Imaging apparatus and image capturing method

• US 8,384,798 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Niyagawa, Kazuya, Kasuya, Yuuji
• Primary Examiner(s): HANNETT, JAMES M
• Application Number:
  US13/035,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20110216222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes an acquisition unit; a filter unit carrying out average differential filtering for image data acquired; a face area detection unit which detects the face area of the subject from image data subjected to average differential filter by the filter unit on the basis of the feature quantity stored; a focusing unit carrying out focusing control to be focused on the face area when the face area of the subject is detected; an image capturing unit capturing an image focused on the face area as a still image when the face area of the subject is detected; and a shutter speed control unit, when the face area of the subject is detected, increasing a shutter speed during the focusing control and during capturing the still image compared to a shutter speed when the face area of the subject is not detected.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit which acquires image data including a subject;

a filter unit which carries out average differential filtering for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit;

a storage unit which stores a feature quantity calculated from data obtained through average differential filtering for face image data of a subject of the same kind as the subject in advance;

a face area detection unit which detects the face area of the subject from image data subjected to average differential filtering by the filter unit on the basis of the feature quantity stored in the storage unit;

a focusing unit which carries out focusing control to focus on the face area when the face area of the subject is detected; and

an image capturing unit which captures an image focused on the face area as a still image when the face area of the subject is detected; and

wherein the imaging apparatus comprises a shutter speed control unit which, when the face area of the subject is detected, increases a shutter speed during the focusing control and during capturing the still image compared to a shutter speed when the face area of the subject is not detected.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the filter unit sets a subject area for acquiring an average luminance value in a vertically long or horizontally long rectangular block and carry out average differential filtering for image data acquired by the acquisition unit, and

the face area detection unit detects the face area of a subject from the rectangular block subjected to average differential filtering.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein face image data is the image of the front face of an subject of the same kind as the subject, and

the imaging apparatus further comprises:

an ordering unit which, when the face area of an subject from the front face is detected by the face area detection unit and when multiple images of the subject from the front face are detected by the face area detection unit, performs the ordering of captured multiple images on the basis of symmetry of the face area of the subject from the front face.

4. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit which acquires image data including a subject;

a filter unit which carries out average differential filtering for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit;

a storage unit which stores a feature quantity calculated from data obtained through average differential filtering for face image data of a subject of the same kind as the subject in advance;

a face area detection unit which detects the face area of the subject from image data subjected to average differential filtering by the filter unit by using the feature quantity stored in the storage unit;

a focusing unit which carries out focusing control to be focused on the face area when the face area of the subject is detected; and

an image capturing unit which captures an image focused on the face area as a still image when the face area of the subject is detected; and

wherein the imaging apparatus comprises an aperture control unit which, when the face area of the subject is detected, increases an aperture value during capturing the still image compared to when the face area of the subject is not detected.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the filter unit sets an object area for acquiring an average luminance value in a vertically long or horizontally long rectangular block and carries out average differential filtering for image data acquired by the acquisition unit, and

the face area detection unit detects the face area of a subject from the rectangular block subjected to average differential filtering.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein face image data is the image of the front face of a subject of the same kind as the subject, and

the imaging apparatus further comprises:

an ordering unit which, when the face area of a subject from the front face is detected by the face area detection unit and when multiple images of the subject from the front face are detected by the face area detection unit, performs the ordering of captured multiple images on the basis of symmetry of the face area of the subject from the front face.

7. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit which acquires image data including a subject;

a filter unit which carries out average differential filtering for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit;

a storage unit which stores a feature quantity calculated from data obtained through average differential filtering for face image data of a subject of the same kind as the subject in advance;

a face area detection unit which detects the face area of the subject from image data subjected to average differential filtering by the filter unit on the basis of the feature quantity stored in the storage unit;

a focusing unit which carries out focusing control to be focused on the face area when the face area of the subject is detected;

an image capturing unit which captures an image with focused on the face area as a still image when the face area of the subject is detected;

a zoom unit which enlarges an image with optical zoom and digital zoom in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation; and

a selection unit which selects whether or not to detect the face area of the subject by the face area detection unit in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation; and

wherein the imaging apparatus comprises a zoom control unit which, when the selection unit selects to detect the face area of the subject, inhibits image enlargement by optical zoom of the zoom unit and permits only image enlargement by digital zoom.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the zoom control unit is configured to compare an aperture value when a user'"'"'s operation is done to instruct image enlargement by the zoom unit with a threshold value, and when the aperture value is smaller than the threshold value, inhibit image enlargement by optical zoom of the zoom unit and permit only image enlargement by digital zoom.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the filter unit sets an object area for acquiring an average luminance value in a vertically long or horizontally long rectangular block and carries out average differential filtering for image data acquired by the acquisition unit, and

the face area detection unit detects the face area of a subject from the rectangular block subjected to average differential filtering.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein face image data is the image of the front face of a subject of the same kind as the subject, and

the imaging apparatus further comprises:

an ordering unit which, when the face area of a subject from the front face is detected by the face area detection unit and when multiple images of the subject from the front face are detected by the face area detection unit, performs the ordering of captured multiple images on the basis of symmetry of the face area of the subject from the front face.