Patent Application
20110242395
This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 2010-085390 filed in Japan on Apr. 1, 2010 and on Patent Application No. 2010-090220 filed in Japan on Apr. 9, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device such as an image sensing device or an image reproduction device, and also relates to an image sensing device such as a digital camera.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, digital cameras having a touch panel feature have been commercially used, and this facilitates enhancement of operability. For example, in a first conventional method, a pressed portion of a touch panel is detected, and, with respect to the pressed position, operation buttons such as a shutter button, a zoom-up button and a zoom-down button are displayed around the pressed position. These operation buttons are displayed by being superimposed on a shooting image. With the first conventional method, it is possible to provide an instruction to shoot a still image or the like by performing an operation of pressing the touch panel, with the result that enhancement of operability is expected.
However, in the first conventional method, although the positions where the operation buttons are displayed are only changed depending on the pressed position of the touch panel, the details of the operation buttons displayed always remain the same. The position touched by a user' finger includes information indicating the intention of the user, and, if the operation buttons and the like for satisfying the intension of the user can be displayed by utilizing such information, convenience is further enhanced. Although the conventional technology on an image sensing device such as a digital camera has been described, the same is true on other electronic devices (such as an image reproduction device) that are not classified into the image sensing device.
For example, a second conventional method is commercially used in which, when a finger touches a display screen, focus control or exposure control is performed on a noted subject that is arranged in the pressed position of a touch panel.
Moreover, for example, the third conventional method is proposed in which, when a finger touches a display screen, with respect to the pressed position of a touch panel, operation buttons such as a shutter button, a zoom-up button and a zoom-down button are displayed around the pressed position. These operation buttons are displayed by being superimposed on a shooting image. The shutter button displayed on the display screen is pressed down to shoot a target image.
In the second conventional method, after the focus control or the exposure control is performed, it is further necessary to perform an operation of pressing down the shutter button in order to actually acquire a desired target image. In other words, in order to acquire the desired target image, it is necessary to perform the touch panel operation and the button operation, with the result that it is time-consuming.
When, as in the third conventional method, the shutter button is provided on the display screen, it is possible to finish providing an instruction to shoot the target image by touching the shutter button on the display screen. In other words, it is possible to finish providing the instruction to shoot the target image by performing only the touch panel operation (operation of pressing the display screen). However, since the shutter button on the display screen is pressed and this causes a digital camera to shake, the target image obtained immediately after the shutter button on the display screen is pressed down is often blurred.
According to the present invention, there is provided an electronic device including: a display portion that includes a display screen on which an input image is displayed; a specification reception portion that receives an input indicating a specified position on the input image, an object type detection portion that detects the type of object in the specified position based on image data on the input image; and a display menu production portion that produces a display menu displayed on the display screen. In the electronic device, the display menu production portion changes details of the display menu according to the type of object detected by the object type detection portion.
In the image sensing device according to the present invention and including a display portion having a touch panel, the image sensing device shoots a target image either when an operation member comes in contact with a display screen of the display portion and thereafter the operation member is separated from the display screen or when the operation member comes in contact with the display screen and thereafter the operation member moves on the display screen while in contact with the display screen.
The significance and effects of the present invention will be further made clear from the description of embodiments below. However, the following embodiments are simply some of embodiments according to the present invention, and the present invention and the significance of the term of each of components are not limited to the following embodiments.
Some embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the referenced drawings, like parts are identified with like symbols, and their description will not be repeated in principle.
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The image sensing device 1 includes individual portions represented by reference numerals 11 to 22. Information (such as a signal or data) output from one component within the image sensing device 1 can be freely referenced by the other components within the image sensing device 1.
In
The image sensor 33 photoelectrically converts an optical image that enters the image sensor 33 through the optical system 35 and the aperture 32 and that represents a subject, and outputs to the AFE 12 an electrical signal obtained by the photoelectrical conversion. Specifically, the image sensor 33 has a plurality of light receiving pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix, and each of the light receiving pixels stores, in each round of shooting, a signal charge having the amount of charge corresponding to an exposure time. Analog signals having a size proportional to the amount of stored signal charge are sequentially output to the AFE 12 from the light receiving pixels according to drive pulses generated within the image sensing device 1.
The AFE 12 amplifies the analog signal output from the image sensing portion 11 (image sensor 33), and converts the amplified analog signal into a digital signal. The AFE 12 outputs this digital signal as RAW data. The RAW data refers to one type of image data on an image of the subject. The amplification factor of the signal in the AFE 12 is controlled by the main control portion 19.
The internal memory 13 is formed with an SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random access memory) or the like, and temporarily stores various types of digital data utilized within the image sensing device 1. The image processing portion 14 performs necessary image processing on image data on an image recorded in the internal memory 13 or the recording medium 15. The recording medium 15 is a nonvolatile memory such as a magnetic disk or a semiconductor memory. The image data resulting from the image processing performed by the image processing portion 14 and the RAW data can be recorded in the recording medium 15. The recording control portion 16 performs recording control necessary for recording various types of data in the recording medium 15. The display portion 17 displays an image resulting from shooting by the image sensing portion 11, the image recorded in the recording medium 15 or the like. In the present specification, a display and a display screen simply refer to a display on the display portion 17 and the display screen of the display portion 17, respectively.
The operation portion 18 is a portion through which a user performs various operations on the image sensing device 1.
When the image sensing device 1 is a digital video camera, it is also possible to make the shutter button 41 function as a button that provides an instruction to start or finish shooting a moving image. Operations performed by the user on the shutter button 41, the zoom lever 42, the setting button 43 and the cross key 44 are collectively referred to as a button operation. Information indicating the details of the button operation is referred to as button operation information.
The main control portion 19 comprehensively controls operations of the individual portions within the image sensing device 1 according to the details of the button operation, the details of a touch panel operation, which will be described later, or the like. The display control portion 20 controls the details of a display produced on the display portion 17.
A time stamp generation portion 21 generates time stamp information indicating a shooting time of a still image or a moving image, using a timer or the like incorporated in the image sensing device 1. A GPS information acquisition portion 22 receives a GPS signal transmitted from a GPS (global positioning system) satellite and thereby recognizes the present position of the image sensing device 1.
The operation modes of the image sensing device 1 include: a first operation mode in which an image (a still image or a moving image) can be shot and recorded; and a second operation mode in which the image (the still image or the moving image) recorded in the recording medium 15 is reproduced and displayed on the display portion 17 or an external display device. The operation mode switches between the individual operation modes according to the button operation.
In the first operation mode, a subject is periodically shot at a predetermined frame period, and image data indicating a shooting image sequence of the subject is obtained based on the output of the image sensing portion 11. An image sequence which a shooting image sequence is typical of refers to a collection of images arranged chronologically. Image data obtained in one frame period represents one sheet of an image.
The display portion 17 has a touch panel.
As shown in
it is assumed that, in the display screen 51 and the two-dimensional image 300, as the value of the “x” which is the X axis coordinate value of the noted point is increased, the position of the noted point is moved to the right side (the right side on the XY coordinate plane) that is the positive side of the X axis whereas, as the value of the “y” which is the Y axis coordinate value of the noted point is increased, the position of the noted point is moved to the lower side (the lower side on the XY coordinate plane) that is the positive side of the Y axis. Hence, in the display screen 51 and the two-dimensional image 300, as the value of the “x” which is the X axis coordinate value of the noted point is decreased, the position of the noted point is moved to the left side (the left side on the XY coordinate plane) whereas, as the value of the “y” which is the Y axis coordinate value of the noted point is decreased, the position of the noted point is moved to the upper side (the upper side on the XY coordinate plane).
When the two-dimensional image 300 is displayed on the display screen 51 (when the two-dimensional image 300 is displayed using the entire display screen 51), an image in the position (x, y) on the two-dimensional image 300 is displayed in the position (x, y) on the display screen 51.
When the operation member touches the display screen 51, the touch detection portion 52 of
In the first embodiment, the operation of the image sensing device 1 in the first operation mode, in which a still image or a moving image can be shot, will be described below.
Image data on an input image is fed to the image processing portion 14 and the display control portion 20. The input image refers to a sheet of a still image indicated by RAW data obtained in one frame period or a still image obtained by performing predetermined image processing (such as demosaicing processing, noise reduction processing or the like) on the still image indicated by RAW data obtained in one frame period. In the first operation mode, input images are sequentially obtained at a predetermined frame period (that is, an input image sequence is obtained). The display control portion 20 can display the input image sequence as a moving image on the display screen 51.
The subject detection portion 61 performs, based on image data on the input image, subject detection processing that detects a subject included in the input image. The subject detection processing is performed to detect the type of subject on the input image.
The subject detection processing includes face detection processing that detects a face in the input image. In the face detection processing, based on the image data on the input image, a face region that is a region including a face portion of a person is detected and extracted from an image region in the input image. Face recognition processing may be included in the subject detection processing. In the face recognition processing, which of one or a plurality of registered persons who have been previously set is the person having the face extracted by the face detection processing from the input image is recognized. As the methods of performing the face detection processing and the face recognition processing, various methods are known, and the subject detection portion 61 can perform the face detection processing and the face recognition processing using an arbitrary method among methods including known methods.
Types of subjects that need to be detected in the subject detection processing are not only the face and the person. For example, in the subject detection processing, a car, a mountain, a tree, a flower, a sea, snow, a sky or the like in the input image can be detected. In order to detect them, it is possible to utilize various types of image processing such as analysis of brightness information, analysis of hue information, edge detection, outline detection, image matching and pattern recognition, and to utilize an arbitrary method among methods including known methods. For example, when the subject that needs to be detected is a car, the car on the input image can be detected either by detecting a tire on the input image based on image data on the input image or by performing image matching using image data on the input image and image data on images of cars previously prepared.
The scene determination portion 60 determines a shooting scene in the input image based on the image data on the input image. Processing for performing this determination is referred to as scene determination processing. A plurality of registered scenes are previously set in the scene determination portion 60. The registered scenes include, for example, a portrait scene that is a shooting scene in which a person is noted, a scenery scene that is a shooting scene in which scenery is noted, an animal scene that is a shooting scene in which an animal (such as a dog or a cat) is noted, a beach scene that is a shooting scene in which a sea is noted, a snow scene that is a shooting scene in which snow scenery is noted, a daytime scene that represents a daytime shooting state and a night view scene that represents the shooting state of a night view. Annuals described in the present specification refer to animals other than persons.
The scene determination portion 60 extracts, from image data on a noted input image, the image feature quantity that is useful for the scene determination processing, and thereby selects a shooting scene of the noted input image from the registered scenes. In this way, the shooting scene of the noted input image is determined. The shooting scene determined by the scene determination portion 60 is referred to as a determination scene. It is possible to perform the scene determination processing using the result of the subject detection processing performed by the subject detection portion 61. The operation of performing the scene determination processing using the result of the subject detection processing will be particularly described below.
The display menu production portion 62 produces a display menu based on the result of the subject detection processing and the result of the scene determination processing. When the display menu is produced by the display menu production portion 62, the display control portion 20 displays the display menu on the display screen 51 together with the input image. For example, an image obtained by superimposing the display menu on the input image is displayed on the display screen 51. The display control portion 20 utilizes the touch operation information to determine the position where the display menu is displayed.
Based on the touch operation information and the button operation information, the shooting control portion 63 monitors whether or not a shutter instruction is performed by the user. When the shooting control portion 63 recognizes that the shutter instruction has been performed, a target image is shot in a shooting mode determined by the shooting control portion 63. Specifically, the shooting control portion 63 uses the image sensing portion 11 and the image processing portion 14 to generate image data on the target image. The target image refers to a still image based on an input image obtained immediately after the shutter instruction (see
In a shooting mode table (not shown) included in the shooting control portion 63, the first to N-th shooting modes are stored. Here, N is an integer equal to or greater than two (for example, N=10). The first to N-th shooting modes stored in the shooting mode table include a portrait mode, a scenery mode, a high-speed shutter mode, a beach mode, a snow mode, a daytime mode and a night view mode.
Based on all or part of the result of the subject detection processing, the result of the scene determination processing and the touch operation information and the button operation information, the shooting control portion 63 selects, from the first to N-th shooting modes, one shooting mode that is considered to be the optimum shooting mode as the shooting mode of the target image. The shooting mode selected here is hereinafter referred to as the selection shooting mode. Each of the shooting modes stored in the shooting mode table functions as a candidate shooting mode that is a candidate of the selection shooting mode; each of the shooting modes specifies shooting conditions of the target image.
The shooting conditions of the target image (in other words, the shooting conditions specified by the selection shooting mode) include: a shutter speed at the time of shooting of the input image that is the source of the target image (that is, the length of exposure time of the image sensor 33 for obtaining image data on the input image from the image sensor 33); an aperture value at the time of shooting of the input image that is the source of the target image; an ISO sensitivity at the time of shooting of the input image that is the source of the target image; and the details of image processing (hereinafter referred to as specific image processing) that is performed by the image processing portion 14 on the input image to produce the target image. The ISO sensitivity refers to the sensitivity specified by ISO (International Organization for Standardization); by adjusting the ISO sensitivity, it is possible to adjust the brightness (brightness level) of the input image. In fact, the amplification factor of the signal in the ATE 12 is determined according to the ISO sensitivity. The shooting control portion 63 controls the image sensing portion 11, the AFT 12 and the image processing portion 14 under the shooting conditions specified by the selection shooting mode so as to obtain image data on the input image and the target image.
As shown in
With respect to the first to N-th shooting modes described above, shooting conditions specified by the i-th shooting mode and shooting conditions specified by the j-th shooting mode differ from each other. This generally holds true for an arbitrary integer i and an arbitrary integer j that differ from each other (where i≦N and j≦N), but the shooting conditions of NA shooting modes included in the first to N-th shooting modes can be the same as each other (NA is an integer less than N). For example, when N=10, the shooting conditions of the first to ninth shooting modes differ from each other, but the shooting conditions of the ninth and the tenth shooting modes can be the same as each other (in this case, NA=2).
Specifically, for example, the shooting control portion 63 varies the aperture value between the portrait mode and the scenery mode, and thus makes the depth of field of the target image shot in the portrait mode narrower than the depth of field of the target image shot in the scenery mode. An image 310 of
The shooting control portion 63 may make the depth of field in the portrait mode narrower than that in the scenery mode by performing the following procedure: the same aperture value is used in the portrait mode and the scenery mode whereas the specific image processing is varied between the portrait mode and the scenery mode. Specifically, for example, when the shooting mode of the target image is the scenery mode, the specific image processing performed on the original image does not include background blurring processing whereas, when the shooting mode of the target image is the portrait mode, the specific image processing performed on the original image includes the background blurring processing. The background blurring processing refers to processing (such as spatial domain filtering using a Gaussian filter) that blurs an image region other than an image region where image data on a person is present in the original image. The difference between the specific image processing including the background blurring processing and the specific image processing excluding the background blurring processing as described above also allows the depth of field to be substantially varied between the target image in the portrait mode and the target image in the scenery mode.
Moreover, for example, when the shooting mode of the target image is the scenery mode, the specific image processing performed on the original image may not include skin color correction whereas, when the shooting mode of the target image is the portrait mode, the specific image processing performed on the original image may include skin color correction. The skin color correction is processing that corrects the color of a part of the image of a person's face which is classified into skin color.
For example, in the high-speed shutter mode, the shutter speed is set faster than in the portrait mode or the like (that is, the length of exposure time of the image sensor 33 for obtaining image data on the target image from the image sensor 33 is set short). For example, in the beach mode, processing that corrects the color of an image portion having the hue of a sea on the original image is included in the specific image processing. Furthermore, it is possible to set the shooting conditions of each shooting mode from various points of view; it is also possible to utilize a known arbitrary setting method to set the shooting conditions of each shooting mode.
First Shooting Operation Example
A first shooting operation example of the image sensing device 1 will now be described with reference to
At a time tA1, the user touches a position PA on the display screen 51 (it is assumed that the display screen 51 has not been touched by a finger at all before the time tA1). A touch refers to an operation of touching a specific portion on the display screen 51 by a finger. When the position PA is touched for a relatively short period of time, a touch starting at the time tA1 is determined to be a short touch whereas when the position PA is touched for a relatively long period of time, the touch starting at the time tA1 is determined to be a long touch.
Specifically, when the touch starting at the time tA1 is cancelled by a time (tA1+Δt), the touch starting at the time tA1 is determined to be the short touch whereas when the touch starting at the time tA1 continues until the time (tA1+Δt), the touch starting at the time tA1 is determined to be the long touch. The Δt is a predetermined value in time (where Δt>0). The time (tA1+Δt) indicates a time that is a time period Δt behind the time tA1. Based on the touch operation information, the main control portion 19 can determine whether a touch performed on the display screen 51 is the short touch or the long touch.
On the other hand, when the position PA is touched, the subject detection portion 61 sets the position PA to a reference position, and performs, based on image data on the input image at the present tune, the subject detection processing for detecting the type of subject in the reference position and the type of vicinity subject around the reference position. The subject in the reference position refers to a subject having image data in the reference position; the vicinity subject around the reference position refers to a subject that is arranged in the vicinity of the subject in the reference position. For example, as shown in
In the first shooting operation example, as shown in
When the touch starting at the time tA1 is the short touch, the finger is separated from the display screen 51 at a time that is behind the time tA1 but ahead of the time (tA1+Δt). The shooting control portion 63 recognizes the separation of the finger based on the touch operation information, and immediately performs, along with the scene determination portion 60, auto-selection of the shooting mode to make the target image shot (in this case, the operation of separating the finger in contact with the display screen 51 from the display screen 51 functions as the shutter instruction).
In the auto-selection of the shooting mode, the scene determination processing is performed based on the type of subject in the reference position, the selection shooting mode is determined from the result of the scene determination processing and then the image sensing portion 11 and the image processing portion 14 are made to shoot the target image in the selection shooting mode (are made to produce image data on the target image). When the type of subject in the reference position is the person, the determination scene is set at the portrait scene and the selection shooting mode is set at the portrait mode by the auto-selection of the shooting mode. Consequently, it is possible to obtain the target image 410 that has been shot in the portrait mode. Unlike the first shooting operation example corresponding to
When the touch starting at the time tA1 is the long touch, the scene determination portion 60 determines first and second candidate determination scenes, and a display menu MA is displayed along with the input image at the present time on the display screen 51 at a time tA2 that is behind the time (tA1+Δt) (the first and second candidate determination scenes will be described later). The display menu MA is displayed in such a position that its center is located in the reference position PA. For example, as shown in
The display menu MA is produced by the display menu production portion 62 of
The basic icon MBASE has an outside shape obtained by coupling a region ARC and regions AR1 to AR4 that are each rectangular. With the region ARC arranged in the center, the regions AR1, AR2, AR3 and AR4 are coupled to the right side, the upper side, the left side and the lower side of the region ARC, respectively. The center of the region ARC is arranged in the reference position PA. The display menu MA is formed by superimposing a word, a figure or a combination thereof indicating an item to be selected, on each of the regions AR1 to AR4 in the basic icon MBASE. For specific description, it is now assumed that the item to be selected is represented by a word. The word representing the item to be selected is determined based on the result of the scene determination processing using the result of the subject detection processing described previously.
A determination scene that is determined from image data within the determination region with respect to the reference position is particularly referred to as a candidate determination scene. A plurality of candidate determination scenes are determined. In the first shooting operation example corresponding to
In the example of
At a time tA3 that is behind the time tA2, the user performs the item selection operation. The item selection operation refers to an operation of selecting any of the first to fourth items to be selected in the display menu (MA1 in this example) (in other words, an operation of selecting any of the regions AR1, to AR4). Based on the touch operation information, the shooting control portion 63 or the main control portion 19 determines whether or not the item selection operation is performed.
The item selection operation of selecting the i-th item to be selected is any one of the following operations:
an operation of moving the finger from the reference position PA, which is the starting point, to the region AR1 with the finger in contact with the display screen 51, as shown in
an operation of moving the finger from the reference position PA, which is the starting point, to the region AR1 with the finger in contact with the display screen 51, and then separating the finger from the display screen 51 as shown in
an operation of moving the finger from the reference position PA, which is the starting point, to the region AR1 with the finger in contact with the display screen 51, and further moving the finger to the outside of the region AR1, along the direction pointing from the reference position PA to the region AR1, with the finger in contact with the display screen 51, as shown in
An operation of temporarily separating the finger in contact with the display screen 51 from the display screen 51 at the time tA2 and then touching the region AR1, as shown in
The button operation performed on the cross key 44 may also function as the item selection operation (see
The item to be selected that is selected in the item selection operation is referred to as a selection item. Since the first to fourth items to be selected are respectively items to be selected that correspond to the regions AR1 to AR4 in the display menu MA1, when the i-th item to be selected is selected as the selection item, the target image is shot in the shooting mode corresponding to the region AR1. Specifically, when the shooting control portion 63 recognizes that the item selection operation is performed at the time tA3, the shooting control portion 63 makes the image sensing portion 11 and the image processing portion 14 shoot the target image in the shooting mode corresponding to the selection item (makes them produce image data on the target image). For example, when the first item to be selected is selected as the selection item with the display menu MA1 of
When the third item to be selected is selected as the selection item, the shooting control portion 63 performs the auto-selection of the shooting mode to make the target image shot (consequently, the same target image as in the case of the short touch is obtained).
When the fourth item to be selected is selected as the selection item, the shooting control portion 63 uses, as the selection shooting mode, a shooting mode based on an entire image scene determination result, and thereby makes the target image shot. The entire image scene determination result refers to the result of the scene determination processing that is performed using image data on the entire input image. Therefore, when the determination scene of the entire image scene determination result is the portrait scene, if the fourth item to be selected is selected as the selection item, the shooting control portion 63 makes the target image shot in the portrait mode corresponding to the portrait scene.
[A second shooting operation example]
A second shooting operation example obtained by varying the first shooting operation example will be described. In the second shooting operation example, it is assumed that, instead of the position PA, a position PA′ where image data on the dog SUB2 is present is touched at the time tA1, and consequently, the position PA′ is set at the reference position. In this case, as shown in
In the second shooting operation example. since the type of subject in the reference position PA′ is determined to be the dog, the scene determination portion 60 determines that the first candidate determination scene is the animal scene. Moreover, since the type of vicinity subject around the reference position is determined to be the mountain, the scene determination portion 60 determines that the second candidate determination scene is the scenery scene. Based on the details of these determinations, the display menu production portion 62 sets words to be displayed in the regions AR1 and AR2 of the display menu MA2 to a “high-speed” and a “scenery”, respectively. In other words, the first and second candidate determination scenes are made to correspond to the regions AR1 and AR2, and the words corresponding to the first and second candidate determination scenes are displayed in the AR1 and AR2. On the other hand, words displayed in the AR3 and AR4 in the display menu MA2 are set at an “auto” and a “shooting”, respectively.
When the first item to be selected is selected as the selection item with the display menu MA2 of
[Operational flow chart]
A procedure for ate operation of obtaining a sheet of a target image will now be described with reference to
In the first operation mode in which a still image can be shot, input images are sequentially obtained at the predetermined frame period, and, in step S11, an input image sequence is displayed as a moving image. The processing that displays the input image sequence as the moving image continues until the target image is shot in step S18 or S19, and, after the target image is shot in step S18 or S19, the process returns to step S11.
In step S12 subsequent to step S11, the main control portion 19 determines whether or not the display screen 51 is touched based on the touch operation information (that is, whether or not the display screen 51 is touched by the finger). If the display screen 51 is touched, the process moves from step S12 to step S13 whereas if the display screen 51 is not touched, the determination processing in step S12 is repeated.
In step S13, the image processing portion 14 and the main control portion 19 set the touched position to the reference position. In step S13, the subject detection portion 61 performs the subject detection processing for detecting the type of subject in the reference position and the type of vicinity subject around the reference position, and furthermore the scene determination portion 60 performs the scene determination processing using the result of the subject detection processing, and thereby determines the first and second candidate determination scenes described previously.
After the processing in step S13 is performed or at the same dine when the processing in step S13 is performed, the processing in step S14 is performed. In step S14, the main control portion 19 determines, based on the touch operation information, whether or not a touch performed on the display screen 51 is the long touch, and, if the touch is the long touch, the process moves from step S14 to step S15 whereas if the touch is the short touch. the process moves from step S14 to step S19.
In step S15, the display menu production portion 62 produces the display menu MA based on the result of the scene determination processing in step S13, and, in step S16 subsequent to step S15, the display menu MA is displayed on the display screen 51 under the control of the display control portion 20. As described previously, the display menu MA is displayed along with the input image at the present time, and the display of the display menu MA is continued until the item selection operation is performed.
In step S17, the shooting control portion 63 (or the main control portion 19) determines, based on the touch operation information, whether or not the item selection operation is performed, and, only if the item selection operation is determined to be performed, the process moves from step S17 to step S18. In step S18, the shooting control portion 63 makes the image sensing portion 11 and the image processing portion 14 shoot the target image in the shooting mode corresponding to the selection item (make them produce image data on the target image). Hence, the item selection operation functions as the shutter instruction. On the other hand, in step S19, the shooting control portion 63 performs the auto-selection of the shooting mode, and immediately makes the target image shot in the shooting mode determined by the auto-selection. Image data on the target image obtained in step S18 or S19 is recorded in the recording medium 15.
A subject (subject at a portion touched by the user) in a position specified by the user can be considered to be a subject that is noted by the user. Hence, in the present embodiment, the type of subject in the specified position is detected, and the details of the display menu are correspondingly changed according to the result of the detection. For example, as described previously, when the subject in the specified position is a person, an item to be selected for providing an instruction to shoot in the portrait mode is included in the display menu, or when the subject in the specified position is an animal, an item to be selected for providing an instruction to shoot in the high-speed shutter mode is included in the display menu.
When the subject in the specified position is considered to be a subject that is noted by the user an item to be selected thereof is probably highly likely to be selected by the user after the operation of inputting the specified position. Hence, the production and the display of the display menu as described above probably facilitate enhancement of operability. For example, when the user desires to use the high-speed shutter mode suitable for shooting an animal, if as in a method disclosed in JP-A-H11-164175, only a shutter button, a zoom-up button, a zoom-down button and the like are included in a display menu (or a display of the display menu itself is not present), the user performs a first operation of displaying a menu for selecting a shooting mode from a plurality of registered modes, then performs a second operation of selecting the high-speed shutter mode from the menu displayed by the first operation and thereafter needs to perform a shutter instruction operation. By contrast, in the present embodiment, since an animal is touched as the noted subject and thus the display menu MA2 of
Since the time period during which the finger is in contact with the display screen 51 is reduced, and thus the user can provide an instruction to immediately shoot the target image, a chance to press the shutter is prevented from being missed. Although the shooting of the target image can also be triggered by the touching of the display screen 51 with the finger, the housing of the image sensing device 1 shakes and this likely results in a binned image at the moment of the touching and in a certain period of time after the touching. By contrast, in the present embodiment, when the shutter instruction is performed by the short touch, the shooting of the target image is triggered by the separation of the finger from the display screen 51 (the separation of the finger from the display screen 51 is detected, and then the exposure of the input image that is the source of the target image is started). Thus, the blurring of the target image is reduced. The same is true on the shutter instruction performed by the item selection operation of
Although, in the example described above, only when the finger is in contact with the display screen 51 for a relatively long period of time, the display menu is produced and displayed, the display menu may be produced and displayed regardless of the time period during which they are in contact with each other. In other words, after the processing in step S13 of
Although, in the example described above, the first and second candidate determination scenes corresponding to the first and second items to be selected are made to correspond to the regions AR1 and AR2, respectively, and the third and fourth items to be selected corresponding to the words “auto” and “shooting” are made to correspond to the regions AR1 and AR4, respectively, correspondence relationships between the first to fourth items to be selected, and the regions AR1. to AR4 are not limited to this.
For example, based on the history of item selection by the user these correspondence relationships may be changed. Specifically, for example, it is assumed that, when the first and second candidate determination scenes are the “portrait scene” and the “scenery scene” respectively, and the display menu MA1 is displayed, the item selection operation that selects the region AR2 corresponding to the “scenery” is frequently performed. In consideration of the shape of the housing of the image sensing device 1 and the like, it is assumed that the item selection operation that selects the region AR1 is performed more easily than the item selection operation that selects the region AR2. The main control portion 19 stores the history of the item selection operations in a history memory (not shown) within the image sensing device 1. After the storage of the history, when the first and second candidate determination scenes are determined to be the “portrait scene” and the “scenery scene”, respectively, as shown in
Although, in the example described above, when the long touch is performed, the first and second candidate determination scenes are determined by the scene determination portion 60 based on image data within the determination region, and two items to be selected corresponding to the first and second candidate determination scenes are included in the display menu MA, the number of candidate determination scenes determined based on the image data within the determination region may be one or may he three or more. When the number is one, one item to be selected corresponding to the first candidate determination scene is included in the display menu MA whereas, when the number is three, three items to be selected corresponding to the first to third candidate determination scenes are included in the display menu MA (the same is true when the number is four or more).
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The image sensing device of the second embodiment is the image sensing device 1, as in the first embodiment. The description in the first embodiment is also applied to what is not particularly described in the second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, image data on P sheets of still images is assumed to be recorded in the recording medium 15. P is an integer equal to or greater than two. Each of the still images recorded in the recording medium 15 is also referred to as a record image. Image data on an arbitrary record image is fed from the recording medium 15 to the image processing portion 14 and the display control portion 20. In the second embodiment, the record image functions as the input image.
In
As shown in
In order for the additional data to be described specifically, an arbitrary sheet of a still image that needs to be stored in one image file is represented by reference numeral 500. The feature vector information that needs to be included in the additional data on the still image 500 is produced based on feature vector derivation processing on the still image 500. The feature vector derivation processing is performed by the image processing portion 14.
For example, as shown in
The subject information that needs to be included in the additional data on the still image 500 is produced based on the subject detection processing that is performed by the subject detection portion 61 on the still image 500. A method of performing the subject detection processing is the same as described in the first embodiment. For example, when a person is detected from the still image 500, subject information indicating the presence of a person within the still image 500 is included in the additional data; when a dog is detected from the still image 500, subject information indicating the presence of a dog within the still image 500 is included in the additional data; and when a person and a dog are detected from the still image 500, subject information indicating the presence of a person and a dog within the still image 500 is included in the additional data. Furthermore, when the subject detection processing includes the face recognition processing, if an i-th registered person is detected from the still image 500, subject information indicating the presence of the i-th registered person within the still image 500 is included in the additional data.
The time stamp information and the shooting location information that need to be included in the additional data on the still image 500 are produced by the time stamp generation portion 21 and the GPS information acquisition portion 22 shown in
In the second embodiment an operation of the image sensing device 1 in the second operation mode will be described below unless otherwise specified. As described previously, in the second operation mode, an image (a still image or a moving image) recorded in the recording medium 15 can be displayed on the display portion 17. In the second operation mode, the user performs a predetermined touch panel operation or button operation and thereby can selectably display one of P sheets of record images on the display screen 51. The displayed record image is particularly referred to as a reference image (reference record image). It is now assumed that a reference image 510 shown in
[First reproduction operation example]
A first reproduction operation example will be described with reference to
At a time tB1 when the reference image 510 is displayed, the user is assumed to touch a position PB on the display screen 51 (it is assumed that the display screen 51 has not been touched by the finger at all before the time tB1).
When the position PB is touched, the subject detection portion 61 sets the position PB to the reference position, and performs the subject detection processing for detecting the type of subject in the reference position based on image data on the reference image 510. As described previously, the subject in the reference position refers to a subject having image data in the reference position. For example, as shown in
After completion of the subject detection processing, the display menu production portion 62 uses the result of the subject detection processing to produce a display menu MB, and the display control portion 20 displays the display menu MB along with the reference image 510 on the display screen 51 at the time tB2. For example, as shown in
The display menu MB is formed by superimposing a word, a figure or a combination thereof indicating an item to be selected, on each of the regions AR1 to AR4 in the basic icon MBASE shown in
Words displayed in the regions AR2. AR3 and AR4 in the display menu MB1 are a “similar image”, a “date and time” and a “site”, respectively. The word displayed in the region AR1 in the display menu MB1 is determined based on the result of the subject detection processing performed with respect to the position PB. Since, in the first reproduction operation example, the type of subject in the reference position PB is determined to be the person, the word displayed in the region AR1 in the display menu MB1 is the “person.” The regions AR1 to AR4 are respectively regions in which the first to fourth items to be selected are displayed.
At a time tB3 behind the time tB2, the user performs the item selection operation. As described in the first embodiment, the item selection operation refers to an operation of selecting any of the first to fourth items to be selected in the display menu (MB1 in this example). The main control portion 19 determines, based on the touch operation information, whether or not the item selection operation is performed. The method of performing the item selection operation described in the first embodiment is also applied to the second embodiment. When it is applied to the second embodiment, “MA”, “MA1”, “PA” and “tAi” described in the first embodiment need to be replaced with “MB”, “MB1”, “PB” and “tBi”, respectively.
As in the first embodiment, the item to be selected that is selected in the item selection operation is referred to as the selection item. When the item selection operation is performed, the image search portion 64 of
When the first item to be selected that corresponds to the word “person” is selected as the selection item, the image search portion 64 sets the identification of the type of subject to the search condition, and searches the non-reference image group for the condition-satisfying image that is a non-reference image including the same type of subject as the type of subject in the position PB in the reference image 510. Since, in the first reproduction operation example, the type of subject in the position PB in the reference image 510 is the person, the condition-satisfying image that is a non-reference image which includes a person as the subject. is searched for The image search portion 64 can search for the condition-satisfying image based on the subject information that is read from the header region of the image file of each of the non-reference images.
When the second item to be selected that corresponds to the word “similar image” is selected as the selection item, the image search portion 64 sets the similarity of an image to the search condition, and searches the non-reference image group for the condition-satisfying image that is a non-reference image including an image similar to an image within an image region with respect to the position PB. Specifically, for example, a feature vector VEC511 of the determination region 511 of the reference image 510 is first determined by the feature vector derivation processing. On the other hand, the image search portion 64 reads feature vector information from the header region of the image file of each of the non-reference images. A feature vector on a division block BL[i] of a certain sheet of a non-reference image that is represented by the feature vector information is represented by VECc[i].
The image search portion 64 determines a distance d[i] between the feature vectors VEC511 and VECc[i]. The distance between an arbitrary first feature vector and an arbitrary second feature vector is defined as the distance (Euclidean distance) between the endpoints of the first and second feature vectors in a feature space when the starting points of the first and second feature vectors are arranged at the origin of the feature space. A computation for determining the distance d[i] is individually performed by substituting, into i, each of integers equal to or greater than one but equal to or less than six. Thus, the distances d[1] to d[6] are determined. The image search portion 64 performs the computation for determining the distances d[1] to d[6] on each of the (P−1) non-reference images, and thereby determines a total of (6×(P−1)) distances. Thereafter, a distance equal to or less than a predetermined reference distance dm among the (6×(P−1)) distances is identified, and a non-reference image corresponding to the identified distance is set at the condition-satisfying image. For example, when any of six distances determined on the division blocks BL[1] to BL[6] of the first non-reference image is equal to or less than the reference distance dTH, the first non-reference image is determined to include an image similar to an image within the determination region 511, and the first non-reference image is set at the condition-satisfying image; when all the six distances determined on the division blocks BL[1] to BL[6] of the second non-reference image are larger than the reference distance dTH, the second non-reference image is determined not to include the above similar image, and the second non-reference image is not set at the condition-satisfying image.
The non-reference image group may be searched for the non-reference image including the above similar image, utilizing the image matching or the like. Since the search utilizing the image matching or the like requires a reasonable amount of processing time, it is preferable to employ the method utilizing the feature vector information, as described above.
When the third item to be selected that corresponds to the word “date and time” is selected as the selection item, the image search portion 64 sets the similarity of the time stamp information to the search condition, and searches the non-reference image group for the condition-satisfying image that is a non-reference image shot at a time similar to a shooting time of the reference image 510. Specifically, for example, based on the time stamp information on P sheets of record images, a shooting time T510 of the reference image 510 is compared with a shooting time of each of the non-reference images, and a non-reference image having a shooting time in which a time difference between this shooting time and the shooting time T510 is equal to or less than a predetermined time period is set at the condition-satisfying image.
When the fourth item to be selected that corresponds to the word “site” is selected as the selection item, the image search portion 64 sets the similarity of the shooting location information to the search condition, and searches the non-reference image group for the condition-satisfying image that is a non-reference image shot at a location similar to the shooting location of the reference image 510. Specifically, for example, based on the shooting location information on P sheets of record images, the shooting location of the reference image 510 is compared with the shooting location of each of the non-reference images and thus the distance between the former and the latter is derived, and a non-reference image in which such a distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance is set at the condition-satisfying image.
At a time tB4 after the image search processing, the result of the image search processing is displayed under control of the display control portion 20. For example, at the time tB4, the thumbnails of the condition-satisfying images or the file names of the condition-satisfying images are displayed in a list. In
[Second reproduction operation example]
A second reproduction operation example will be described. The second reproduction operation example is a reproduction operation example obtained by varying part of the first reproduction operation example; the difference between the first and second reproduction operation examples will only be described later (the same is true in a third reproduction operation example, which will be described later). It is assumed that the subject detection processing includes the face recognition processing and that the person SUB1 within the reference image 510 is a first registered person. In this case, since the type of subject in the reference position is determined to be the first registered person, a display menu MB2 of
When the first item to be selected that corresponds to the word “first registered person” is selected as the selection item, the image search portion 64 sets the identification of the type of subject to the search condition, and searches the non-reference image group for the condition-satisfying image that is a non-reference image including the first registered person of the type of subject in the position PB in the reference image 510. The image search portion 64 can search for the condition-satisfying image based on the subject information that is read from the header region of the image file of the non-reference image (the same is true on the third reproduction operation example, which will be described later). In the second reproduction operation example, the operation performed when the second, third or fourth item to be selected is selected as the selection item is the same as in the first reproduction operation example (the same is true on the third reproduction operation example, which will be described later).
[Third reproduction operation example]
The third reproduction operation example will be described. When, at the time tB1, instead of the displayed portion of the person SUB1, the displayed portion of the dog SUB2 is touched, that is, when image data on the dog SUB2 is present in the position PB, the type of subject in the reference position is determined to be the dog. Hence, a display Menu MB3 of
When the first item to be selected that corresponds to the word “dog” is selected as the selection item, the image search portion 64 sets the identification of the type of subject to the search condition, and searches the non-reference image group for the condition-satisfying image that is a non-reference image including the dog of the type of subject in the position PB in the reference image 510.
[Operational flow chart]
A procedure of an operation performed when the image search processing described above is utilized will now be described with reference to
In step S31, a reference image specified by the user is displayed. In step S32 subsequent to step S31, the main control portion 19 determines, based on the touch operation information, whether or not the display screen 51 is touched (that is, whether or not the display screen 51 is touched by the finger). If the display screen 51 is touched, the process moves from step S32 to step S33, and processing in steps S33 to S36 is performed step by step whereas if display screen 51 is not touched, the determination processing in step S32 is repeated.
In step S33, the image processing portion 14 and the main control portion 19 set the touched position to the reference position. In step S33, the subject detection portion 61 performs the subject detection processing for detecting the type of subject in the reference position. In step S34 subsequent to step S33, the display menu production portion 62 uses the result of the subject detection processing in step S33 to produce the display menu MB; in step S35, the display control portion 20 displays the produced display menu MB along with the reference image. It is possible to display the display menu MB alone, The display of the display menu MB is continued until the item selection operation is performed.
In step S36, the main control portion 19 determines, based on the touch operation information, whether or not the item selection operation is performed, and, only if the item selection operation is determined to be performed, the process moves from step S36 to step S37. In step S37, the image search portion 64 sets a search condition corresponding to the selection item (that is an item to be selected that is selected by the item selection operation in step S36), references details recorded in the recording medium 15 and performs the image search processing using the search condition and thereby extracts the condition-satisfying image from the non-reference image group. The result of the image search processing is displayed in step S38 subsequent to step S37, For example, as described previously, the thumbnails of the condition-satisfying images or the file names of the condition-satisfying images are displayed in a list.
When any of the thumbnails of the condition-satisfying images or any of the file names that are displayed in a list is selected by the user in the touch panel operation or the button operation, the condition-satisfying image corresponding to the selected thumbnail or file name is enlarged and displayed on the display screen 51. As necessary, the user can provide, to the image sensing device 1, an instruction (such as an instruction to send an output to an external printer) as to what type of processing needs to be performed on the enlarged and displayed condition-satisfying image.
A subject (subject at a portion touched by the user) in a position specified by the user can be considered to be a subject that is noted by the user. Hence, in the present embodiment, the type of subject in the specified position is detected, and the details of the display menu are correspondingly changed according to the result of the detection. For example, as described previously, when the subject in the specified position is the first registered person, an item to be selected for providing an instruction to search for an image including the first registered person is included in the display menu, or when the subject in the specified position is a dog, an item to be selected for providing an instruction to search for an image including a dog is included in the display menu.
When the subject in the specified position is considered to be a subject that is noted by the user, an item to be selected thereof is probably highly likely to be selected by the user after the operation of inputting the specified position. Hence, the production and the display of the display menu as described above probably facilitate enhancement of operability. For example, when the user desires to search for an image including the first registered person, in a conventional device, the user first needs to perform an operation of displaying a setting screen for input of a search condition. Thereafter, the user needs to perform, on the setting screen, an operation of including the first registered person in the search condition. By contrast, in the present embodiment, since the first registered person is touched as the noted subject and thus the display menu MB2 of
In the present embodiment, it is possible to simply provide an instruction to search for an image similar to an image of a portion touched by the user. In the conventional device, in order to perform a search equivalent to the above search, it is necessary to perform an operation of starting a search mode and an operation of specifying the position and size of the determination region as shown in
Although, in the example described above, the first item to be selected corresponding to the type of subject arranged in the reference position is made to correspond to the region AR1, and the second to fourth items to be selected corresponding to the words “similar image”, “date and time” and “site” are made to correspond to the regions AR2, to AR4, respectively, correspondence relationships between the first to fourth items to be selected and the regions AR1 to AR4 are not limited to this.
For example, as in the first embodiment, based on the history of item selection by the user, these correspondence relationships may be changed. Specifically, for example, it is assumed that, when the person on the reference image is touched, and the display menu MB1 is displayed, the item selection operation that selects the region AR, corresponding to the word “similar image” is frequently performed. In consideration of the shape of the housing of the image sensing device 1 and the like, it is assumed that the item selection operation which selects the region AR1 is performed more easily than the item selection operation which selects the region AR2. The main control portion 19 stores the history of those item selection operations in the history memory (not shown) within the image sensing device 1. After the storage of the history, when another reference image including a person is displayed, and the person on the reference image is touched, as shown in
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The above processing based on the data recorded in the recording medium 15 can be performed by an electronic device (for example, an image reproduction device; not shown) different from the image sensing device (the image sensing device is one type of electronic device).
For example, in the image sensing device 1, a plurality of input images are acquired by shooting, and image files that store image data on the input images and the additional data described previously are recorded in the recording medium 15. Portions equivalent in function to the image processing portion 14, the display portion 17, the operation portion 18, the main control portion 19 and the display control portion 20 are provided in the present electronic device, the data recorded in the recording medium 15 is fed to the present electronic device and thus it is possible for the present electronic device to perform the processing described in the second embodiment.
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. As in the first embodiment, image sensing devices according to the fourth embodiment and the fifth embodiment, which will be described later, are the image sensing device 1 (see
As in the first embodiment (see
In the fourth embodiment, the operation of the image sensing device 1 in the first operation mode in winch a still image or a moving image can be shot will be described.
The scene determination portion 60, the subject detection portion 61 and the display control portion 20 shown in
The shooting control portion 63 shown in
[Shooting Operation Example J1]
A shooting operation example J1 of the image sensing device 1 will now be described with reference to
At a time tC1, the user touches a position PA on the display screen 51 (it is assumed that the display screen 51 has not been touched by a finger at all before the time tC1). A touch refers to an operation of touching a specific portion on the display screen 51 by a finger.
When the position PA is touched, the subject detection portion 61 sets the position PA to the reference position, and performs, based on image data on the input image at the present time, the subject detection processing for detecting the type of subject in the reference position. The subject in the reference position refers to a subject having image data in the reference position. For example, as shown in
In the shooting operation example J1, as shown in
In the example of
Although, in the shooting mode selection processing described above, the selection shooting mode is determined utilizing the result of the detection of the type of subject in the reference position, the selection shooting mode may be determined without the result of the detection of the type of subject in the reference position being utilized. In this case, preferably, the scene determination processing is performed based on image data within the determination region 401, and the selection shooting mode is determined using the result of the scene determination processing. The same is true in the shooting operation example J2, which will be described later.
At a time tC2, a touch cancellation operation is performed by the user. The touch cancellation operation refers to an operation of separating a finger in contact with the display screen 51 from the display screen 51. In other words, the touch cancellation operation refers to an operation of changing the state where the finger is in contact with the display screen 51 to the state where the finger is not in contact with the display screen 51.
When the shooting control portion 63 determines, based on the touch operation information, that the touch cancellation operation is performed, the shooting control portion 63 makes the image sensing portion 11 and the image processing portion 14 immediately shoot the target image in the selection shooting mode determined in the shooting mode selection processing (makes them produce image data on the target image). Hence, in the shooting operation example J1, the touch cancellation operation performed after the reference position is touched functions as the shutter instruction. Consequently, the target image 410 obtained by shooting in the selection shooting mode (the portrait mode in example of
[Shooting operation example J2]
The shooting operation example J2 of the image sensing device 1 under the above assumption α will now be described with reference to
At the time tC1, the user touches the position P on the display screen 51 (it is assumed that the display screen 51 has not been touched by a finger at all before the time tC1). When the position PA is touched, the subject detection portion 61 sets the position PA to the reference position, and performs, based on image data on the input image at the present time, the subject detection processing for detecting the type of subject in the reference position. The shooting control portion 63 utilizes the result thereof to perform the shooting mode selection processing. The method of detecting the type of subject in the reference position and the method of performing the shooting mode selection processing are the same as those in the shooting operation example J1.
In the shooting operation example J2, a touch position movement operation is performed between the time tC2 and time tC3. The touch position movement operation refers to an operation of moving the finger from the reference position PA, which is a starting point, to a position PA′, which is different from the reference position PA, with the finger in contact with the display screen 51. In the shooting operation example J2, between the time tC2 and time tC3, the position where the finger is in contact with the display screen 51 is moved by the user from the reference position PA to the position PA′.
On the display screen 51, an arbitrary position in winch a distance between this position and the position PA is equal to or more than a predetermined distance dTH1 can be assumed to be the position PA′ (dTH1>0). In other words, an arbitrary position within a shaded region shown in
Alternatively, as shown in
When the shooting control portion 63 determines, based on the touch operation information, that the touch position movement operation is performed, the shooting control portion 63 makes the image sensing portion 11 and the image processing portion 14 immediately shoot the target image in the selection shooting mode determined in the shooting mode selection processing (makes them produce image data on the target image). Hence, in the shooting operation example J2, the touch position movement operation performed after the reference position is touched functions as the shutter instruction. Since, in the example of
In the present embodiment the target image can be acquired under the shooting conditions suitable for the subject in the touched position (PA,). In this case, the shutter instruction of the target image can be performed by conducting an inevitable operation (touch cancellation operation) of separating the finger in contact with the display screen from the display screen or a simple operation (touch position movement operation) of sliding the finger in contact with the display screen on the display screen, Hence, in the present embodiment, as compared with the second and third conventional methods described above, an operational burden placed on the user is reduced. Moreover, in a sequential operation of touching the display screen and then separating the finger in contact with the display screen from the display screen or in a sequential operation of touching the display screen and then sliding the finger in contact with the display screen on the display screen, an instruction to set the shooting conditions (scene determination instruction) and an instruction to shoot the target image can be provided, with the result that extremely excellent operability is achieved.
The shake of the housing of the image sensing device 1 resulting from the touch cancellation operation or the touch position movement operation is probably smaller than that resulting from the operation (operation of pressing the shutter button on the display screen) of the shutter instruction in the third conventional method. Hence, in the present embodiment, the blurring of the target image resulting from the operation of the shutter instruction is reduced.
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The fifth embodiment is an embodiment obtained by varying part of the fourth embodiment; the description in the fourth embodiment is also applied to what is not particularly described in the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the same effects as in the fourth embodiment are obtained.
AF control and AE control that can be performed by the image sensing device 1 will first be described.
In the AF control, the position of the focus lens 31 (see
For specific description, it is now assumed that AF control using a contrast detection method of a TTL (through the lens) mode is employed. As shown in
In the AF control, the degree of opening (that is an aperture value) of the aperture 32 and the ISO sensitivity are adjusted under control of the shooting control portion 63 of
A technology applicable to the shooting operation examples J1 and J2 described previously and corresponding to
The specific AF control is performed during a specific time period from the time tC1 until the target image 410 is shot. Specifically, for example, the above AF control is performed while the AF evaluation region with respect to the position PA is set on each of input images obtained during the specific time period, and thus the focusing lens position is searched for and the actual position of the focus lens 31 is fixed to the focusing lens position. Thereafter, the touch cancellation operation or the touch position movement operation is performed, and the target image 410 is shot with the position of the focus lens 31 arranged in the focusing lens position. The AF evaluation region with respect to the position PA is, for example, a rectangular region whose center is located in the position PA, and may be the same as the determination region 401 of
In the specific AE control, the above AE control is performed while the AE evaluation region with respect to the position PA is set on each of the input images obtained during the above specific time period. Thus, either or both of the degree of opening (that is, an aperture value) of the aperture 32 and the ISO sensitivity is adjusted such that the AE evaluation value of an input image which is the source of the target image 410 is a desired value (for example, a predetermined reference value). The AE evaluation region with respect to the position PA is, for example, a rectangular region whose center is located in the Position PA, and may be the same as the determination region 401 of
The adjustment of the position of the focus lens 31 using the AF control, the adjustment of the degree of opening (that is, an aperture value) of the aperture 32 using the AE control and the adjustment of the ISO sensitivity using the AE control belong to the adjustment of the shooting conditions of the input image or the target image. Although, in the fifth embodiment, the method of adjusting the shooting conditions with the target subject noted is described above, the shooting conditions to be adjusted are not limited to those described above. For example, AWB control for optimizing the white balance of the target subject in the target image may be performed; the execution of AWB control here is also said to belong to the adjustment of the shooting conditions of the input image or the target image.
<<Variations and the like>>
Specific values indicated in the above description are simply illustrative; they can be naturally changed to various values. As explanatory notes that can be applied to the above embodiments, explanatory notes 1 to 6 will be described below. The details of the explanatory notes can be freely combined unless a contradiction arises.
[Explanatory note 1]
Although, in the embodiments described above, the number of items to be selected included in the display menu (MA or MB) is four, the number may be a number other than four. Although, in the first embodiment described previously, two of the items to be selected included in the display menu can be changed according to the result of the subject detection processing with respect to the reference position PA, the number of items to be selected that are determined according to the result of the subject detection processing may be one or three or more. Likewise, although, in the second embodiment described previously, one of the items to be selected included in the display menu can be changed according to the result of the subject detection processing with respect to the reference position PB, the number of items to be selected that are determined according to the result ,of the subject detection processing may be two or more.
[Explanatory Note 2]
Although, in the embodiments described above, the touch panel operation performed by the user specifies the reference position, the button operation performed by the user may specify the reference position.
[Explanatory Note 3]
Although, in the embodiments described above, the recording medium 15 is assumed to be arranged in the image sensing device 1, the recording medium 15 may be arranged outside the image sensing device 1.
[Explanatory Note 4]
The image sensing device 1 may be incorporated in an arbitrary device (a mobile terminal such as a mobile telephone).
[Explanatory Note 5]
The image sensing device 1 of
[Explanatory Note 6]
The subject can be replaced with an object; the subject detection portion which the subject detection portion 61 of
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-085390 | Apr 2010 | JP | national |
| 2010-090220 | Apr 2010 | JP | national |
