DETECTING APPARATUS FOR DETECTING SUBJECT

• US 20160217580A1
• Filed: 12/22/2015
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: SHIMONO, TSUTOMU, ENDO, MASAYUKI
• Granted Patent: US 10,423,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/22 by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/242 by image rotation, e.g. by 90 degrees
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/531 being rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes

Abstract

An imaging apparatus of an embodiment of the present invention includes an imaging means (an imaging unit), and a CPU that is configured to perform orientation detection (an orientation detecting unit) to detect an orientation of the imaging apparatus, perform subject detection (a detecting unit) to detect a subject in a detection area (a detection area in a live view image) in an image captured by the imaging means (the live view image), and perform position change (a position changing unit) to change the position of the detection area in the image according to the detected orientation of the imaging apparatus.

Claims

1. A detecting apparatus for detecting a subject comprising:

an imaging unit; and

a CPU that is configured to;

perform orientation detection to detect an orientation of the detecting apparatus;

perform subject detection to detect a subject in a predetermined detection area in an image captured by the imaging unit; and

perform position change to change the position of the predetermined detection area in the image according to the detected orientation of the detecting apparatus.

2. The detecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPU performs the position change to change the position of the predetermined detection area in the image so that a positional relationship of the predetermined detection area relative to the image is maintained in the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the direction of gravity according to the detected orientation of the detecting apparatus.

3. The detecting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a storage unit for storing information relating to a coordinate position of the predetermined detection area with reference to a predetermined point in the image and information relating to changed coordinate positions of the predetermined detection area changing according to orientations of the detecting apparatus,

wherein the CPU performs the position change to change the position of the predetermined detection area in the image based on the information relating to the coordinate position and the information relating to the changed coordinate positions stored in the storage unit in the case that the orientation of the detecting apparatus is detected.

4. The detecting apparatus of claim 3, wherein the CPU is configured to further perform setting to arbitrarily set the information relating to the coordinate position stored in the storage unit.

5. The detecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPU is configured to further perform position correction to correct the position of the predetermined detection area changed by the operation to change the position of the predetermined detection area according to a change in the orientation of the detecting apparatus in the case that the aspect ratio of the image is not one (1).

6. The detecting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the CPU performs the position correction to correct the position of the predetermined detection area so that the predetermined detection area moves toward the center in the horizontal direction of the image in the case that the longer side of the image approaches the horizontal direction with respect to the direction of gravity as a result of the change of the orientation of the detecting apparatus.

7. The detecting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the CPU performs the position correction to correct the position of the predetermined detection area so that the predetermined detection area moves toward the center in the vertical direction of the image in the case that the longer side of the image approaches the vertical direction with respect to the direction of gravity as a result of the change of the orientation of the detecting apparatus.

8. The detecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPU performs the orientation detection to detect the orientation of the detecting apparatus according to an angle of rotation of the detecting apparatus around an optical axis of a lens included in the imaging unit.

9. The detecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPU is configured to further perform display control to control a display unit to display the image and an indicator image indicating the position of the predetermined detection area, and the CPU performs the display control to further update the position in which the indicator image is displayed according to a change in the position of the predetermined detection area.

10. A detection control method performed by a detecting apparatus comprising:

detecting an orientation of the detecting apparatus including an imaging unit;

detecting a subject in a predetermined detection area in an image captured by the imaging unit; and

changing the position of the predetermined detection area in the image according to the detected orientation of the detecting apparatus.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for recording a computer program, the computer program causing a processor of a detecting apparatus to execute functions comprising:

an orientation detecting function for detecting an orientation of the detecting apparatus including an imaging unit;

a subject detecting function for detecting a subject in a predetermined detection area in an image captured by the imaging unit; and

a position changing function for changing the position of the predetermined detection area in the image according to the orientation of the detecting apparatus detected by the orientation detecting function.