Imaging method and imaging apparatus

• US 9,307,142 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Sachie, Matsushita, Tetsuya, Numajiri, Kyoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peterson, Christopher K
• Application Number:
  US14/327,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20150015742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability

Abstract

An imaging method includes photographing a subject to acquire image data, determining a pointing motion performed by a photographer included in the subject based on the image data, and outputting an instruction signal corresponding to the motion. The method further includes performing the photographing more than once to acquire image data based on the instruction signal, and creating a composite image based on the image data obtained by the performing the photographing more than once and the instruction signal.

Claims

1. An imaging method comprising:

performing full-surround photographing of a subject including a photographer to acquire image data;

determining a motion pointing in a direction of a subject performed by the photographer included in the subject based on the image data;

outputting an instruction signal corresponding to the motion;

photographing a subject pointed to by the photographer responsive to the output of the instruction signal; and

creating a composite image including the photographer based on the image data obtained by performing the photographing more than once and the instruction signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the motion pointing comprises detecting that the photographer continuously points in a circumferential shape.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the motion pointing comprises alternately detecting that the photographer points and that a touch panel is touched.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the motion pointing comprises alternately detecting that the photographer points and the photographer performs a separating motion.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the instruction signal comprises information concerning positions to which the photographer has pointed,

the performing the photographing comprises performing photographing when a target subject is present at each of the positions, and

the creating the composite image comprises composing images of the target subject at the respective positions.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein

the determining the motion pointing comprises detecting a number of times that the photographer has pointed, and

the creating the composite image comprises composing the images which corresponds to the number of times in number.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the composite image includes frames;

the determining the motion pointing comprises specifying target subjects to which the photographer has pointed;

the performing the photographing comprises performing photographing after the target subjects are specified, to generate a plurality of photographed images, and

the creating the composite image comprises clipping an image of each of the target subjects from one of the plurality of photographed images, and placing the clipped images of the target subjects into the frames, thereby creating a combined picture.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

displaying the frames in a display unit; and

detecting a touch input to a touch panel provided in the display unit,

wherein the creating the composite image comprises repeatedly placing the clipped images into the frames subjected to the touch input.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the target subjects are people, and wherein the clipped images of the target subjects are of the target subjects looking towards a lens that was used when the photographing was performed.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a line of sight of a person included in a range in which the photographer has pointed and outputting a sight line matching signal when the line of sight is directed toward an imaging apparatus, wherein

the performing the photographing comprises performing photographing when the sight line matching signal is output, and

the creating the composite image comprises composing images of the person when the line of sight is directed toward the imaging apparatus.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the outputting the instruction signal comprises selecting one of photographing modes based on the pointing motion performed by the photographer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the photographing modes comprise at least one of a tip emphasizing mode, a combined picture mode, and a full-member mode,

in the tip emphasizing mode,

the instruction signal comprises information concerning positions to which the photographer has pointed,

the performing the photographing comprises performing photographing when a target subject is present at the respective positions, and

the creating the composite image comprises composing images of the target subject at the respective positions,

in the combined picture mode,

the combined image includes frames,

the determining the pointing motion comprises specifying the target subject to which the photographer has pointed,

the performing the photographing comprises performing photographing after the target subject is specified, and

the creating the composite image comprises clipping images of the target subject from the respective image data, placing the images of the target subject into the frames, respectively, and thereby creating a combined picture, and

in the full-member mode,

the method further comprises determining a line of sight of a person included in a range to which the photographer has pointed and outputting a sight line matching signal when the line of sight is directed toward an imaging apparatus,

the performing the photographing comprises performing photographing when the sight line matching signal is output, and

the creating the composite image comprises composing images of the person when the line of sight is directed toward the imaging apparatus.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein

an optical system used for the photographing comprises a wide-angle lens or a fish-eye lens, and

the photographing is performed while directing an optical axis of the optical system toward a zenith direction.

14. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an optical system which forms an image of light from a full-surrounding subject including a photographer;

an imaging unit which performs full-surround photographing for acquiring image data of the subject formed by the optical system;

an operation determination unit which determines a motion pointing in a direction of a subject performed by the photographer included in the subject based on the image data and outputs an instruction signal corresponding to the motion;

an imaging control unit which controls the photographing subject pointed to by the photographer; and

an image composition unit which creates a composite image including the photographer based on the image data obtained by the photographing performed more than once and the instruction signal.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the operation determination unit outputs the instruction signal comprising information concerning positions to which the photographer has pointed,

the imaging control unit causes the imaging unit to perform the photographing when a target subject is present at the respective positions, and

the image composition unit composes images of the target subject at the respective positions and thereby creates the composite image.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the composite image includes frames,

the operation determination unit specifies target subjects to which the photographer has pointed,

the imaging control unit causes the imaging unit to perform the photographing after the target subjects are specified, to generate a plurality of photographed images, and

the image composition unit clips an image of each of the target subjects from the one of the plurality of photographed images, places the clipped images of the target subjects into the frames, and thereby creates the composite image which is a combined picture.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the target subjects are people, and wherein the clipped images of the target subjects are of the target subjects looking towards a lens that was used when the photographing was performed.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a sight line determination unit which determines a line of sight of a person included in a range to which the photographer has pointed and outputs a sight line matching signal when the line of sight is directed toward the optical system, wherein

the imaging control unit causes the imaging unit to perform the photographing when the sight line matching signal is output from the sight line determination unit, and

the image composition unit composes images of the person when the line of sight is directed toward the optical system and thereby creates the composite image.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the optical system comprises a wide-angle lens or a fish-eye lens and is configured to direct an optical axis of the optical system toward a zenith direction while performing the photographing.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a code which causes a computer to execute:

performing full-surround photographing of a subject including a photographer to acquire image data;

determining a motion pointing in a direction of a subject performed by the photographer included in the subject based on the image data;

outputting an instruction signal corresponding to the motion;

photographing a subject pointed to by the photographer; and

creating a composite image including the photographer based on the image data obtained by the performing the full-surround photographing more than once and the instruction signal.