Image taking apparatus and program product

• US 7,136,581 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujii, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US10/901,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20050031325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 396121-124, 396/147, 396/153, 396/54, 348/169, 348/170, 348/345, 348/208.1, 348/208.12, 348/208.14, 382/103, 382/107
• US Class Current: 396/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method

Abstract

AF is started in response to the depression of a shutter button 61 by the user, and a plurality of images are obtained in succession with a time interval while a first image and a second image are obtained in this order with a time interval by a CCD 11. With respect to the AF area, of the first image, set so as to be used for the evaluation of the focus condition, the number of pixels belonging to a region in a predetermined color space is counted, and with respect to a plurality of color evaluation areas (the area corresponding to the AF area and a plurality of areas in the vicinity thereof) set for the second image, the number of pixels belonging to the region in the predetermined color space is counted. Then, the amount of shift between the color evaluation area where the number of pixels closest to the number of pixels counted with respect to the first image is counted, and the AF area is detected as the object movement amount.

Claims

1. An image taking apparatus comprising:

an image capturing part for obtaining a first image and a second image in this order with a time interval based on an optical image of an object;

a first area setting part for setting a first comparison area for the first image;

a second area setting part for setting a plurality of second comparison areas for the second image, each of the plurality of second comparison areas being composed of a plurality of narrow areas including at least one narrow area which overlaps the first comparison area and at least one narrow area which adjoins the first comparison area; and

a first movement detector for detecting a movement of the object by comparing chromatic information of the first comparison area with chromatic information of the plurality of second comparison areas, said chromatic information of the plurality of second comparison areas being obtained by chromatic information of the plurality of narrow areas.

2. An image taking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a focus area determining part for determining a position of a focus evaluation area for evaluating a focus condition for the image obtained by the image capturing part based on the movement of the object detected by the first movement detector.

3. An image taking apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a second movement detector for detecting a movement of the object;

a candidate area determining part for determining a candidate area set as the focus evaluation area next for the image obtained by the image capturing part based on the movement of the object detected by the second movement detector; and

a calculator for calculating a degree of a difference between the chromatic information of the first comparison area and the chromatic information of an area on the second image corresponding to the candidate area,

wherein when the degree of the difference is not less than a predetermined amount, the focus area determining part determines the position of the focus evaluation area for the image obtained by the image capturing part based on the movement of the object detected by the first movement detector.

4. An image taking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second movement detector for detecting a movement of the object; and

a controller for performing control so that the movement of the object is detected by one of the first and second movement detectors based on the chromatic information on the image obtained by the image capturing part.

5. An image taking apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the chromatic information includes information on a skin color.

6. An image taking apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein at least one of the plurality of second comparison areas is set, by the second area setting part, as an area including at least two of divisional comparison areas obtained by dividing one area on the second image into a plurality of areas, and overlapping at least one of the other of the plurality of second comparison areas, and

the chromatic information of the at least one of the plurality of second comparison areas is obtained based on chromatic information of the plurality of divisional comparison areas.

7. An image taking apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the chromatic information is information on a number of pixels belonging to a predetermined color region on a two-dimensional color space or on a size of a region belonging to the predetermined color region.

8. An image taking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a display for displaying a position mark indicative of a position of the object together with the image obtained by the image capturing part; and

a changer for changing a position of the position mark on the image displayed by the display based on the movement of the object.

9. An image taking apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the chromatic information includes information on a color belonging to a plurality of color regions.

10. A program in a computer readable medium by which a computer included in an image taking apparatus operates to cause the image taking apparatus to perform a process comprising:

obtaining a first image and a second image in this order with a time interval based on an optical image of an object;

setting a first comparison area for the first image;

setting second comparison areas for the second image, each of said second comparison areas being composed of a plurality of narrow areas including at least one narrow area which overlays the first comparison area and at least one narrow area which adjoins the first comparison area; and

detecting a movement of the object in a first detection manner in which chromatic information of the first comparison area is compared with chromatic information of the second comparison area, said chromatic information of the second comparison areas being obtained by chromatic information of the plurality of narrow areas.

11. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10, said process further comprising:

determining a position of a focus evaluation area for evaluating a focus condition for the image obtained based on the movement of the object detected in the movement detection.

12. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 11, said process further comprising:

detecting a movement of the object in a second detection manner;

determining a candidate area set as the focus evaluation area next for the image obtained based on the movement of the object detected in the second detection manner; and

calculating a degree of a difference between the chromatic information of the first comparison area and the chromatic information of an area on the second image corresponding to the candidate area,

wherein when the degree of the difference is not less than a predetermined amount, the position of the focus evaluation area is determined for the image obtained based on the movement of the object detected in the first detection manner.

13. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10, said process further comprising:

detecting a movement of the object in a second detection manner; and

performing a control so that the movement of the object is detected in one of the first and second movement detection manners based on the chromatic information on the image obtained.

14. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the chromatic information includes information on a skin color.

15. A program in computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10,

wherein at least one of the second comparison areas is set as an area including at least two of divisional comparison areas obtained by dividing one area on the second image into a plurality of areas, and overlapping at least one of the other second comparison areas, and

the chromatic information of the at least one of second comparison areas is obtained based on chromatic information of the plurality of divisional comparison areas.

16. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the chromatic information is information on a number of pixels belonging to a predetermined color region on a two-dimensional color space or on a size of a region belonging to the predetermined color region.

17. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10, said process further comprising:

displaying a position mark indicative of a position of the object together with the image obtained; and

changing a position of the position mark on the image displayed based on the movement of the object.

18. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the chromatic information includes information on a color belonging to a plurality of color regions.

19. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the computer readable medium is an optical disk.

20. A program in a computer readable medium as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the computer readable medium is a magnetic disc.

21. An image taking apparatus comprising:

an image capturing part for obtaining a first image and a second image in this order with a time interval based on an optical image of an object;

a first area setting part for setting a first comparison area for the first image;

a second area setting part for setting second comparison areas for the second image;

a first movement detector for detecting a movement of the object by comparing chromatic information of the first comparison area with chromatic information of the plurality of second comparison areas;

a second movement detector for detecting the movement of the object; and

a controller for performing control so that the movement of the object is detected by one of the first and second movement detectors.

22. A program in a computer readable medium by which a computer included in an image taking apparatus operates to cause the image taking apparatus to perform a process comprising:

obtaining a first image and a second image in this order with a time interval based on an optical image of an object;

setting a first comparison area for the first image;

setting a second comparison area for the second image;

detecting a movement of the object in a first detection manner in which chromatic information of the first comparison area is compared with chromatic information of the second comparison area;

detecting the movement of the object in a second detection manner; and

performing a control so that the movement of the object is detected in one of the first and second movement detection manners.