Electronic camera and photographing composition determination apparatus mountable on electronic camera

• US 7,184,089 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2003
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Nonaka, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Ngoc-Yen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bemben; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/400,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20030185555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 348/139, 348/236, 348/239, 348/348, 348/353
• US Class Current: 348/348
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/00 Control of exposure by setting shutters, diaphragms or filters, separately or conjointly control of exposure in television cameras by means of circuitry influencing the optical part of the camera H04N23/75
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components

Abstract

A photographing composition determination apparatus of an electronic camera includes an area sensor having a plurality of light receiving elements and disposed in an area shape so as to correspond to a photographing scene. A light receiving lens introduces an object image to the area sensor. An A/D converter converts analog signals output from the respective light receiving elements of the area sensor into digital data. A CPU detects the distribution of luminance and the distribution of distances in the photographing scene based on the digital data output from the A/D converter and determines a photographing composition according to the distribution of the luminance and the distribution of the distances.

Claims

1. A photographing composition determination apparatus for an electronic camera, comprising:

an image sensor having a plurality of light receiving elements and disposed in an area shape so as to correspond to a photographing scene;

a light receiving lens which introduces an object image to the image sensor;

an A/D converter which converts analog signals output from the respective light receiving elements of the image sensor into digital data; and

a controller which detects the distribution of luminance and the distribution of distances in the photographing scene based on the digital data output from the A/D converter and determines a photographing composition according to the distribution of the luminance and the distribution of the distances, the controller determining whether or not the photographing composition is laterally long, based on the distribution of the luminance, and determining an upper part of a vertically long composition according to the distribution of the distances, when determining that the photographing composition is not laterally long.

2. A photographing composition determination apparatus for an electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving lens comprises a pair of optical systems, the image sensor is divided into two areas in order to receive a pair of object images through the pair of optical systems, and the controller processes an output signal from the image sensor based on a principle of triangulation and calculates distance information at a plurality of points in the photographing scene.

3. A photographing composition determination apparatus for an electronic camera, according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving lens is a photographing lens which is adjustable in focus, and the controller detects contrast between a plurality of points in the photographing scene based on the digital data output from the A/D converter, and detects the distribution of the distances in accordance with a relationship between contrast information indicating the contrast and the focus of the photographing lens.

4. A photographing composition determination method, comprising:

accepting digital image data;

determining a distribution of luminance in a photographing scene based on the accepted digital image data;

determining a distribution of distances in the photographing scene based on the accepted digital image data; and

determining an orientation of a photographing composition, including

determining whether or not the photographing composition is laterally long, based on the distribution of the luminance, and

if it was determined that the photographing composition is not laterally long, then determining an upper part of a vertically long composition according to the distribution of the distances.