JP2008011457A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera with a simple structure capable of easily photographing an object person on a camera eye line and with a natural facial expression. <P>SOLUTION: The camera is provided with a face detection section 4b for detecting a facial part of the object person, a face part discrimination section 4d that detects a nose part, detects eye parts from the facial part detected by the face detection section 4b, discriminates a direction of an eye line by the eye parts, and discriminates a direction of the face part, and an MPU 1 for discriminating whether or not the eye line of the person being the object is directed to the camera on the basis of the direction of the eye line and the direction of the face part detected by the face part discrimination section 4d. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly to a camera having a function for not missing an optimal shooting timing during shooting.

  Recent cameras have been able to acquire a large amount of image data in a short time by increasing the functionality of an image processing circuit and increasing the speed of a reading function of an image sensor. However, it is possible to acquire a large amount of image data in a short time due to the limited capacity of the memory for recording the image data and the complexity of searching for the desired image data from the acquired large amount of image data. The advantage of being able to do so is not being used effectively.

  By the way, when photographing a person as a subject, for example, the following technique is proposed in order to photograph a subject with a so-called camera line of sight (a state where the subject's line of sight is facing the camera; the same applies hereinafter). Has been.

  First, an imaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a speaker that emits a predetermined sound pattern to alert a subject at the time of photographing, and a light emitting device for directing the subject's eye line to the vicinity of the photographing lens. ing.

In addition, the video recording / reproducing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a liquid crystal monitor for displaying image data that attracts children's attention at the time of shooting in order to obtain a camera's eyes as a subject for a long time. . At the time of photographing, the liquid crystal monitor is directed toward the child who is the subject.
JP 2003-78792 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-101842

  However, as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a predetermined sound pattern is emitted from a speaker in order to call attention to a subject at the time of shooting, the photographer simply speaks by himself at the time of shooting. Not out of the same level as calling attention.

  Furthermore, regarding a light-emitting device for directing the subject's line of sight toward the vicinity of the taking lens, it is not considered that an effect commensurate with the cost and the like resulting from the necessity to newly provide the light-emitting device is exhibited.

  Further, according to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, although the child's eyes can be obtained as a subject, the eyes of the child are, for example, an animation character displayed on the liquid crystal monitor. Therefore, it cannot be denied that the child who is the subject has an unnatural expression and eyes.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and by effectively utilizing the advantages of a recent camera that a large amount of image data can be acquired in a short time, with a simple structure, It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera that can easily photograph a subject person with a natural expression.

  In order to achieve the above object, a camera according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an image signal forming unit that receives a light beam from a subject and outputs an image signal, and digitally outputs an image signal output from the image signal forming unit. In a camera including a signal conversion unit that converts image data that is a signal, a face detection unit that detects a face portion of a person that is the subject from the image data, and the face detected by the face detection unit A face part discriminating unit for detecting a nose part, detecting an eye part, determining a direction of a gaze by the eye part, and determining a direction of the face part, and the face part discriminating part And determining means for determining whether the line of sight of the person as the subject is directed toward the camera based on the direction of the line of sight and the direction of the face.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera that can easily photograph a subject person with a simple structure and a natural look.

  A camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the concept of the system configuration of the camera according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the camera according to the first embodiment includes an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 1, a release switch 1a, various operation switches 1c, a photographing lens 2, a focusing unit 2a, and zoom control. Unit 2b, AFE (Analogue Front End) circuit 3, image sensor 3a, microphone 3b, auxiliary light irradiation unit 4a, face detection unit 4b, contour detection unit 4c, face part determination unit 4d, signal A processing circuit 5, a processing auxiliary block 5a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 6, a memory 7, a display unit 8, a speaker 8a, a print signal output unit 8b, a wireless communication unit 8c, a flash ROM (Flash) Read Only Memory) 9. Reference numeral 1b denotes a continuous shooting switch, which is provided in a camera according to a second embodiment to be described later. Therefore, the continuous shooting switch 1b will be described in detail in the second embodiment. Hereafter, each said structural member is demonstrated in detail.

  First, the MPU 1 is a control unit composed of a microcontroller or the like. The MPU 1 is connected to the release switch 1a and the various operation switches 1c. Then, the MPU 1 detects the state of the release switch 1a and the various operation switches 1c, and sequentially sets each component according to the operation control program (stored in the flash ROM 9) of the flowchart described later based on the detection result. To control.

  Here, the release switch 1a is a switch for a release operation. The various operation switches 1c are switches for performing various operations other than the release operation and the mode switching operation.

  First, an image of the subject 11 that has entered the camera via the photographing lens 2 is converted into an electrical signal by the image pickup device 3a formed of, for example, a CCD or a CMOS sensor. Here, it is assumed that the photographing lens 2 is a zoom lens for AF or the like. The focusing control of the photographic lens 2 is performed by the focusing unit 2a. Further, the determination of the angle of view of the photographing lens 2 is performed by the zoom control unit 2b.

  By the way, the electrical signal acquired by the imaging device 3a is read out by the AFE circuit 3 and subjected to A / D conversion or the like, and becomes image data which is a digital image signal. This image data is then input to the signal processing circuit 5. The exposure level switching control is also performed by the AFE circuit 3.

  The image data input to the signal processing circuit 5 is subjected to predetermined processing such as color correction and signal compression processing in the signal processing circuit 5 and then recorded in the memory 7. The signal processing circuit 5 is provided with the processing auxiliary block 5a for sensitizing processing after changing the exposure level, changing the correction method during image processing, and changing the compression rate of the image data. It has been.

  Furthermore, the camera according to the first embodiment is provided with the microphone 3b for voice input. Audio data, which is an audio signal acquired by the microphone 3b, is subjected to signal compression processing and the like by the signal processing circuit 5 and recorded in the memory 7 in the same manner as the image data. Here, the image data and the audio data are appropriately stored in the RAM 6 at the time of processing and recording.

  By the way, in the camera according to the first embodiment, image data acquired by photographing can be transmitted to the outside of the camera by the print signal output unit 8b and the wireless communication unit 8c. The wireless communication unit 8c is a member that enables wireless communication with, for example, a camera having a system configuration similar to or similar to the camera according to the first embodiment (system configuration including the wireless communication unit 8c). . Accordingly, the wireless communication unit 8c can transmit and receive image data and the like with other cameras.

  The display unit 8 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and is a member capable of sequentially reproducing and displaying image data and the like. For example, the image data compressed and recorded in the memory 7 is read by the signal processing circuit 5 and subjected to decompression processing and the like, and is reproduced and displayed on the display unit 8. The display unit 8 can also be used for so-called live view display, and the user can take a picture while checking the change state of the subject 11 while referring to the display unit 8.

  Further, the speaker 8a is a member for reproducing the audio data. Here, when reproducing the audio data, the audio data recorded in the memory 7 is read by the signal processing circuit 5 and then output by the speaker 8a.

  By the way, the auxiliary light irradiation unit 4 a is a member for irradiating auxiliary light toward the subject 11. This auxiliary light irradiation unit 4 can compensate for the lack of exposure or erase the shadow of the subject 11.

  The face detection unit 4b analyzes the image data output from the signal processing circuit 5, determines whether or not there is a person in the subject in the image data, and has a person in the subject of the image data. In this case, the position and size of the face of the person are determined. It should be noted that the range of the face portion of the person who is the subject (hereinafter referred to as the subject person) can be determined from the main color of the face portion. Here, for example, the characteristics of a human face are used for the analysis of the image data.

  The contour detection unit 4c is a member for performing sharpness enhancement processing on the image data and determining the shape of the contour of the subject in the image data. Then, the face part determination unit 4d determines the positions of various face parts such as the eye part, the eyebrow part, and the nose part in the face part of the subject person detected by the face detection part 4b, and determines the face part of the subject person part. It is a member that performs determination of orientation, determination of the direction of the line of sight by the eye, determination of whether or not the line of sight of the subject person is directed toward the camera, and the like.

  Hereinafter, a determination method based on color, which is one of the determination methods of the positions of various face parts of the subject person by the face part determination unit 4d, will be described. First, a strong contrast portion that runs in the vertical direction near the center of the face portion of the subject person is determined to be the nose portion. Furthermore, it is possible to determine that the white part existing near the upper part of the left and right side parts of the nose part is a white eye part. Then, the black portion surrounded by the white portion determined to be the white eye portion can be determined to be the black eye portion (hereinafter, the portion composed of the white eye portion and the black eye portion is referred to as the eye portion). Called). Various determination results by the face part determination unit 4d are output to the face detection unit 4b. As described above, the camera according to the first embodiment can determine the position of the face of the subject person, the position of the nose, the position of the white eye, the position of the black eye, etc. in the shooting screen.

  Hereinafter, the face part determination unit 4d in the camera according to the first embodiment determines the position of various face parts such as an eye part, an eyebrow part, and a nose part in the face part of the subject person, and determines the face part of the subject person part. The determination of the direction and the determination of the direction of the line of sight by the eye part will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  2A and 2B show image data in which a person is a subject. First, in order to determine the face portion of the subject person, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, T composed of a horizontally long shadow by the eyebrows and eyes and a vertically long shadow by the nose. A character-shaped shadow is extracted from the image data shown in FIGS. Here, the face image data is obtained by extracting and processing only luminance information from the image data shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, for example. By detecting the face portion of the subject person in this way and extracting only the portion having a color close to the skin color from the color information, the detailed range of the face portion of the subject person (FIGS. 3A and 3B). Can be detected).

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the brightness on the dividing line when the face (length F in the vertical direction) is divided into two in the vertical direction is analyzed in the x-axis direction (left and right direction). Then, the graphs shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B are obtained. As can be seen from the graphs shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), by analyzing the brightness on the dividing line in the x-axis direction when the face is divided into two in the vertical direction, the shadow of the nasal muscles in the face is analyzed. The coordinates x3 of the part can be detected.

Further, as can be seen from FIGS. 3A and 3B and FIGS. 4A and 4B, in view of the fact that the face is in the range of x1 to x2,
x3 <1/2 (x1 + x2)
If so, the face is facing left (see FIG. 3A),
x3> 1/2 (x1 + x2)
If so, it is determined that the face is facing right (see FIG. 3B).

  As described above, the orientation of the face of the subject person can be determined.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C and FIGS. 6A to 6C, a method for detecting the direction of the line of sight of the subject person using the brightness distribution in the eye part will be described in detail. explain.

  Here, FIG. 5A shows a case where a white-eye portion is present on both the left and right sides of the black-eye portion (when the subject is a camera line of sight with respect to the camera), and FIG. Right side) (when the subject is looking at the left side), (c) is when the white side is present at the left side (left side) of the black eye (when the subject is It is a figure which shows the eye part of the case of looking at the right side.

  6A to 6C are graphs showing the brightness distribution on the broken line y3 in the eye part shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, respectively. Note that the coordinates x1 and x3 in the graphs shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C are coordinates corresponding to x1 and x3 in the graphs shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, respectively. That is, the coordinate x1 is the x coordinate of the boundary between the face portion and the background on the left side. The coordinate x3 is an x coordinate of the shadow portion of the nose portion in the face portion. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the x-coordinates at the left and right ends of the eye part are defined as coordinates x4 and x5, respectively.

  The brightness distribution graph as shown in FIG. 6 can detect the white part of the subject person as a peak having a predetermined width and brighter than the surroundings, and the gaze of the subject person can be detected by the degree of deviation of the black part. The direction can also be detected. Hereinafter, detection of the direction of the line of sight of the subject person based on the degree of deviation of the black eye part will be described in detail.

  First, in the case where the black eye part exists without being biased to the left or right, that is, when the subject person faces the direction of the camera, as shown in FIG. There are two, and there is a dark part due to the black eye part so as to be sandwiched between these two peaks.

  Further, when the black eye portion is biased toward the left side, that is, when the subject person is looking toward the left side, as shown in FIG. 6B, there is one brightness peak due to the white eye portion. However, the peak exists on the coordinate x5 side with respect to the midpoint of the coordinates x4 and x5.

  Further, when the black eye portion is biased toward the right side, that is, when the subject person is looking at the right side, as shown in FIG. 6C, there is one brightness peak due to the white eye portion. However, the peak exists on the coordinate x4 side with respect to the midpoint of the coordinates x4 and x5.

  As described above, the orientation of the face of the subject person and the direction of the line of sight can be detected by the brightness distribution pattern in the face and eyes, so it is determined whether the subject person is looking at the camera. (Detailed with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7).

  In order to detect the white eye and the black eye as described above, in the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the range of x1 to x3 or x3 to x2 and y1 to y2 is used. What is necessary is just to examine the brightness distribution at.

  Hereinafter, an example of a shooting sequence by the MPU 1 of the camera according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the operation of each component in the camera according to the first embodiment is as described above with reference to FIG. 1, and here, the flow of the imaging sequence will be mainly described.

  First, when a power switch (not shown) is turned on, initial setting is performed (step S101). Note that examples of the initial setting in step S101 include initialization of each part of the camera, initialization of the lens position of the photographing lens 2, and the like. After completing the processing in step S101, an operation check is performed (step S102). In step S102, changes made by the user to the default state of the camera are checked.

  Then, the electrical signal acquired by the imaging device 3a is read out by the AFE circuit 3 and subjected to A / D conversion or the like to generate image data which is a digital image signal and displayed on the display unit 8 (step S1). .

  That is, step S1 is a step of starting so-called live view display. Therefore, after step S1, the user can determine framing and release timing while referring to the live view display on the display unit 8.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the user has pressed the release switch 1a (whether a shooting operation has been performed) (step S2). When step S2 is branched to NO, the process proceeds to step S9 described later.

  When step S2 is branched to YES, shooting is performed by a predetermined shooting operation, and image data obtained by the shooting is recorded in the memory 1 area of the memory 7 (step S3). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the release switch 1a is released from the pressing operation by the user (step S4). When step S4 is branched to NO, the process returns to step S3. That is, the process in step S3 is repeated until the release switch 1a is released from the pressing operation by the user.

  On the other hand, when step S4 is branched to YES, the image data acquired in step S3 is displayed on the display unit 8 (step S5). Thereafter, the time is measured by a timer (not shown), and it is determined whether or not any operation has been performed by the user before the predetermined time has elapsed (step S103). In this step S103, when it is determined that the predetermined time has passed without any operation by the user, the mode is shifted to the power saving operation as the sleep mode. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that an operation has been performed by the user before the predetermined time has elapsed, the process returns to step S102.

  When step S2 is branched to NO, the face detection unit 4b analyzes the image data output from the signal processing circuit 5, and determines whether or not there is a person in the subject of the image data. If there is a person in the subject of the image data, the face portion is detected (step S9).

  Subsequently, in step S9, it is determined whether or not the face portion has been successfully detected (step S10). When step S10 is branched to NO, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, when step S10 is branched to YES, the face part determination unit 4d detects the orientation of the face as described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 (step S11).

  As a result of the determination of the orientation of the face performed in step S11, it is determined whether or not the face is facing the camera (step S12). When step S12 is branched to YES, as described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) to (c) and FIGS. 6 (a) to (c), the face part discriminating unit 4d performs the black eye portion. It is determined whether or not white eye portions exist on both the left and right sides (step S13). When step S13 is branched to YES, the subject is the camera line of sight, so the image data is recorded in the memory 2 area of the memory 7 (step S14). Then, the display unit 8 displays that the subject is looking at the camera (step S14-1).

  When step S13 is branched to NO and after performing the process in step S14, it is determined whether or not a predetermined free space remains in the memory 2 area in the memory 7 (step S18). When step S18 is branched to NO, a predetermined number of image data recorded in the memory 2 area of the memory 7 is erased in order from the oldest recording date (step S19).

  When step S18 is branched to YES or after the process of step S19 is completed, the process returns to step S1.

  By the way, when step S12 is branched to NO, as a result of the determination of the face direction performed in step S11, it is determined whether or not the face of the subject is facing right (see FIG. 2B). Determination is made (step S15). When step S15 is branched to YES, as described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C and FIGS. 6A to 6C, the face part determination unit 4d moves toward the black eye portion. It is determined whether or not a white eye portion exists on the right side (see FIG. 5B) (step S16). When this step S16 is branched to YES, the line of sight faces the left side as shown in FIG. 5 (b) with the face portion facing the right side as shown in FIG. 2 (b). It is in such a state. In this state, since it is considered that the subject person is looking at the camera with respect to the camera, the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, when step S16 is branched to NO, the process proceeds to step S18.

  Further, the case where the step S15 is branched to NO is a case where the face portion of the subject person faces leftward (see FIG. 2A). Therefore, as described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C and FIGS. 6A to 6C, the face part determination unit 4d has a white eye portion on the left side of the black eye portion ( It is determined whether or not (see FIG. 5C) (step S17).

  When step S17 is branched to YES, the face is facing left as shown in FIG. 2A, and the line of sight is facing right as shown in FIG. 5C. It is in such a state. In this state, since it is considered that the subject person is looking at the camera with respect to the camera, the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, when step S17 is branched to NO, the process proceeds to step S18.

  As described above, by executing the shooting sequence described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to take a picture without missing a photo opportunity when the subject person looks at the camera. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, when the subject is looking at the camera, the display unit 8 indicates that the subject is looking at the camera after recording the image data in the memory 2 area (step S14). (Step S14-1). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when it is detected that the subject is the camera's line of sight, the fact may be displayed on the display unit 8 at a timing other than the above timing. Good.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, the image data sorting process by the MPU 1 in the camera according to the first embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, this image data sorting process is performed in step S5 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  For the image data (image data taken by the user's release operation and recorded in the memory 1 area in the memory 7) acquired in step S3 in the flowchart shown in FIG. The face part discriminating unit 4d determines the face direction of the subject person, the eye direction of the subject person, and the subject person's line of sight is directed toward the camera. It is determined whether or not it has been performed (step S20).

  Then, based on the determination result in step S20, it is determined whether or not the face portion of the subject person has been detected (step S21). When step S21 is branched to YES, it is determined whether or not the eye has been detected based on the determination result in step S20 (step S22). When step S22 is branched to YES, it is determined based on the determination result in step S20 whether or not the subject person is looking at the camera with respect to the camera (step S23). Note that the method for determining whether or not the subject person is looking at the camera is as described above.

  When step S23 is branched to YES, the image data is displayed on the display unit 8 at a predetermined size (larger than the display of image data in step S25 described later) (step S24).

  By the way, when step S21 is branched to NO, when step S22 is branched to NO, and when step S23 is branched to NO, the image data is displayed on the display unit 8 in a predetermined size (as described above). It is displayed (smaller than the display of the image data in step S24) (step S25).

  After performing the processing in step S24 or step S25, it is determined whether or not the processing in steps S20 to S23 has been performed for all the image data recorded in the memory 1 area of the memory 7. (Step S26). When step S26 is branched to NO, candidate image data to be processed next in steps S20 to S23 is determined from the image data recorded in the memory 1 area of the memory 7 (step S20). S27). Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

  That is, the processing in steps S20 to S23 is performed on all the image data recorded in the memory 1 area in step S3 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When step S26 is branched to YES, it is determined whether or not the processing in step S24 has been performed (image data of the subject person looking at the camera is present for the camera) (step S31). When step S31 is branched to NO, the image data recorded in the memory 2 area of the memory 7 is displayed on the display unit 8 (step S32).

  Note that the image data recorded in the memory 2 area of the memory 7 is image data acquired by photographing the subject person at the time of looking at the camera according to the judgment of the MPU 1 in the step S14 in the flowchart shown in FIG. is there.

  When step S31 is branched to YES, or after the processing in step S32 is executed, the process proceeds to step S33, which is a step in which the user selects desired image data.

  When the process proceeds to the step S33 by branching the step S31 to YES, the user selects desired image data from the image data displayed on the display unit 8 in the step S24. Select 1c by operating (step S33).

  When the process proceeds to step S33 after performing the process in step S32, the user selects desired image data from the image data displayed on the display unit 8 in step S32 and the various switches 1c. To select (step S33).

  After executing the process in step S33, image data other than the image data selected by the user in step S33 is erased from the image data recorded in the memory 1 area and the memory 2 area in the memory 7. It is determined whether or not the operation has been performed by the user (step S34).

  When step S34 is branched to YES, the image data selected by the user in step S33 is recorded in the memory 3 area of the memory 7 (step S35). On the other hand, when step S34 is branched to NO, all the image data recorded in the memory 1 area of the memory 7 is recorded in the memory 3 area (step S36).

  After performing the process in step S35 or step S36, image data other than the image data selected by the user in step S33 is erased from the image data recorded in the memory 1 area or the memory 2 area. (Step S37). And it returns to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a camera that can easily shoot a subject person with a simple structure and a natural look.

  Specifically, in the camera according to the first embodiment, even when no shooting operation is performed by the user, when the subject person is looking at the camera with respect to the camera, the shooting operation is performed to acquire the image data. Then, it is recorded in the memory 1 area of the memory 7. Therefore, a photo opportunity is not missed when the subject person is looking at the camera.

  That is, according to the camera according to the first embodiment, even a novice photographer can easily photograph a subject person who is looking at the camera without missing a photo opportunity, and is impressive and impressive. You can get a picture of the moment.

  In addition, when the subject is looking at the camera, that fact is displayed on the display unit 8, so even if it is difficult to visually determine that the subject is from the camera only by the image alone, the subject is at the camera. It is possible to easily recognize this and perform shooting.

  Further, in the camera according to the first embodiment, unnecessary image data among the image data recorded in the memory 7 as in step S19 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 and step S37 in the flowchart shown in FIG. A step of erasing is provided. Therefore, the user can take a picture without worrying about the capacity of the memory 7 being over.

  In the first embodiment, it is assumed that there is one subject person. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the first embodiment is applied to a case where there are a plurality of subject persons. Of course you can. In this case, for example, when all of the subject persons are looking at the camera with respect to the camera, the shooting operation based on the determination of the MPU 1 may be executed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, in a scene in which a person who is a subject is moving, the subject person is instantaneously looking at the camera with respect to the camera. The effect which the camera which concerns on has is especially effective.

  In the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, various determinations relating to the face and eye of the subject person are performed in three stages in steps S21 to S23, but the performance of the image sensor 3a and the processing of the MPU 1 are performed. Of course, a finer determination may be made depending on the speed.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The camera according to the second embodiment further includes a continuous shooting switch 1b as a release switch in addition to the release switch 1a included in the camera according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 10). Here, the continuous shooting switch 1b is connected to the MPU 1 as shown in FIG. In the camera according to the second embodiment, when the continuous shooting switch 1b is pressed once by the user, a predetermined number of continuous shooting is performed.

  The camera according to the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 11 in addition to the same operation control as that of the camera according to the first embodiment described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. A continuous shooting sequence peculiar to the camera according to the second embodiment described later with reference to the flowchart can be executed.

  Here, in the second embodiment, the memory 7 has a temporary recording memory area and a main recording memory area. The temporary recording memory area corresponds to the memory 1 area and the memory 2 area in the first embodiment, and the main recording memory area corresponds to the memory 3 area in the first embodiment.

  Therefore, in the camera according to the second embodiment, when the operation control of the camera according to the first embodiment described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. The memory 2 area is replaced with a temporary recording memory area, and the memory 3 area is replaced with a main recording memory area.

  Hereinafter, a continuous shooting sequence by the MPU 1 of the camera according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, when a power switch (not shown) is turned on, initial setting is performed (step S101). Note that examples of the initial setting in step S101 include initialization of each part of the camera, initialization of the lens position of the photographing lens 2, and the like. After completing the processing in step S101, an operation check is performed (step S102). In step S102, changes made by the user to the default state of the camera are checked.

  Subsequently, the electrical signal acquired by the imaging device 3a is read by the AFE circuit 3 and subjected to A / D conversion or the like to generate image data as a digital image signal, which is displayed on the display unit 8 (step S41). ). That is, step S41 is a step of starting so-called live view display, similar to step S1 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the user has pressed the release switch 1a (whether a shooting operation has been performed) (step S42). When step S42 is branched to NO, the process proceeds to step S51 described later.

  When step S42 is branched to YES, the image is shot by a predetermined shooting operation (step S43). Then, the image data acquired by photographing in step S43 is recorded in the main recording memory area in the memory 7 (step S44). Thereafter, the time is measured by a timer (not shown), and it is determined whether or not any operation has been performed by the user before the predetermined time has elapsed (step S103).

  In this step S103, when it is determined that the predetermined time has passed without any operation by the user, the mode is shifted to the power saving operation as the sleep mode. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that an operation has been performed by the user before the predetermined time has elapsed, the process returns to step S102.

  When step S42 is branched to NO, it is determined whether or not the user has pressed the continuous shooting switch 1b (whether the continuous shooting operation has been performed) (step S51). When step S51 is branched to NO, the process proceeds to step S61 described later.

  When step S51 is branched to YES, it is necessary to delete whether or not the capacity of the temporary recording memory area is not over a predetermined capacity, that is, the image data recorded in the temporary recording memory area. It is determined whether or not there is (step S52). When step S52 is branched to YES, the image data and the like recorded in the temporary recording memory area are deleted (step S53).

  When step S52 is branched to NO or after the processing in step S53 is executed, continuous shooting is performed by a predetermined shooting operation (step S54). Further, the image data acquired by the continuous shooting in step S54 is recorded in the temporary recording memory area in the memory 7 (step S55). Then, the process proceeds to step S103.

  When step S51 is branched to NO, it is determined whether the user has operated the various operation switches 1c to switch the mode to the display mode (step S61). Here, the display mode means that the image data recorded in the temporary recording memory area is displayed on the display unit 8, and the user selects desired image data from the image data recorded in the temporary recording memory area. This mode can be selected and recorded in the recording memory area. When step S61 is branched to NO, the process proceeds to step S41.

  When step S61 is branched to YES, the image data recorded in the temporary recording memory in step S55 is displayed on the display unit 8 (step S62). Here, the user refers to the image data displayed on the display unit 8 and selects desired image data by operating the switch 1c.

  Thereafter, when the user presses the release switch 1a, for example, the desired image data selected by the user is recorded in the main recording memory area in the memory 7 (step S63). Of course, a dedicated switch for performing the operation of recording the desired image data selected by the user in the main recording memory area in the memory 7 may be provided separately.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the same effects as the camera according to the first embodiment, a camera capable of continuous shooting and capable of effectively using a memory is provided. be able to.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A various deformation | transformation and application are within the range of the summary of this invention. Of course it is possible.

  Further, the above-described embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent requirements are deleted from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment, the problem described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the effect described in the column of the effect of the invention Can be extracted as an invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a concept of a system configuration of a camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing image data in which a person is a subject. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing image data obtained by extracting a T-shaped shadow composed of a horizontally long shadow by the eyebrows and eyes and a vertically long shadow by the nose. FIG. 4 is a graph obtained by analyzing the brightness on the dividing line in the x-axis direction (left-right direction) when the face of the subject person is divided into two in the vertical direction. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an eye part when a white eye part exists on either the left or right side of the black eye part (when the subject is a camera line of sight with respect to the camera). FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an eye part when a white eye part is present on the right side of the black eye part (when the subject is looking at the left side). FIG. 5C is a diagram showing an eye part when a white eye part is present on the left side of the black eye part (when the subject is looking at the right side). FIGS. 6A to 6C are graphs showing the brightness distribution on the broken line y3 in the eye part shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, respectively. FIG. 7 is a view showing a flowchart of a photographing sequence by the MPU of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of image data selection processing (details will be described later) by the MPU in the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating an example of image data when there are a plurality of subject persons. FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating an example of image data when the subject person is moving. The figure which shows the release switch and continuous shooting switch which the camera which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention comprises. The figure which shows the flowchart of the continuous shooting imaging | photography sequence by MPU of the camera which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... MPU, 1a ... Release switch, 1b ... Continuous shooting switch, 1c ... Various operation switches, 2 ... Shooting lens, 2a ... Focusing part, 2b ... Zoom control part, 3 ... AFE circuit, 3a ... Imaging element, 3b , Microphone, 4a, auxiliary light irradiation unit, 4b, face detection unit, 4c, contour detection unit, 4d, face part determination unit, 4 ... auxiliary light irradiation unit, 5 ... signal processing circuit, 5a ... processing auxiliary block, 6 ... RAM, 7 ... Memory, 8 ... Display unit, 8a ... Speaker, 8b ... Print signal output unit, 8c ... Wireless communication unit, 9 ... Flash ROM.

Claims (7)

In a camera including an image signal forming unit that receives a light beam from a subject and outputs an image signal, and a signal conversion unit that converts the image signal output from the image signal forming unit into image data that is a digital signal.
A face detection unit for detecting a face portion of the person as the subject from the image data;
From the face part detected by the face detection unit, a nose part detection, an eye part detection, a gaze direction determination by the eye part, and a face part determination part for determining the face direction;
Determining means for determining whether the line of sight of the person as the subject is directed toward the camera based on the direction of the line of sight detected by the face part determining unit and the direction of the face;
A camera comprising:   The camera according to claim 1, wherein the face part determination unit determines the orientation of the face part based on a positional relationship between the nose part and the eye part.   The camera according to claim 1, wherein the face part determination unit determines the direction of the line of sight by the eye based on a positional relationship between black eyes and white eyes.   The face part determination unit determines that the line of sight of the person who is the subject is directed toward the camera when the direction of the face part and the direction of the line of sight by the eye part are opposite to each other. The camera according to claim 1. A display for displaying image data;
A display control unit that selects only the image data determined by the determination unit to determine that the line of sight of the person who is the subject is directed toward the camera; and
The camera according to claim 1, further comprising: A first release switch for performing one shot with a single push operation;
A second release switch for shooting multiple times with a single press,
A first memory for recording image data taken by pressing the first release switch;
A second memory for recording image data taken by pressing the second release switch;
A transfer control switch for transferring image data recorded in the second memory to the first memory;
The camera according to claim 1, further comprising:   2. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising determination display means for displaying that the determination means determines that the line of sight of the person as the subject is directed toward the camera.

Images