Image capture device that records image accordant with predetermined condition and storage medium that stores program

• US 8,149,288 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakagomi, Kouichi, Matsui, Shinichi, Onoda, Takashi, Onodera, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tissire, Abdelaaziz
• Application Number:
  US12/343,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.14, 348/333.03, 348/352
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

An image capture device sets a central vicinity of a frame of a predetermined area as a focus region upon detecting a half-press operation of a shutter button in a through-the-lens image displaying, designates a central vicinity pixel region of the region as a pixel region to be tracked, and determines whether or not the designated pixel region is adequate as an object of tracking. If the pixel region is adequate, the pixel region is tracked until the shutter button is detected as pressed down fully. When a fully-press operation of the shutter button is detected, the frame of a predetermined area is displayed in a fixed manner on a display unit. Upon a detection that a change of the pixel region has occurred, or the pixel region has contacted or exceeded the frame of a predetermined area, a recording processing is started immediately by a high speed consecutive capture.

Claims

1. An image capture device comprising:

an image capture unit;

a display control unit that displays an image to be successively captured by the image capture unit and a frame of a predetermined area on a display screen, wherein the display control unit displays the frame of the predetermined area so as to be superimposed on the image;

a first instruction detection unit that detects a first instruction;

a designation unit that designates a first pixel region that is displayed in a display region inside the frame of the predetermined area of the image when the first instruction is detected by the first instruction detection unit;

a second instruction detection unit that detects a recording instruction of the image after the designation by the designation unit;

a determination unit that, when the recording instruction is detected by the second instruction detection unit, fixes a display position of the frame of the predetermined area on the display screen, and determines whether or not a display region corresponding to the first pixel region included in the image to be successively captured has contacted the frame of the predetermined area of which the display position is fixed, or whether or not the display region corresponding to the first pixel region has gone out of the frame of the predetermined area; and

a first recording unit that records, when the determination unit determines that the display region corresponding to the first pixel region has contacted the frame of the predetermined area or has gone out of the frame of the predetermined area, an image captured upon the determination and a predetermined number of images to be captured thereafter.

2. The image capture device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a change detection unit that detects a change of the first pixel region included in the image to be successively captured after the recording instruction is detected by the second instruction detection unit; and

a second recording unit that records, when the change of the first pixel region is detected by the change detection unit, an image captured upon the detection of the change and a predetermined number of images to be captured thereafter.

3. The image capture device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a learning unit that learns a size of an area of a region of high likelihood of color information of the first pixel region for an area around the first pixel region from color information of the first pixel region and a predetermined number of image frames to be successively captured after the designation by the designation unit;

a comparison unit that compares the size of the area of the region of high likelihood learned by the learning unit with a predetermined area; and

a first wait unit that determines the first pixel region as a pixel region to be tracked by the determination unit and waits for the detection of the recording instruction by the second instruction detection unit in a case in which the size of the area of the region of high likelihood is inside the predetermined area according to the comparison by the comparison unit.

4. The image capture device according to claim 3, further comprising a second wait unit that cancels the designation of the first pixel region by the designation unit and waits for an instruction detection by the first instruction detection unit in a case in which the size of the area of the region of high likelihood is larger than the predetermined area according to the comparison by the comparison unit.

5. The image capture device according to claim 4, further comprising a notification unit that notifies of the cancellation of the designation of the first pixel region by the designation unit in the case in which the size of the area of the region of high likelihood is larger than the predetermined area according to the comparison by the comparison unit.

6. The image capture device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a change detection unit that detects a change of the first pixel region included in the image to be successively captured after the recording instruction is detected by the second instruction detection unit; and

a second recording unit that records, when the change of the first pixel region is detected by the change detection unit, an image captured upon the detection of the change and a predetermined number of images to be captured thereafter;

wherein the change detection unit detects the change of the first pixel region by detecting a change in size of the area of the region of high likelihood learned by the learning unit.

7. The image capture device according to claim 1, further comprising a modification unit that modifies a size of the frame of the predetermined area.

8. The image capture device according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustment unit that performs an adjustment of an exposure value of a central vicinity inside the frame of the predetermined area of the image to be captured when the first instruction is detected by the first instruction detection unit.

9. The image capture device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a lens; and

a lens control unit that controls the lens to focus on a central vicinity inside the frame of the predetermined area of the image to be captured when the first instruction is detected by the first instruction detection unit.

10. The image capture device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a shutter button;

wherein the first instruction detection unit detects the first instruction upon a half-press operation of the shutter button; and

wherein the second instruction detection unit detects the recording instruction upon a operation of the shutter button.

11. The image capture device according to claim 1, further comprising a recording start unit that starts recording the image to be captured when the recording instruction is detected by the second instruction detection unit.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program that causes a computer to function as units comprising:

a display control unit that displays an image to be successively captured and a frame of a predetermined area on a display screen of a display unit, wherein the display control unit displays the frame of the predetermined area so as to be superimposed on the image;

a first instruction detection unit that detects a first instruction;

a designation unit that designates a first pixel region that is displayed in a display region inside the frame of the predetermined area of the image when the first instruction is detected by the first instruction detection unit;

a second instruction detection unit that detects a recording instruction of the image after the designation by the designation unit;

a determination unit that, when the recording instruction is detected by the second instruction detection unit, fixes a display position of the frame of the predetermined area on the display screen, and determines whether or not a display region corresponding to the first pixel region included in the image to be successively captured has contacted the frame of the predetermined area of which the display position is fixed, or whether or not the display region corresponding to the first pixel region has gone out of the frame of the predetermined area; and

a first recording unit that records, when the determination unit determines that the display region corresponding to the first pixel region has contacted the frame of the predetermined area or has gone out of the frame of the predetermined area, an image captured upon the determination and a predetermined number of images to be captured thereafter.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the program further causes the computer to function as units comprising:

a change detection unit that detects a change of the first pixel region included in the image to be successively captured after the recording instruction is detected by the second instruction detection unit; and

a second recording unit that records, when the change of the first pixel region is detected by the change detection unit, an image captured upon the detection of the change and a predetermined number of images to be captured thereafter.