Camera provided with touchscreen

• US 7,034,881 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hyodo, Manabu, Tsugita, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHIPKEY, JASON T
• Application Number:
  US09/182,875
• Time in Patent Office: 2,734 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.2, 348/224.1, 348/231.7, 348/240.2, 348/373, 348/375, 348/240.1, 348/223.1, 348/229.1, 348/231.99, 348/231.3, 348/231.6, 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.03, 348/333.11, 348/333.12, 348/353, 348/349, 348/239, 348/222.1, 382/282
• US Class Current: 348/333.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation

Abstract

An electronic camera is provided with a touchscreen. When a cameraman touches the touchscreen on a principal subject in a captured image shown on the touchscreen, the touched portion is determined and the focus and exposure are adjusted in conformity with the principal subject. When the image is designated to be stored, positional information on the principal subject as well as image information is stored into a built-in memory or a detachable external memory. For this reason, wherever the principal subject is located on the image, the image-capturing is performed with favorable results. The positional information on the principal subject is utilized for printing or reproducing the image so as to perform image tone corrections such as correction of brightness and skin pigmentation in an area including the principal subject, so that a high-quality image can be printed or reproduced.

Claims

1. A camera for recording a captured image on a recording medium in accordance with an instruction from a recording instruction device, the camera comprising:

an imaging part provided with an imaging optical system and an imaging device;

an image capturing device for capturing an image of a field by the imaging part;

a display part for showing an image captured by the imaging capturing device;

a touch panel provided over the display part;

a positional information acquiring device for determining a touched portion of the touch panel;

a principal subject determining device for determining a principal subject in the captured image shown on the display part in accordance with the determined touched portion; and

a principal subject position recorder for recording, on the recording medium, principal subject positional information representing the position of the determined principal subject in the captured image when the captured image is recorded on the recording medium in accordance with the instruction from the recording instruction device, wherein a still image is recorded on the recording medium, with the positional information of the principal subject, after the principal subject is determined.

2. The camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising an exposure controller for controlling exposure in conformity with the determined principal subject.

3. The camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising an auto-focus device for focusing the imaging optical system on the determined principal subject.

4. The camera as defined in claim 1, wherein the recording instruction device includes the touch panel and the positional information acquiring device and directs that the captured image be recorded on the recording medium when the touch panel is touched.

5. The camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a frame detector for detecting, with the positional information acquiring device, a closed figure from a track of the touched portion described on the touch panel; and

a frame display processor for displaying the closed figure on the display part;

wherein the principal subject determining device determines an area inside the closed figure on the captured image as the principal subject.

6. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein the principal subject is designated on the display part by a user at a desired position.

7. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of a release button and a zoom operating button is provided on the display part.

8. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein the touched portion of the touch panel, which is a split area including the determined touched portion, is the principal subject.

9. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein luminance information and hue information of the determined touched portion are determined and the determined touched portion and the split area or areas around the determined touched portion is the principal subject.

10. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein the determined touched portion and the split area or areas around the determined touched portion that includes substantially the same color with the determined touched portion is the principal subject when skin pigmentation is included in the determined touched portion.

11. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein a lower right, a lower left, an upper right, or an upper left area of the determined touched portion and the determined touched portion is the principal subject.

12. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein the touched portion of the touch panel and split areas within predetermined limits around the determined touched portion are the principal subject.

13. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein luminance information of the determined touched portion is determined and the determined touched portion and the split area or areas around the determined touched portion that has substantially the same luminance with a determined touched portion is the principal subject.

14. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein hue information of the determined touched portion is determined and the determined touched portion and the split area or areas around the determined touched portion that has substantially the same hue with a determined touched portion is the principal subject.

15. The camera as set forth in any one of claims 1 and 8–

11, wherein after the principal subject is determined, the captured image and the positional information about the principal subject are stored.

16. The camera as set forth in claim 15, wherein when a plurality of subjects are designated on the display part, photometry values are determined with respect to areas including each principal subject, the mean value is determined from the photometry values, and an exposure value is determined.

17. The camera as set forth in claim 15, wherein when a plurality of subjects are designated on a display part, photometry values for a plurality of principal subjects are determined and weighted, while photometry values for other values are lightened, calculation is performed on the photometry value for all areas on the display part and an exposure value is determined.

18. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein when a plurality of subjects are designated on the display part, photometry values are determined with respect to the areas including each principal subject and the mean value is calculated from the photometry values and an exposure value is determined.

19. The camera as set forth in claim 1, wherein when a plurality of subjects are designated on the display part, photometry values for a plurality of principal subjects are determined and weighted, while photometry values for other areas are lightened, and calculation is performed on the photometry value for all areas on the display part and an exposure value is determined.

20. A printing apparatus for printing the image recorded on the recording medium by the camera of claim 1, the printing apparatus comprising:

an image tone correcting device for performing a predetermined image tone correction for the principal subject during reproduction of the recorded image in accordance with the recorded principal subject positional information.

21. The printing apparatus as defined in claim 20, further comprising:

an image processor for expanding and reducing the image about a reference point determined in accordance with the principal subject positional information.

22. A printing apparatus for printing the image recorded on the recording medium by the camera of claim 1, the printing apparatus comprising:

an image processor for expanding and reducing the image about a reference point determined in accordance with the principal subject positional information.

23. An image reproducing apparatus for reproducing, on a display, the image recorded on the recording medium by the camera of claim 1, the image reproducing apparatus comprising:

an image tone correcting device for performing a predetermined image tone correction for the principal subject during reproduction of the recorded image in accordance with the recorded principal subject positional information.

24. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 23, further comprising:

an image processor for expanding and reducing the image about a reference point determined in accordance with the principal subject positional information.

25. An image reproducing apparatus for reproducing, on a display, the image recorded on the recording medium by the camera of claim 1, the image reproducing apparatus comprising:

an image processor for expanding and reducing the image about a reference point determined in accordance with the principal subject positional information.

26. An electronic camera comprising:

an imaging part provided with an imaging optical system and an imaging device;

a recording instruction device;

a recording part for recording, in a memory, an image captured by the imaging part in accordance with an instruction from the recording instruction device;

a display part for showing an image captured by the imaging part;

a touch panel provided over the display part;

a positional information acquiring device for determining a touched portion of the touch panel;

a principal subject determining device for determining a principal subject in the captured image shown on the display part in accordance with the determined touched portion; and

a principal subject position recorder for recording, on the recording memory, principal subject positional information representing the position of the determined principal subject in the captured image as well as image data representing the captured image when the captured image is recorded on the recording memory in accordance with the instruction from the recording instruction device,

wherein a still image captured by the imaging part is recorded on the recording memory, with the positional information of the principal subject, after the principal subject is determined.

27. The electronic camera as defined in claim 26, further comprising an exposure controller for controlling exposure in conformity with the determined principal subject.

28. The electronic camera as defined in claim 26, further comprising an auto-focus device for focusing the imaging optical system on the determined principal subject.

29. The electronic camera as defined in claim 26, further comprising an image tone correcting device for performing a predetermined image tone correction for the principal subject during reproduction of the recorded image in accordance with the recorded principal subject positional information.

30. The electronic camera as defined in claim 26, further comprising an image processor for expanding and reducing the captured image about a reference point determined in accordance with the principal subject positional information.

31. The electronic camera as defined in claim 26, further comprising:

a frame detector for detecting, with the positional information acquiring device, a closed figure from a track of the touched portion described on the touch panel;

a frame display processor for displaying the closed figure on the display part; and

wherein the principal subject determining device determines, as the principal subject, an area inside the closed figure on the captured image.

32. The electronic camera as defined in claim 31, further comprising:

a template image storage part for containing a template image to be composed with the captured image; and

an image composition processor for composing the template image retrieved from the template image storage part and the area inside the frame indicated with the closed figure on the captured image.

33. A camera for recording a captured image on a recording medium in accordance with an instruction from a recording instruction device, the camera comprising:

an imaging part provided with an imaging optical system and an imaging device;

a display part for showing an image captured by the imaging part;

a pointing device for controlling a pointer on the display part;

a positional information acquiring device for determining a portion of the display part pointed with the pointer;

a principal subject determining device for determining a principal subject in the captured image shown on the display part in accordance with the determined pointed portion; and

a principal subject position recorder for recording, on the recording medium, principal subject positional information representing the position of the determined principal subject in the captured image when the captured image is recorded on the recording medium in accordance with the instruction from the recording instruction device,

wherein a still image is recorded on the recording medium, with the positional information of the principal subject, after the principal subject is determined.

34. A method for recording an image of a field on a recording medium, by a camera, in accordance with an instruction from a recording instruction device, comprising the steps of:

imaging a field by a imaging part at least provided with an imaging optical system and an imaging device;

showing an image on a display part obtained by imaging the field by the imaging part;

detecting a touched position in a touch panel provided in a screen of the display part;

determining a principal subject in the screen based on the detected touched position; and

recording the captured image on a recording medium in accordance with an instruction from the recording instruction device, and recording principal subject information on the recording medium representing position of the determined principal subject in the captured image.

35. A camera for recording a captured image on a recording medium in accordance with an instruction from a recording instruction device, the camera comprising:

an imaging part provided with an imaging optical system and an imaging device;

an image capturing device for capturing an image of a field by the imaging part;

a display part for showing images captured during imaging of the field by the image capturing device;

a touch panel provided over the display part;

a positional information acquiring device for determining a touched portion of the touch panel;

a principal subject determining device for determining a principal subject in the captured image shown on the display part in accordance with the determined touched portion; and

a principal subject position recorder for recording, on the recording medium, principal subject positional information representing the position of the determined principal subject in the captured image when the captured image is recorded on the recording medium in accordance with the instruction from the recording instruction device, wherein a still image is recorded on the recording medium, with the positional information of the principal subject, after the principal subject is determined.

36. A camera for recording a captured image on a recording medium in accordance with an instruction from a recording instruction device, the camera comprising:

an imaging part provided with an imaging optical system and an imaging device;

a signal processing part for processing signal obtained by imaging a field by the imaging part;

a display part for showing images obtained by the imaging part based on output signal from the signal processing part;

a touch panel provided over the display part;

a positional information acquiring device for determining a touched portion of the touch panel;

a principal subject determining device for determining a principal subject in the captured image shown on the display part in accordance with the determined touched portion; and

a principal subject position recorder for recording, on the recording medium, principal subject positional information representing the position of the determined principal subject in the captured image when the captured image is recorded on the recording medium in accordance with the instruction from the recording instruction device, wherein a still image is recorded on the recording medium, with the positional information of the principal subject, after the principal subject is determined.