IMAGING DEVICE

• US 20090244324A1
• Filed: 03/23/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Satoshi, Koshiyama, Seiji
• Application Number:
  US12/409,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20090244324A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

A digital camera as one example of an imaging device includes an image sensor, and by utilizing this, an optical image of an object scene is repeatedly captured. A partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area of the object scene image produced by the image sensor is subjected to zoom processing by a zooming circuit, and the obtained zoomed object image is displayed on a monitor screen of an LCD by an LCD driver. A CPU detects a facial image from the produced object scene image through a face detecting circuit, calculates the position of the detected facial image with respect to the zoom area, and displays the position information indicating the calculated position on a mini-screen within the monitor screen by controlling a character generator and the LCD driver.

Claims

1. An imaging device, comprising:

an imager for repeatedly capturing an optical image of an object scene;

a zoomer for performing zoom processing on a partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area out of the object scene image produced by said imager;

a first displayer for displaying a zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on a first screen;

a detector for detecting a specific image from the object scene image produced by said imager; and

a second displayer for displaying position information indicating a position of the specific image detected by said detector with respect to said zoom area on a second screen.

2. An imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

said second displayer displays said position information when the specific image detected by said detector lies outside said zoom area while it erases said position information when the specific image detected by said detector lies inside said zoom area.

3. An imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

said position information includes a specific symbol corresponding to the specific image detected by said detector and an area symbol corresponding to said zoom area, and

positions of said specific symbol and said area symbol on said second screen are equivalent to the positions of said specific image and said zoom area on said object scene image.

4. An imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

said detector includes a first detector for detecting a first specific image given with the highest notice and a second detector for detecting a second specific image given with a notice lower than that of said first specific image, and

said second displayer displays a first symbol corresponding to the detection result by said first detector and a second symbol corresponding to the detection result by said second detector in different manners.

5. An imaging device, comprising:

an imager for repeatedly capturing an optical image of an object scene;

a zoomer for performing zoom processing on a partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area of the object scene image produced by said imager;

a first displayer for displaying a zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on a first screen;

a detector for detecting a specific image from the object scene image produced by said imager;

a follower for causing said zoom area to follow a displacement of said specific image when the specific image detected by said detector lies inside said zoom area; and

a second displayer for displaying position information indicating a position of said zoom area with respect to the object scene image produced by said imager.

6. An imaging device according to claim 5, wherein

said position information includes an area symbol corresponding to said zoom area, and

a position of said area symbol on said second screen is equivalent to a position of said zoom area on said object scene image.

7. An imaging device, comprising:

an imager for repeatedly capturing an optical image of an object scene;

a zoomer for performing zoom processing on a partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area of the object scene image produced by said imager;

a first displayer for said zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on a screen;

a detector for detecting a specific image from the object scene image produced by said imager; and

a second displayer for displaying on said screen direction information indicating a direction of said specific image with respect to said zoom area when said specific image detected by said detector moves from inside said zoom area to outside the same.

8. An imaging device according to claim 7, further comprising

an erasure for erasing said direction information from said screen when the specific image detected by said detector moves from outside said zoom area to inside the same after the display by said second displayer.

9. An imaging device, comprising:

an imager for repeatedly capturing an optical image of an object scene;

a zoomer for performing zoom processing on a partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area of the object scene image produced by said imager;

a displayer for displaying a zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on a screen;

a detector for detecting a specific image from the object scene image produced by said imager; and

a zoom magnification reducer for reducing a zoom magnification of said zoomer when the specific image detected by said detector moves from inside said zoom area to outside the same, wherein

said displayer displays the object scene image produced by said imager on said screen in response to the zoom magnification reducing processing by said zoom magnification reducer.

10. An imaging device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a zoom magnification increaser for increasing the zoom magnification of said zoomer when the specific image detected by said detector moves from outside said zoom area to inside the same after the zoom magnification reduction by said zoom magnification reducer, wherein

said displayer displays said zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on said screen in response to the zoom magnification increasing processing by said zoom magnification increaser.

11. A recording medium storing a control program for imaging device, said imaging device comprising an imager for repetitively capturing an optical image of an object scene, a zoomer for performing zoom processing on a partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area of the object scene image produced by said imager, a first displayer for displaying a zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on a first screen, a detector for detecting a specific image from said object scene image produced by said imager, and a second displayer for displaying information in relation to the specific image detected by said detector on a second screen,

said program causes a processor of said imaging device to execute following steps of:

a position calculating step for calculating a position of the specific image detected by said detector with respect to said zoom area; and

a position information displaying step for instructing said second displayer to display position information indicating the position calculated by said calculating step on said second screen.

12. A recording medium storing a control program for imaging device, said imaging device comprising an imager for repeatedly capturing an optical image of an object scene, a zoomer for performing zoom processing on a partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area of the object scene image produced by said imager, a first displayer for displaying a zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on a first screen, a detector for detecting a specific image from said object scene image produced by said imager, and a second displayer for displaying information in relation to the specific image detected by said detector on a second screen,

said program causes a processor of said imaging device to execute following steps of:

a position calculating step for calculating a position of the specific image detected by said detector with respect to said zoom area;

a position change calculating step for calculating the change of the position when the position calculated by said position calculating step is inside said zoom area;

a zoom area moving step for instructing said zoomer to move said zoom area on the basis of the calculation result by said position change calculating step; and

a position information displaying step for instructing said second displayer to display the position information indicating the position calculated by said calculating step on said second screen.

13. A recording medium storing a control program for imaging device, said imaging device comprising an imager for repeatedly capturing an optical image of an object scene, a zoomer for performing zoom processing on a partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area of the object scene image produced by said imager, a first displayer for displaying a zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on a first screen, a detector for detecting a specific image from said object scene image produced by said imager, and a second displayer for displaying information in relation to the specific image detected by said detector on a second screen,

said program causes a processor of said imaging device to execute following steps of:

a position calculating step for calculating a position of the specific image detected by said detector with respect to said zoom area;

a direction calculating step for calculating, when the position calculated by said position calculating step moves from inside said zoom area to outside the same, a direction of the movement; and

a direction information displaying step for instructing said second displayer to display direction information indicating the direction calculated by said direction calculating step on said screen.

14. A recording medium storing control program for imaging device, said imaging device comprising an imager for repeatedly capturing an optical image of an object scene, a zoomer for performing zoom processing on a partial object scene image belonging to a zoom area of the object scene image produced by said imager, a displayer for displaying said zoomed object image produced by said zoomer on a screen, and a detector for detecting a specific image from the object scene image produced by said imager,

said program causes a processor of said imaging device to execute following steps of:

a position calculating step for calculating a position of the specific image detected by said detector with respect to said zoom area; and

a zoom magnification reducing step for reducing the zoom magnification of said zoomer when the position calculated by said calculating step moves from inside said zoom area to outside the same.