JP2016208275A - Image capturing apparatus and control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate composition adjustment.SOLUTION: An image capturing apparatus 10 according to this invention comprises: an imaging part 11; a display part 12; a measurement part 13 which measures an angle between a view line interconnecting an eye of an imaging person and the display part 12 and the optical axis of the imaging part 11; and a control part 19 which, in accordance with the angle measured by the measurement part 13, displays on the display part 12 images in a predetermined range out of images captured by the imaging part 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image capturing device and a control method thereof.

  Many image capturing apparatuses such as a digital camera, a tablet terminal having a camera function, and a mobile phone are provided with a display unit (for example, a liquid crystal screen) on the surface opposite to the imaging unit (camera) (see FIG. For example, see Patent Document 1). In such an image capturing device, a captured image of the image capturing unit is displayed on the display unit in real time, and when the shutter button is pressed, the displayed image is recorded as a recorded image. Therefore, the photographer can take a picture while checking the composition by looking at the display image on the display unit.

JP 2014-86977 A

“Image correction technology in digital cameras” Ricoh Technical Report No.31 103 DECEMBER, 2005

  In the image capturing apparatus as described above, the image capturing unit is usually fixed to the main body of the image capturing apparatus. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, in order to place the subject 1 in the center of the image (display image / recorded image), the image photographing device 2 is directly opposed to the subject (the image photographing device 2 indicated by a solid line). The optical axis 3a of the imaging unit 3 must be directed toward the subject 1). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7B, when viewed from the photographer 4, the imaging unit may face the subject 1 (even if the line of sight 4a of the photographer 4 indicated by a one-dot chain line faces the subject 1). In the state where the optical axis 3a of 3 is off the subject 1, the subject 1 is off the center of the image or a part of the subject 1 is not shown. In this case, the photographer needs to adjust the composition by adjusting the orientation of the image capturing device 2.

  However, especially during telephoto shooting (when shooting at high magnification), it is necessary for the photographer to be accustomed to keeping a desired subject within the shooting range. For this reason, trial and error such as slightly changing the orientation of the image capturing apparatus, zooming out and placing the subject within the capturing range, and then zooming in again is necessary, which makes it difficult to adjust the composition.

  There is also a method in which an image with a wide-angle lens is taken and an image with a desired composition is obtained by trimming a necessary portion from the taken image. However, with this method, it is necessary to edit the captured image after shooting, and for users who are unfamiliar with image processing, it is troublesome to obtain an image with a desired composition, and equipment for image processing is also required. It becomes.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and provide an image capturing apparatus and a control method therefor that can easily adjust the composition.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image capturing apparatus according to the present invention measures an angle formed by an imaging unit, a display unit, a line of sight connecting a photographer's eyes and the display unit, and an optical axis of the imaging unit. A measurement unit; and a control unit that causes the display unit to display an image within a predetermined range among the captured images of the imaging unit according to the angle measured by the measurement unit.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a control method for an image capturing device according to the present invention is a control method for an image capturing device including an image capturing unit and a display unit, and includes a photographer's eyes and the display unit. Measuring an angle formed by a line of sight to be connected and an optical axis of the imaging unit, and displaying a part of a captured image of the imaging unit on the display unit according to the measured angle. .

  According to the image capturing device and the control method thereof according to the present invention, composition adjustment can be performed more easily.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the image imaging device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the image imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the image imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display by the image imaging device shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the image imaging device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display by the image imaging device shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the subject of a prior art.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an image capturing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of the image capturing device 10.

  An image capturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an imaging unit 11, a display unit 12, a measurement unit 13, a display image calculation unit 14, an image processing unit 15, a shutter unit 16, an image recording control unit 17, And a storage unit 18. The display image calculation unit 14, the image processing unit 15, and the image recording control unit 17 constitute a control unit 19.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit 11 is provided on one surface (back surface) of the image capturing device 10. The imaging unit 11 performs imaging and outputs image data of the captured image to the image processing unit 15. In addition, the imaging unit 11 outputs imaging field angle information indicating an angle of view (focal length) at the time of shooting to the display image calculation unit 14. The imaging unit 11 can capture a wide range using a wide-angle lens, and preferably has a high resolution.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 12 is provided on a surface (front surface) opposite to the back surface of the image capturing device 10. The display unit 12 displays an image shown in the display image data output from the image processing unit 15. Since the display unit 12 is provided on the surface opposite to the imaging unit 11, the photographer can see the display on the display unit 12 with the imaging unit 11 facing the subject. As the display unit 12, it is preferable to use a display device including a liquid crystal display.

  The measurement unit 13 measures an angle (hereinafter referred to as a viewpoint angle) formed by a straight line (hereinafter referred to as a line of sight) connecting the photographer's eyes and the display unit 12 and the optical axis of the imaging unit 11. There are various methods for measuring the viewpoint angle.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, there is a method in which an imaging unit 21 (face camera) is provided on the surface of the image capturing device 10 and a viewpoint angle is measured from a captured image of the image capturing unit 21. Since the imaging unit 21 is provided on the surface of the image capturing device 10, it is possible to capture the photographer's face while the photographer points the imaging unit 11 toward the subject. The measurement unit 13 specifies the middle point of the left and right eyes or the position of a predetermined eye (right eye or left eye) from the captured image of the imaging unit 21 using face recognition technology. Since the relative position of the imaging unit 21 and the display unit 12 is fixed, the positional relationship between an arbitrary point on the captured image of the imaging unit 21 and a specific point (for example, a center point) of the display unit 12 is also fixed. It is. Based on this positional relationship, the measurement unit 13 can measure the viewpoint angle formed by the line of sight connecting the identified position and the display unit 12 and the optical axis of the imaging unit 11.

  In addition to the method using a face camera, there is also a method for measuring the position of the photographer using a plurality of distance measuring sensors using infrared rays or ultrasonic waves, and measuring the viewpoint angle using the position as the position of the photographer's eyes. is there.

  The measurement unit 13 outputs viewpoint angle information indicating the measured viewpoint angle to the display image calculation unit 14.

  The display image calculation unit 14 calculates the position of the range cut out from the captured image of the imaging unit 11 based on the imaging field angle information output from the imaging unit 11 and the viewpoint angle information output from the measurement unit 13. For example, the display image calculation unit 14 cuts out a predetermined range centered on a direction shifted from the optical axis of the imaging unit 11 by the viewpoint angle indicated by the viewpoint angle information, in the captured image of the imaging unit 11. Calculate the cutting position.

  Here, the display image calculation unit 14 determines the size of the range to be cut out from the captured image of the imaging unit 11 based on the angle of view indicated by the imaging angle of view information and the preset display angle of view. Specifically, the display image calculation unit 14 determines the range to be cut out so that the angle of view of the image in the range to be cut out from the captured image becomes a predetermined display angle of view. The display angle of view is set in advance by the photographer or the system and stored in the image photographing apparatus 10.

  The display image calculation unit 14 outputs cutout position information indicating the calculated cutout position to the image processing unit 15. When distortion correction or the like is required, the display image calculation unit 14 outputs distortion correction information necessary for distortion correction to the image processing unit 15. Note that details of the distortion correction technique are disclosed in, for example, Non-Patent Document 1, and are not directly related to the present invention, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The image processing unit 15 cuts out an image at the cut-out position indicated by the cut-out position information output from the display image calculation unit 14 from the captured image of the image pickup unit 11, and displays the image data of the cut-out image on the display unit 12. To generate display image data. When the distortion correction information is output from the display image calculation unit 14, the image processing unit 15 performs distortion correction according to the distortion correction information, and generates display image data. The image processing unit 15 outputs the generated display image data to the display unit 12 to display an image indicated by the display image data. In response to a request from the image recording control unit 17, the image processing unit 15 outputs display image data of an image being displayed on the display unit 12 to the image recording control unit 17.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when the shutter unit 16 detects that the shutter button 22 provided on the surface of the image capturing apparatus 10 is pressed, the shutter unit 16 determines that the image capturing is input, and the shutter button 22 is pressed. Shutter pressing information indicating that the image has been displayed is output to the image recording control unit 17. Preferably, the shutter button 22 is constituted by a home button of a tablet terminal or the like.

  When the shutter pressing information is output from the shutter unit 16, the image recording control unit 17 requests the image processing unit 15 to display image data of the image being displayed on the display unit 12. When the display image data is output from the image processing unit 15 in response to the request, the image recording control unit 17 outputs the display image data to the storage unit 18 for storage.

  As described above, the display image calculation unit 14, the image processing unit 15, and the image recording control unit 17 constitute a control unit 19. Therefore, the control unit 19 causes the display unit 12 to display an image in a predetermined range among the captured images of the imaging unit 11 according to the viewpoint angle measured by the measurement unit 13. Specifically, the control unit 19 causes the display unit 12 to display an image in a predetermined range centered on a direction shifted from the optical axis of the imaging unit 11 by the viewpoint angle among the captured images of the imaging unit 11. In addition, when an instruction to shoot is input, the control unit 19 stores the image data (display image data) of the image being displayed on the display unit 12 in the storage unit 18 that is a recording unit.

  The storage unit 18 stores display image data output from the image recording control unit 17. The storage unit 18 is preferably an external storage device, and is configured by a memory card or the like.

  Next, the operation of the image capturing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the photographer's line of sight 4a (a straight line connecting the photographer's eyes 4 and the display unit 12) indicated by the alternate long and short dash line faces the direction of the subject 1, but the image photographing device 10 In contrast, the optical axis of the imaging unit 11 indicated by a solid line is off the subject 1. In this state, the subject 1 is off the center in the shooting range 5 of the image pickup unit 11 centering on the optical axis of the image pickup unit 11.

  The measurement unit 13 measures the viewpoint angle formed by the photographer's line of sight and the optical axis of the imaging unit 11. The display image calculation unit 14 calculates a cutout position to be cut out from the captured image of the imaging unit 11 according to the measured viewpoint angle. Specifically, if the viewpoint angle is α, the display image calculation unit 14 displays a predetermined display centered on a direction shifted by α from the optical axis of the imaging unit 11, that is, the line of sight of the photographer. It is determined that the image in the range 6 corresponding to the angle of view is to be cut out, and the cut out position is calculated. The image processing unit 15 causes the display unit 12 to display an image cut out according to the calculated cut-out position among the captured images of the imaging unit 11. As a result, since the photographer's line of sight faces the subject 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the display image has a composition in which the subject 1 is in the center of the image.

  The viewpoint angle changes according to the angle at which the photographer views the display unit 12, and the display range of the captured image of the imaging unit 11, that is, the composition of the display image of the display unit 12, according to the change of the viewpoint angle. Changes. Therefore, the photographer can change the composition of the image, for example, by simply moving the face so that the viewpoint angle changes without changing the orientation of the image capturing device 10. Therefore, the composition can be adjusted intuitively and easily.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, an image in a predetermined range centered on the direction shifted from the optical axis of the imaging unit 11 by the viewpoint angle, that is, the direction of the photographer's line of sight is displayed on the display unit 12. Therefore, even if the image capturing device 10 is not directly facing the subject 1, the composition centered on the subject 1 can be obtained simply by facing the subject's line of sight to the subject 1 via the display unit 12. Composition adjustment is easy.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the image capturing apparatus 10 causes the display unit 12 to display a part of the captured image of the image capturing unit 11. Therefore, as described above, the imaging unit 11 can capture a wide range using a wide-angle lens, and preferably has a high resolution. In this way, an image (display image / recorded image) having the same angle of view and resolution as when a normal camera is used can be obtained.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example by the image capturing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which photographing is performed by the image photographing device 10 as seen from the photographer. The state in which the image photographing device 10 faces the subject 1 (state A), and the state where the image photographing device 10 is the subject. 1 shows a state (state B) in which it is rotated leftward from a state directly facing 1.

  In state A, the image capturing device 10 and the subject 1 are facing each other. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the subject 1 ahead of the photographer's line of sight is displayed on the display unit 12.

  In the state B, the photographer's line of sight faces the subject 1, but the image photographing device 10 does not face the subject. Therefore, normally, the subject 1 is not included in the display image. However, in the present embodiment, since an image in a predetermined range centered on the direction of the photographer's line of sight is displayed on the display unit 12, the subject 1 ahead of the line of sight of the photographer is displayed as shown in FIG. Can do.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the image capturing apparatus 10 includes the imaging unit 11, the display unit 12, the viewpoint angle formed by the line of sight connecting the photographer's eyes and the display unit 12 and the optical axis of the imaging unit 11. And a control unit 19 that causes the display unit 12 to display an image in a predetermined range among the captured images of the imaging unit 11 according to the viewpoint angle measured by the measurement unit 13.

  The viewpoint angle changes according to the angle at which the photographer views the display unit 12, and the composition of the display image on the display unit 12 changes according to the change in the viewpoint angle. The photographer can adjust the composition of the image, for example, by simply moving the head so that the viewpoint angle changes without changing the orientation of the image capturing device 10. Therefore, the composition can be adjusted intuitively and easily.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 19 causes the display unit 12 to display an image in a predetermined range centered on a direction shifted from the optical axis of the imaging unit 11 by the viewpoint angle. The direction shifted from the optical axis of the imaging unit 11 by the viewpoint angle coincides with the photographer's line-of-sight direction. For this reason, the composition centered on the subject 1 can be obtained by simply facing the subject's line of sight to the subject 1, so that the composition can be easily adjusted.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an image capturing device 10a according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the same components as those in FIG.

  The image capturing device 10a illustrated in FIG. 5 is different from the image capturing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 in that the imaging unit 11 is changed to the imaging unit 11a, the measurement unit 13 is changed to the measurement unit 13a, and the display. The difference is that the image calculation unit 14 is changed to a display image calculation unit 14a.

  Similar to the imaging unit 11, the imaging unit 11 a outputs image data of the captured image to the image processing unit 15. The imaging unit 11a measures the distance from the image capturing device 10a to the subject (subject distance), and outputs subject distance information and imaging field angle information indicating the measured subject distance to the display image calculation unit 14a. There are various methods for measuring the subject distance.

  For example, when the imaging unit 11a has an autofocus function, the distance measured by the autofocus function can be used as the subject distance. As another method, there is a method in which the imaging unit 11a includes a distance measurement sensor using infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, or the like, measures the distance to the subject using the distance measurement sensor, and uses the measured distance as the subject distance.

  The measurement unit 13 a measures the viewpoint angle in the same manner as the measurement unit 13. The measuring unit 13a measures a distance from the photographer's eyes to the display unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as a viewpoint distance), and outputs viewpoint distance information indicating the measured viewpoint distance to the display image calculation unit 14a. There are various methods for measuring the viewpoint distance.

  For example, there is a method of measuring the viewpoint distance from the captured image of the imaging unit 21 that is a face camera. In this method, the measurement unit 13 recognizes the photographer's face portion from the photographed image of the image pickup unit 21 and measures the viewpoint distance from the size of the recognized face portion and the distance between both eyes. . Further, when the imaging unit 21 has an autofocus function, there is a method of using the distance measured by the autofocus function as the viewpoint distance. There is also a method in which a distance measuring sensor using infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, or the like is provided in the image capturing apparatus 10a, the distance to the photographer is measured by the distance measuring sensor, and the measured distance is used as the viewpoint distance.

  The display image calculation unit 14a calculates the display angle of the image to be displayed on the display unit 12 based on the subject distance information output from the imaging unit 11a and the viewpoint distance information output from the measurement unit 13a.

  When the subject distance is D, the viewpoint distance is d, and the width of the display unit 12, that is, the horizontal or vertical width of the display is w, the display image calculation unit 14a displays, for example, a display angle of view that satisfies the following expression (1). (Θ) is calculated.

  If D is constant in equation (1), the smaller the viewpoint distance, the larger the display angle of view (θ).

  The display image calculation unit 14a may calculate a display angle of view (θ) that satisfies the following formula (2), for example.

  Equation (2) approximates D >> d and D >> w in equation (1). When Expression (2) is used, the imaging unit 11a does not need to measure the subject distance (D).

  The display image calculation unit 14a calculates the position of the range to be cut out from the captured image of the imaging unit 11 based on the captured field angle information and the viewpoint angle information. For example, the display image calculation unit 14a calculates the cut-out position as a predetermined range centering on a direction shifted from the optical axis of the image pickup unit 11 by the viewpoint angle from the captured image of the image pickup unit 11.

  Here, the display image calculation unit 14a determines the size of the range to be cut out from the captured image of the imaging unit 11 based on the imaging field angle information output from the imaging unit 11 and the calculated display field angle. Specifically, the display image calculation unit 14a determines the range to be extracted so that the angle of view of the image in the range to be extracted from the captured image becomes the calculated display angle of view.

  The display image calculation unit 14 a outputs cutout position information indicating the calculated cutout position to the image processing unit 15. Hereinafter, similarly to the image capturing device 10, an image at a position indicated by the extracted position information is extracted from the captured image of the imaging unit 11 and displayed on the display unit 12.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 19 causes the display unit 12 to display an image with an angle of view corresponding to the viewpoint distance, with the direction corresponding to the viewpoint angle as a center, among the captured images of the imaging unit 11.

  Therefore, since the angle of view of the image changes only by changing the distance between the photographer and the image capturing device 10a, there is no need to use dedicated buttons, levers, dials, etc. for adjusting the angle of view, making it more intuitive. The composition can be easily adjusted. Further, for example, by making the angle of view of the display image of the display unit 12 larger as the viewpoint distance is smaller, the display unit 12 has almost the same portion as the portion hidden from the photographer's field of view by the image capturing device 10a. The video can be displayed (and thus memorized).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example by the image capturing device 10a according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 6 shows a state where the image capturing apparatus 10a is capturing images as viewed from the photographer. The image capturing apparatus 10a faces the subject 1 (state C), and the image capturing apparatus 10a. Shows a state (state D) in which the object 1 is rotated leftward from a state of facing the subject 1. Here, in the state D, the distance from the photographer to the image capturing device 10a is longer than in the state C.

  In both states C and D, the subject 1 ahead of the photographer's line of sight is displayed as in the first embodiment. Here, in the present embodiment, the distance from the photographer to the image capturing apparatus 10a is longer in the state D than in the state C. Therefore, the magnification of the display image is higher in the state D than in the state C.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the measurement unit 13a further measures the viewpoint distance, and the control unit 19 responds to the viewpoint distance with the direction corresponding to the viewpoint angle in the captured image of the imaging unit 11a as the center. The image with the selected angle of view is displayed on the display unit 12.

  Therefore, since the angle of view of the image changes only by changing the distance between the photographer and the image capturing device 10a, there is no need to use dedicated buttons, levers, dials, etc. for adjusting the angle of view, making it more intuitive. The composition can be easily adjusted. Further, for example, by making the angle of view of the display image of the display unit 12 larger as the viewpoint distance is smaller, the display unit 12 has almost the same portion as the portion hidden from the photographer's field of view by the image capturing device 10a. The video can be displayed (and thus memorized). Further, if the width of the frame of the image capturing device 10a surrounding the display unit 12 can be made substantially zero, it is possible to perform shooting as if looking through a transparent glass.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various variations or modifications based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations or modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, functions included in each block or the like can be rearranged so that there is no logical contradiction, and a plurality of blocks can be combined into one or divided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10a Image imaging device 11, 11a Image pick-up part 12 Display part 13, 13a Measuring part 14, 14a Display image calculation part 15 Image processing part 16 Shutter part 17 Image recording control part 18 Storage part 19 Control part

Claims (7)

An imaging unit;
A display unit;
A measuring unit for measuring an angle formed by a line of sight connecting a photographer's eye and the display unit and an optical axis of the imaging unit;
An image capturing apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to display, on the display unit, an image in a predetermined range among images captured by the image capturing unit in accordance with the angle measured by the measurement unit. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1,
The control unit causes the display unit to display an image in a predetermined range centered on a direction shifted from the optical axis of the imaging unit by an angle measured by the measurement unit. Image shooting device. The image capturing device according to claim 2,
The measurement unit further measures a distance between the display unit and the eyes of the photographer,
The control unit is configured to display an image of an angle of view corresponding to a distance measured by the measurement unit, with a direction shifted from the optical axis of the imaging unit by an angle measured by the measurement unit as a center. An image photographing apparatus characterized by being displayed on the display unit. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 3,
The control unit increases an angle of view of an image displayed on the display unit as the distance measured by the measurement unit is smaller. In the image photographing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The image capturing apparatus is characterized in that the image capturing unit performs image capturing using a wide-angle lens. In the image photographing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The control unit records image data of an image displayed on the display unit in a recording unit when an instruction to perform shooting is input. A method for controlling an image capturing apparatus including an imaging unit and a display unit,
Measuring an angle formed by a line of sight connecting a photographer's eye and the display unit and an optical axis of the imaging unit;
And a step of displaying a part of the photographed image of the imaging unit on the display unit in accordance with the measured angle.