the image analysis means according to a determination criterion set by the determination criterion setting means;
When the exposure means consecutively performs multiple exposures, the apparatus further comprises an audio means for outputting a shutter sound in accordance with a predetermined number of exposures;
When the determining means determines that all images do not satisfy the determination criteria among the plurality of images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures when the exposure means continuously performs multiple exposures, The audio means outputs a first shutter sound based on the fact that it is not determined to be successful;
When the determination means determines that at least one image satisfies the determination criteria among the plurality of images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures when the exposure means continuously performs multiple exposures; The imaging device is characterized in that the sound means outputs a second shutter sound based on the determination of success . 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination criteria set in the determination criteria setting means are based on feature determination of facial parts from facial image information. 3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the criterion set in the criterion setting means is based on whether or not a face included in the image has its eyes closed. If the eyes of the face included in the image are closed, the determining means determines the image as a failed image,
4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the eyes of the face included in the image are not closed, the determining means determines the image as a successful image. comprising a recording means for recording an image obtained from the image acquisition means on a recording medium,
When the determining means determines that all images do not satisfy the determination criteria among the plurality of images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures when the exposure means continuously performs multiple exposures, The recording means records data of the first shutter sound outputted by the audio means in association with the image together with the image to be recorded,
When the determination means determines that at least one image satisfies the determination criteria among the plurality of images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures when the exposure means continuously performs multiple exposures; The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recording means records data of a second shutter sound outputted by the audio means in association with the image together with the image to be recorded. . A method for controlling an imaging device having an imaging element, the method comprising:
an exposure step of performing exposure using the image sensor;
an image acquisition step of acquiring an image after completion of exposure in the exposure step;
an image analysis step of analyzing the image obtained in the image acquisition step using a predetermined method;
a determination criterion setting step for setting determination criteria for the analysis results in the image analysis step;
a determination step of making a determination on the analysis result in the image analysis step according to the determination criterion set in the determination criterion setting step;
and an audio step for outputting a shutter sound in accordance with a predetermined number of exposures when the exposure step continuously performs multiple exposures,
When it is determined in the determination step that all images do not satisfy the determination criteria among the plurality of images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures when consecutively performing multiple exposures in the exposure step, In the audio step, a first shutter sound is output based on the fact that it is not determined to be successful;
When it is determined in the determination step that at least one image satisfies the determination criteria among the plurality of images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures when the exposure step is performed continuously multiple times; A method for controlling an imaging device, characterized in that in the sound step, a second shutter sound is output based on the determination of success . 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination criteria set in the determination criteria setting step are based on feature determination of facial parts from facial image information. 8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination criterion set in the determination criterion setting step is based on whether or not a face included in the image has its eyes closed. If the eyes of the face included in the image are closed, in the determination step, the image is determined to be a failed image;
9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein in the determination step, the image is determined to be a successful image if the eyes of the face included in the image are not closed. a recording step of recording the image obtained in the image acquisition step on a recording medium,
When it is determined in the determination step that all images do not satisfy the determination criteria among the plurality of images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures when consecutively performing multiple exposures in the exposure step, In the recording step, data of the first shutter sound output in the audio step is recorded in association with the image together with the image to be recorded,
When it is determined in the determination step that at least one image satisfies the determination criteria among the plurality of images obtained by the predetermined number of exposures when the exposure step is performed continuously multiple times; The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein in the recording step, data of the second shutter sound output in the audio step is recorded in association with the image together with the image to be recorded. control method. A computer-readable program for causing a computer to function as each means of the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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