JP2005323065A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low price digital camera which can take a stereograph. <P>SOLUTION: The digital camera 1 includes a plurality of lenses 21, 22 and 23 arranged in one row in the direction of an optical axis L; an actuator 8 for moving the lens 22 of the plurality of the lenses 21, 22 and 23 in left and right lateral directions perpendicularly crossed with the optical axis L; and the MPU 10 of a control means for outputting a moving instruction to sequentially arrange the first lens 22 at least at the two positions of three positions of a central position arranged at the central position on the optical axis L, a left eye corresponding position displaced leftward from the optical axis L, and a right eye corresponding position displaced rightward from the optical axis L, and outputting a photographing instruction for photographing the respective positions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology of a digital camera capable of taking a stereoscopic photograph (3D photograph).

A digital camera capable of taking a three-dimensional photograph is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, and the present invention is configured as follows.
This digital camera is arranged side by side in the horizontal direction of the digital camera body, and two sets of photographing optical systems that allow incident light to enter at the same time. Two sets of CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices) that convert each object light imaged by the optical system into an image signal and output it, and these two sets of CCDs can be driven together to form a stereoscopic still image. A stereo still image shooting mode in which image signals corresponding to the left-eye image and right-eye image as a pair are output from each CCD, and one of the two CCDs is driven to output a normal image signal. A normal shooting mode to be output, and mode switching setting means for switching between a stereoscopic still image shooting mode and a normal shooting mode and setting the mode to the stereoscopic still image shooting mode In Rukoto, and two sets of imaging optical system, two sets of capturing stereoscopic photographs by a CCD is configured to be.

JP-A-8-317425

However, a CCD that is a component of a digital camera is expensive. If two CCDs are used in a digital camera, the price of the product increases considerably, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost.
In view of this point, the present invention has an object to provide a low-cost digital camera capable of taking a stereoscopic photograph.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems will be described.
First, as described in claim 1, a digital camera capable of taking a stereoscopic photograph,
A plurality of lenses arranged in a line in the optical axis direction, an actuator for moving one of the plurality of lenses in the lateral direction perpendicular to the optical axis, and the central position of the one lens on the optical axis A movement command to sequentially position at least two positions among the three positions of the center position located at the left, the left eye corresponding position displaced leftward from the optical axis, and the right eye corresponding position displaced rightward from the optical axis. And a control means for outputting a shooting command for shooting at each position.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the movement amount of the one lens from the center position to the left-eye corresponding position or the right-eye corresponding position by the actuator can be changed.

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the digital camera has a single CCD and can take a three-dimensional photograph, thereby reducing the cost and reducing the price of the digital camera. Can do.

  The invention according to claim 2 has the same effect as that of the invention according to claim 1, and the position corresponding to the left eye from the center position of the one lens according to the distance from the lens to the subject or the like. The amount of movement to the position corresponding to the right eye can be changed, and a three-dimensional effect can be given to the captured image, improving the user's satisfaction.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a digital camera (electronic camera) 1. An imaging optical system 2 of the digital camera 1 is a lens composed of a first lens 21, a second lens 22, and a third lens 23. A group is provided, and the center positions of the lenses 21, 22, and 23 are arranged on the optical axis L, and the three lenses 21, 22, and 23 are arranged in a line in the optical axis L direction. Of the three lenses 21, 22, and 23, the second lens 22 at the center is used as a correction lens, and the second lens 22 is moved in the lateral direction perpendicular to the optical axis L, thereby decentering the optical axis L. The camera is configured to take a stereoscopic photograph (3D photograph).

  The digital camera 1 includes an actuator 8 that moves the second lens 22 in the lateral direction perpendicular to the optical axis L. The actuator 8 is configured to be driven by receiving a drive signal from an actuator drive circuit 18. ing. The actuator 8 is composed of, for example, an electromagnetic solenoid that converts electrical energy generated by passing a current through an electromagnetic coil into mechanical energy and moves the movable iron core back and forth.

  The image pickup device 3 is arranged on the downstream side of the light incident direction of the three lenses 21, 22, and 23, and the image pickup device 3 is configured by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or the like. The image pickup device 3 converts an image incident through the image pickup optical system 2 into an electric signal. The image signal output from the image pickup device 3 is input to the analog signal processing means 12 to perform gamma processing or the like. The analog video signal is subjected to analog signal processing, and the analog video signal is converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion means 13, and then the digital signal processing means 14 performs digital signal processing such as noise removal and edge enhancement of the digital image signal. The video signal subjected to this processing is stored as image information in the memory 11 as storage means.

  Further, the digital camera 1 performs shooting and recording, an MPU 10 that controls the entire digital camera 1, a shooting mode switch 16 as a switching unit that switches the shooting mode to “stereoscopic image shooting mode”, “normal shooting mode”, and the like. A shutter switch 17 as an operation means for generating a trigger signal which is a photographing start signal at the time, a display means for displaying information such as the state of the digital camera 1 and photographing conditions, and the like. A display panel 19 such as (Liquid Crystal Display) is used.

  In “stereoscopic image capturing mode”, the center position of the second lens 22 is located on the optical axis L, the left-eye corresponding position displaced from the optical axis L to the left, and the right direction from the optical axis L. This is a mode in which a three-dimensional still image can be created by shooting at each of the three positions (or two of these three positions) with the right eye corresponding position displaced to The “normal shooting mode” is a mode in which a normal still image is created by shooting with the second lens 22 positioned at the center position.

Next, the shooting operation of the digital camera 1 will be described.
First, prior to the shooting operation, the user operates the shooting mode switch 16 to switch to the “stereoscopic image shooting mode” or the “normal shooting mode” to set the shooting mode. Here, it is assumed that the shooting mode is set to “stereoscopic image shooting mode”. Next, when the user operates the shutter switch 17 to generate a trigger signal that is a shooting start signal, the trigger signal is Based on this, the digital camera 1 starts shooting and recording operation.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second lens 22 of the imaging optical system 2 is normally in the center position (step S1), and when the shutter switch 17 is operated (step S2) and the photographing and recording operation is started, The MPU 10 recognizes the shooting mode. In this case, when the shooting mode is “stereoscopic image shooting mode” and the MPU 10 recognizes that the shooting mode is set to “stereoscopic image shooting mode” (step S3), the MPU 10 serving as the control means performs an actuator operation. A movement command for moving the second lens 22 in the order of the left-eye corresponding position, the right-eye corresponding position, and the center position is output to the drive circuit 18 and a shooting command for performing shooting at each of these positions is output.

  As a result, a drive signal is output from the actuator drive circuit 18 to the actuator 8. First, the actuator 8 moves the second lens 22 to the left-eye corresponding position (step S4), and the second lens 22 is corresponding to the left-eye. The first image is taken in the position, and the image incident through the imaging optical system 2 is taken into the image sensor 3 and subjected to various processes. The image information of the position is taken into the memory 11 (step S5).

  Next, the actuator 8 moves the second lens 22 to the right eye corresponding position (step S6), and the second shooting is performed with the second lens 22 positioned at the right eye corresponding position. After the image incident through the imaging optical system 2 is captured by the image sensor 3 and subjected to various processes, the image signal is captured in the memory 11 as image information of the right eye corresponding position (step S7).

  Then, the actuator 8 moves the second lens 22 to the center position (step S8), and the third shooting is performed in a state where the second lens 22 is returned to the original center position. The image incident through 2 is captured by the image sensor 3 and subjected to various processes, and then the image signal is captured by the memory 11 as image information of the center position (step S9).

  As described above, the three pieces of image information including the image information of the left eye corresponding position, the image information of the right eye corresponding position, and the image information of the center position are stored in the memory 11 as stereoscopic image information related to the stereoscopic image. When the stereoscopic image information is stored and reproduced (displayed) on the display panel 19, the stereoscopic image is reproduced on the display panel 19 by simultaneously reproducing the three pieces of image information constituting the stereoscopic image information. (Is displayed.

The above is an explanation of shooting in the “stereoscopic image shooting mode”. On the other hand, in shooting in the “normal shooting mode”, the digital camera 1 operates as follows.
As described above, the second lens 22 of the image pickup optical system 2 is normally at the center position (step S1), and when the user performs shooting in the “normal shooting mode”, the shooting mode switch 16 is switched to the “normal shooting mode”. Then, the shutter switch 17 is operated (step S1). When the shutter switch 16 is operated, the MPU 10 recognizes that the shooting mode is set to the “normal shooting mode”, in other words, the shooting mode is set. It is recognized that it is not the “stereoscopic image capturing mode” (step S3).

  As a result, the second lens 22 is photographed while moving without being moved, and the image incident through the imaging optical system 2 is taken into the imaging device 3 and subjected to various processes. The video signal is taken into the memory 11 as image information in the normal shooting mode (step S9).

  As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the digital camera 1 has a configuration including a single imaging device 3 and can take a three-dimensional photograph, thereby reducing costs. Lower prices can be achieved.

  When the actuator 8 is composed of an electromagnetic solenoid, the amount of advance and retreat of the movable iron core can be changed by changing the value of the current that flows through the electromagnetic coil. From the center position of the second lens 22 by the actuator 8 The moving amount to the left eye corresponding position or the right eye corresponding position can be changed. In the case of this configuration, the digital camera 1 includes current value changing means for changing the current value flowing through the electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic solenoid. According to this configuration, according to the distance from the lens 21, 22, 23 to the subject, etc. The amount of movement of the second lens 22 from the center position to the left-eye corresponding position or the right-eye corresponding position can be changed, and a stereoscopic effect can be given to the captured image, thereby improving user satisfaction.

2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the digital camera 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of photographing operation in the digital camera 1;

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital camera 2 Imaging optical system 3 Solid-state image sensor 8 Actuator 10 MPU
11 Memory 12 Analog signal processing means 13 A / D conversion means 14 Digital signal processing means 16 Shooting mode switch 17 Shutter switch 18 Actuator drive circuit 19 Display panel 21 First lens 22 Second lens 23 Third lens

Claims (2)

A digital camera capable of taking stereoscopic pictures,
A plurality of lenses arranged in a line in the optical axis direction;
An actuator for moving one lens of the plurality of lenses in a lateral direction perpendicular to the optical axis;
Three positions of the one lens, a center position whose center position is located on the optical axis, a left eye corresponding position displaced from the optical axis to the left, and a right eye corresponding position displaced from the optical axis to the right Control means for outputting a movement command to sequentially position at least two positions and outputting a shooting command for performing shooting at each of these positions;
A digital camera characterized by comprising   The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the movement amount of the one lens by the actuator from a center position to a left eye corresponding position or a right eye corresponding position can be changed.

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