JP2000131599A - Apparatus and camera having gaze selection function - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] When an area different from the observer's intention is selected due to a line-of-sight detection error, it is not possible to simply and quickly reselect the area as intended. A sight line detecting means for detecting a gazing point in a finder from a sight line direction of a photographer observing a finder, and a plurality of focal points provided in the finder based on the gazing points detected by the sight line detecting means. A camera having a line-of-sight selection function having a selection unit for selecting any of the detection regions, wherein the selection unit performs a focus detection region selection based on the first gazing point detected by the line-of-sight detection unit; When the second gaze point 231 is detected by the rear gaze detection means, the movement direction 232 of the second gaze point with respect to the first gaze point is calculated, and the selected area is changed based on the calculated movement direction. To do.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus such as a camera for detecting one of a plurality of predetermined areas such as a plurality of focus detection areas provided in an observation area such as a finder by detecting an observer's line of sight. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plurality of focus detection areas are arranged in a viewfinder to detect a focus state in each focus detection area.
A so-called “multi-point AF camera” that adjusts the focus of the photographing lens based on the result is known.

Further, a so-called line-of-sight detection function is provided for detecting which position on the viewfinder surface of the camera the photographer is looking at, and selecting a focus detection area for performing a focus state detection operation based on the detection result. Cameras have also been proposed.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-241511, an anterior eye portion of a photographer's eye illuminated by an infrared light emitting diode (hereinafter abbreviated as IRED) is imaged using an area sensor, and an image signal thereof is obtained. To detect the coordinates of the gazing point on the finder of the photographer, and based on the result, multi-point AF
A camera has been proposed that selects one of a plurality of focus detection areas and a photometry area of the camera.

[0005] The autofocus mode provided in the conventional camera includes a one-shot AF mode in which focus detection is performed until the photographing lens is in focus, and once focus is achieved, focus detection is not performed thereafter. And a servo AF mode in which focus detection is continuously performed regardless of the focus state of the photographing lens.

[0006] The operation of the one-shot AF in the camera having the visual line detection function is as follows.

First, when the switch SW1 is turned on by the first stroke of the release button, prior to the focus detection, a gazing point in the finder of the photographer is obtained by eye-gaze detection, and a focus detection area corresponding thereto is determined. .

Next, the focus state of the determined focus detection area is detected by the focus detection device, and the photographing lens is driven to the in-focus position based on the information.

After the focus detection area is once determined based on the result of the line of sight detection, the focusing operation is performed by focusing on only the focus state of the focus detection area until focusing.

In the case of the one-shot AF, since the release cannot be performed unless focusing is performed, the line of sight is not detected during the release operation (including continuous shooting).

The operation of a servo AF in a camera having a line-of-sight detection function, that is, a so-called line-of-sight servo AF, is as follows.

As in the case of the one-shot AF, the switch SW
Immediately after 1 is turned on, the visual axis detection is performed, and the focus detection area is determined. Thereafter, the lens drive, that is, the focusing operation is performed based on the information of the focus detection calculation of the focus detection area.

In this mode, while the switch SW1 is on, the line-of-sight detection is repeated, and the focus detection area in which the focus state is detected as the line of sight moves is changed. Then, in the conventional camera, each time the focus detection area is determined or changed, the focus state detection / calculation and lens driving are repeatedly performed.

The servo AF also performs line-of-sight detection during the release operation (including during continuous shooting), and when a new point-of-regard coordinate is detected by moving the line of sight, the focus detection area closest to the point-of-regard coordinate is detected. After the selection, the detection and calculation of the focus state and the lens driving are repeatedly performed in the newly selected focus detection area.

[0015]

As described above, the method of detecting the line of sight (point of interest) of the photographer and selecting the focus detection area is convenient, but on the other hand, the focus detection area is selected according to the line of sight of the photographer. Since the focus detection area is determined, the intention of the photographer may not always be reflected due to a line-of-sight detection error or the like.

In particular, in recent years, the use of multi-point AF has progressed, and the distance between adjacent focus detection areas has been approaching, so that a focus detection area one next to the focus detection area intended by the photographer may be selected. Many.

Therefore, in order to cope with such a problem, even in a camera having a line-of-sight selection mode in which a focus detection region can be selected by line-of-sight detection, selection of the focus detection region is performed by operating an operation member such as a dial. In many cases, a manual selection mode is provided to enable the user to perform the operation.

In a camera in which the focus detection area can be selected in the line-of-sight selection mode and the manual selection mode, when the focus detection area is selected by manual operation during photographing in the line-of-sight selection mode, the following operation is performed. Procedure is required.

1. Suspend the shooting operation.

2. Change the focus detection area selection mode to the manual selection mode.

3. Restart the shooting operation.

That is, for example, the ON state of the switch SW1 is canceled, and the changeover switch provided on the camera body or the lens barrel is operated to change the focus detection area selection mode from the line-of-sight selection mode to the manual selection mode. Thereafter, the photographing operation is restarted. However, there is a problem that it is troublesome to take such a procedure, and there is a possibility that a shutter chance may be missed. Also, the procedure for changing the mode must be memorized by the photographer, which puts a burden on the photographer and, in the case of a short shooting, the photographer may mistakenly perform the operation procedure, which is inconvenient. There is a problem.

When a focus detection area different from the photographer's intention is selected in the eye-gaze selection mode, the user can depress SW1 again to perform eye-gaze detection again. However, the focus detection area is not always selected as desired. Even if the desired focus detection area is selected, it is necessary to re-press SW1 and it is not possible to solve the problem that not only the trouble is solved but also that a shutter chance is missed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-218813 proposes a camera that enables manual change of a focus detection area without switching to a manual selection mode even when a line-of-sight selection mode is selected.

However, even in this camera, the operation members must be manually operated, and the trouble is inevitable. In addition, when the focus detection areas are arranged in a horizontal line, it is possible to correct the line-of-sight detection result with a dial or the like.However, when there are a plurality of focus detection areas in the vertical direction, which is increasing in recent years, only the dial is used. It is difficult to fix.

Further, when a gazing point coordinate different from the current gazing point is detected by gaze detection, a camera that performs focus detection and lens driving by reselecting a focus detection area closest to the newly detected gazing point coordinate is proposed. Have been. With such a camera, when a focus detection area that is contrary to the intention of the photographer is selected due to a detection error or the like, the focus detection area can be changed by moving the line of sight.

However, even in this camera, an actual focus detection area cannot be easily selected due to a detection error of a line of sight. In particular, as the number of focus detection areas increases and the distance between adjacent focus detection areas becomes narrower, the amount of gaze movement for moving one focus detection area and the gaze detection error antagonize, and it is quite easy to follow the intention. No gaze movement is detected.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for selecting a desired area in a very short time without using an operation member when an area different from the intention of the observer is selected due to a visual line detection error. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device such as a camera having a high gaze detection function.

[0029]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a gazing point in an observation area (for example, a finder) from the line of sight of an observer (for example, a photographer) observing the observation area (for example, a finder). And a selection unit that selects one of a plurality of predetermined regions (for example, a focus detection region) provided in the observation region based on the gazing point detected by the gaze detection unit. In a device such as a camera having a gaze selection function, the selection means,
Region selection is performed based on the first gazing point detected by the sight line detecting means, and after this (for example, after a lapse of a predetermined time), when the second gazing point is detected by the sight line detecting means, the first point of interest is detected. The moving direction of the second gazing point with respect to the gazing point is calculated, and the selection area is changed based on the calculated moving direction.

According to this, when it is desired to move the selected area in a case where the predetermined area initially selected by the line of sight detection is different from the intention of the observer, it is sufficient to move the line of sight largely in the direction to be moved. Even if there is some line-of-sight detection error, the direction of movement of the line of sight can be accurately detected, so that the selected area can be changed easily and reliably as desired.

In the case where there is operating means (for example, means for performing a focus detection operation or a lens driving operation) operating according to the result of the area selection by the selection means, the area based on the first gazing point by the selection means is provided. After the selection, the operation of the operation means is regulated until a predetermined time elapses, so that the operation means operates based on the selection of a region that may become ineffective and is prevented from being wasted later. It may be.

Further, the selection means is made to change the selected area based on the calculated moving direction only when the moving amount of the second gazing point with respect to the first gazing point is equal to or more than a predetermined amount. It is desirable to prevent the selection area from being changed by the movement of the viewpoint.

[0033]

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an arrangement of an optical system of a single-lens reflex camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a photographing lens. In the drawing, two lenses are shown for the sake of convenience, but in actuality it is composed of a larger number of lenses.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a main mirror, which is obliquely provided in the photographing optical path in a finder system observation state and retreated outside the photographing optical path in the photographing state. A sub-mirror 3 reflects a light beam transmitted through the main mirror 2 toward the lower side of the camera body.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a shutter. Reference numeral 5 denotes a photosensitive member, which is formed of a silver halide film, a solid-state image pickup device such as a CCD or MOS type, or an image pickup tube such as a vidicon.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a focus detection device, which is a field lens 6a, reflection mirrors 6b and 6 arranged near the image plane.
c, secondary imaging lens 6d, aperture 6e, and a plurality of CCDs
And a focus detection sensor 6f composed of

The focus detection device 6 according to the present embodiment employs a so-called phase difference method, and has 19 positions indicated by focus detection area display marks 201 to 219 in a finder visual field (observation area) shown in FIG. Is configured to be able to detect the focus state in the field of view in the focus detection area.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a focusing plate disposed on a predetermined image forming plane of the photographing lens 1, and 8 denotes a pentaprism for changing a finder optical path.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a transmission type liquid crystal panel (hereinafter, referred to as LCD) which is interposed between the focus plate 7 and the pentaprism 8 and superimposed on a focus detection area display mark corresponding to a position where the focus detection area is selected. Pause display.

Reference numerals 9 and 10 denote an imaging lens and a photometric sensor for measuring the brightness of each subject in the photographing screen, respectively. The imaging lens 9 is connected to the focusing plate 7 and the photometric sensor via a reflection optical path in a pentaprism 8. 10 is related to conjugate.

An eyepiece 11 provided with a light splitter 11a is disposed behind the exit surface of the pentaprism 8, and is used for observation of the focus plate 7 by a photographer. The light splitter 11a
For example, it is composed of a dichroic mirror that transmits visible light and reflects infrared light.

The main mirror 2, the focus plate 7, the pentaprism 8, and the eyepiece 11 constitute a finder optical system.

Reference numeral 12 denotes an imaging lens. Reference numeral 14 denotes an area sensor in which photoelectric elements such as CCDs are two-dimensionally arranged, and the photographer's eyeball 1 at a predetermined position with respect to the imaging lens 12.
5 are arranged to be conjugate with the vicinity of the pupil.

Reference numerals 13a to 13f denote six infrared light emitting diodes (hereinafter referred to as IREs) which are illumination light sources for the eyeball 15, respectively.
D).

The eyepiece, the imaging lens 12, and the IR
The EDs 13a to 13f and the area sensor 14 together with a CPU 100 to be described later constitute a line-of-sight detection unit referred to in the claims.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a mask for forming a finder viewing area. Reference numeral 25 denotes a finder LCD (hereinafter, referred to as an F-LCD) for displaying photographing information outside the finder field of view, and is illuminated by an illumination LED 26.

The light transmitted through the F-LCD 25 is guided by the triangular prism 27 to the information display area 25 outside the field of view of the finder as shown in FIG. This allows
During the viewfinder observation, the photographer can know various photographing information.

Reference numeral 31 denotes an aperture provided in the taking lens 1;
Reference numeral 32 denotes an aperture driving device including an aperture driving circuit 111; 33, a lens driving motor; and 34, a lens driving member including a driving gear and the like. The lens driving motor 33 and the lens driving member 34 correspond to the operating means and the lens driving means described in the claims.

Reference numeral 35 denotes a photocoupler, which is a lens driving member 3
The rotation of the pulse plate 36 that is linked to the rotation of the pulse plate 4 is detected and transmitted to the lens focus adjustment circuit 110. The focus adjustment circuit 110 drives the lens drive motor by a predetermined amount based on this information and the information on the lens drive amount from the camera side, and moves the photographing lens 1 to the focus position. Reference numeral 37 denotes a mount contact serving as an interface between the camera and the lens.

Next, an electric circuit built in the single-lens reflex camera configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

A central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as a CPU) 100 of a microcomputer built in the camera body includes a line-of-sight detection circuit 101, a photometry circuit 102, an automatic focus detection circuit 103, a signal input circuit 104, an LCD drive circuit 1
05, LED drive circuit 106, IRED drive circuit 10
7. Shutter control circuit 108 and motor control circuit 109
Is connected. Further, the CPU 100 transmits signals to the focus adjustment circuit 110 and the aperture driving circuit 111 disposed in the taking lens 1 via the mount contact 37 shown in FIG.

The CPU 100 contains a ROM for controlling the camera operation, a RAM for storing variables, and an EEPROM (electrically erasable / writable memory) for storing various parameters.

The line-of-sight detection circuit 101 includes the area sensor 14
A / D conversion of the output of the eyeball image from
Transmit to U100. The CPU 100 extracts each feature point of the eyeball image required for gaze detection in accordance with a predetermined algorithm, and further calculates a gazing point in the finder screen of the photographer from the position of each feature point.

The photometric circuit 102 amplifies a luminance signal corresponding to the brightness of the scene sent from the photometric sensor 10, performs logarithmic compression and A / D conversion, and transmits the result to the CPU 100 as scene luminance information. I do.

The focus detection sensor 6f has 19 sets of line sensors CCD-0 and CCD corresponding to the positions of the 19 distance measurement area display marks 201 to 219 in the finder screen.
-1 to CCD-18.

The automatic focus detection circuit 103 A / D converts the voltage obtained from the focus detection sensor 6f, and
Send to 0.

SW1 (12) is a photometry switch that is turned on by the first stroke operation (half-press operation) of the release button to start photometry, AF, and line-of-sight detection operation. SW
A release switch 2 (13) is turned on by a second stroke operation (full press operation) of the release button. SW-
DIAL1 and SW-DIAL2 (15) are dial switches provided in an electronic dial (not shown). Signals from these switches are input to an up / down counter of a signal input circuit 104, and the signal input circuit 104 rotates the electronic dial. Count clicks.

The signals of these switches are supplied to the signal input circuit 10.
4 and transmitted to the CPU 100 via the data bus.

Reference numeral 105 denotes an LCD driving circuit,
In accordance with the signal from, the display of the aperture value, the shutter time, the set photographing mode, and the like are simultaneously displayed on the LCD for external monitor, the LCD (F-LCD) 25 in the finder, and the LCD 21 (not shown).

The LED driving circuit 106 is a lighting LED.
(F-LED) 26 is turned on and off.

The shutter control circuit 108 is magnetized by being energized by energization, so as to run the front curtain.
-1 and the magnet MG-2 for running the rear curtain are controlled to expose the photosensitive member 5 with a predetermined amount of light.

The motor control circuit 109 controls a motor M1 for winding and rewinding the film and a motor M2 for charging the main mirror 2 and the shutter 4.

The shutter control circuit 108 and the motor control circuit 109 execute a series of camera release sequence operations.

Next, the configuration of the finder visual field shown in FIG. 3A will be described in detail. This figure shows a state in which all display contents displayed in the finder screen limited by the finder visual field mask 22 are displayed (lit).

Focus detection area display marks 210 to 219
Is a set of 19 line sensor CCDs for focus detection
The mark corresponding to the selected focus detection area lights up in the finder screen when the focus detection area is selected and when the taking lens 1 is focused.
In addition, all the focus detection area display marks 210 to 21 are always displayed.
Displaying 9 will disturb the viewfinder observation,
Before selecting the focus detection area, all the focus detection area display marks 210 to 219 are turned off. However, since it is not known where the focus detection area exists, the frame 22 indicating the existence range of the focus detection area printed on the focus plate 7 or the like.
0 is displayed.

The LCD 25 in the finder is provided with a focus display segment, a strobe charging completion display segment, and seven segments for displaying a shutter speed (Tv) value, an aperture (Av) value, and the like.

The operation of the camera configured as described above is as follows.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. When SW1 is turned on,
The camera starts a series of operations (START in FIG. 5).

The CPU 100 performs a photometric operation in step 101 after step (abbreviated as S in the figure) 100.
Next, in step 102, a line-of-sight detection operation is performed, and the process proceeds to a focus detection subroutine for detecting the point of gaze of the user.

Here, the principle of gaze detection will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 8, IRE
D13a and 13b emit insensitive infrared light to the eyeball 15 of the photographer. The IREDs 13a and 13b are arranged substantially symmetrically in the x direction with respect to the optical axis of the imaging lens 12, and divergely illuminate the eyeball 15. Here, for the sake of explanation, IR
EDs 13a and 13b were selected, but 6 I
An appropriate one of the REDs 13a to 13f is selected.

The infrared light reflected by the eyeball 15 is collected on the area sensor 14 by the imaging lens 12. FIG. 9 shows an image of the eyeball 15 projected on the area sensor 14, and FIG. 10 shows an output of the area sensor 14.

The line-of-sight detection operation is executed according to the flow shown in FIG. When the line of sight detection subroutine is called in step 102 described above, line of sight detection is started in step 300. First, in step 301, the counter of the number of gaze detection times is set to N = 1, and in step 302, the IREDs 13a and 13b emit infrared light toward the eyeball 15. As a result, the image of the eyeball 15 is
Thus, the photoelectric conversion is performed by the accumulation operation of the area sensor 14, and the image of the eyeball 15 can be processed as an electric signal.

Next, in step 303, step 302
From the information of the eyeball image obtained in IRED 13a, 1
The coordinates of the corneal reflection image 3b and the center coordinates of the pupil 15b are obtained. The infrared light radiated from the IRED 13b illuminates the cornea 15a of the eyeball 15, and a corneal reflection image e formed by a part of the infrared light reflected on the surface of the cornea 15a at this time is formed by an area sensor by the imaging lens 12. It occurs at the coordinate Xe on the X.14. Similarly, the infrared light radiated from the IRED 13a illuminates the cornea 15a. At this time, a corneal reflection image d formed by a part of the infrared light reflected on the surface of the cornea 15a is converted by the imaging lens 12 into an area sensor 14a. At the coordinates Xd.

The luminous fluxes from the ends a and b of the iris 15 c are converted by the imaging lens 12 into coordinates X on the area sensor 14.
The light is condensed on a and Xb, and images of the ends a and b are formed there. When the rotation angle θ of the optical axis of the eyeball 15 with respect to the optical axis of the imaging lens 12 is small, the coordinates X of the center position c of the pupil 15b
c is expressed as Xic ≒ (Xa + Xb) / 2.

In step 304, the imaging magnification β of the eyeball image is calculated. β is a magnification determined by the position of the photographer's eye 15 with respect to the imaging lens 12, and can be substantially obtained as a function of the interval | Xd-Xe | between the corneal reflection images.

Next, in step 305, the optical axis rotation angle of the eyeball 15 is calculated. Since the x-coordinate of the midpoint of the corneal reflection images d and e and the x-coordinate xo of the center of curvature O of the cornea 15a substantially coincide with each other, the standard distance between the center of curvature O of the cornea 15a and the center C of the pupil 15c is determined. Assuming 0C, the photographer's eye 15
The rotation angle θx of the optical axis in the zx plane can be obtained by substantially satisfying the relational expression of β × 0C × SINθx ≒ (Xd + Xe) / 2−Xic (1).

FIGS. 8 and 9 show an example of calculating the rotation angle θx when the eyeball 15 rotates in the zx plane (horizontal plane), but the eyeball 15 is rotated in the yz plane (vertical plane). The same applies to the method of calculating the rotation angle θy when rotating within the range.

When the optical axis rotation angles θx and θy of the eyeball 15 are calculated, in step 306, the position on the focus plate 7 which the photographer is observing, that is, the gazing point (X, Y) is calculated by the following equation. I do.

X = m × (Ax × θx + Bx) (2) Y = m × (Ay × θy + By) (3) where m is a constant determined by the finder optical system of the camera, and the rotation angle is a coordinate on the focusing plate 7. Is a conversion coefficient to be converted. Ax, Bx, Ay, and By are eye-gaze correction coefficients for correcting individual differences in the eye gaze of the photographer. This coefficient is obtained from the eyeball rotation angle.

Next, at step 307, the number of gaze detection times N
Is checked, and if N is less than 5, step 30
At 8, the counter is set to N = N + 1, and step 3
Return to 02. On the other hand, when N = 5, the flow proceeds to step 309, and the line-of-sight detection ends. The number of times of gaze detection is set to 5 (N = 5) in order to determine the gaze point distribution of the gaze as a criterion for determining whether to automatically switch the auto-zoom or the photometric sensitivity distribution, and N = 1.

Gaze point coordinates 1 thus calculated:
S1 (x1, y1) is stored in the RAM, and returns to step 103 of the main flow in FIG. 4 (step 30).
9).

In step 103, a focus detection area located closest to the gazing point coordinates on the focus plate 7 determined by the line-of-sight detection routine in step 102 is selected. In step 104, the focus detection area is selected in the selected focus detection area. Perform focus detection.

Specifically, the focus detection line sensor 6f
One corresponding to the selected focus detection area is selected. Then, the photoelectric conversion and charge accumulation operations of the two sets of optical images formed by the secondary imaging lens 6e on the selected line sensor are started. After a predetermined time, the accumulation operation is completed, and the CPU 100 performs A / D conversion of the accumulation operation via the automatic focus detection circuit 103 and stores it as two sets of image signals in the RAM.

Next, a predetermined correlation operation is performed from the two sets of image signals stored in the RAM to obtain the amount of deviation between the two sets of image signals. Further, the amount of lens drive is calculated from the deviation amount by a predetermined method, and the process proceeds to step 105.

In step 105, the focus adjustment circuit 110
Then, the photographing lens 1 is driven by the lens driving amount obtained in step 104 through.

When the driving of the photographing lens 1 is completed, the line-of-sight detection subroutine is called again in step 106, and the gazing point coordinates 2:
S2 (x2, y2) is obtained and stored in the RAM.

Next, in step 107, the gazing point movement vector (x2-x1) is obtained from the gazing point coordinates 1: S1 (x1, y1) and the gazing point coordinates 2: S2 (x2, y2) stored in the RAM. , Y2-y1) and the magnitude of the vector “A” = √ ((x2-x1) ² + (y2-y1) ² ), and store the result in the RAM.

Next, at step 108, the magnitude "A" of the vector is compared with the predetermined amount C. If the vector size “A” is smaller than the predetermined amount C, it is determined that the gazing point coordinate 2 is detected at a position different from the gazing point coordinate 1 due to a detection error or the like. Is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount C, it is determined that the gazing point coordinate 2 is detected at a position different from the gazing point coordinate 1 because the photographer intentionally moved the line of sight, and the process proceeds to step 112.

In step 109, the focus detection area selected by the gazing point coordinate 1 is determined as a selected area, and
1 is checked. As a result of the confirmation, if SW1 is turned off, the process returns to START and waits until SW1 is turned on. If SW1 is ON, step 11
Then, the state of SW2 is checked. SW2 is OFF
If it is in the state, the process returns to step 109, and if SW2 is ON, the process proceeds to step 111, where the CPU 100 transmits signals to the shutter control circuit 108, the motor control circuit 109, and the aperture drive circuit 111, respectively, and a series of shutter releases. Execute the operation (photographing operation).

If it is determined in step 108 that the process has proceeded to step 112, a focus detection area correction subroutine is called.

When this subroutine is called, FIG.
To step 200. In step 200, the movement vector (x2-x1,
From y2 to y1), the focus detection area is reselected (changed).

Here, the reselection of the focus detection area will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 (B), 3 (C) and 4.

The photographer puts the main subject 230 to be photographed in the frame 220, and turns on the SW1 while watching the main subject. Thereafter, as described above, the processing is executed according to the flowchart of FIG.

Then, at step 102, the gazing point coordinate 1 is detected. At step 103, when the focus detecting area closest to the gazing point coordinate 1 is selected, the display mark corresponding to the selected focus detecting area is displayed on the LCD 21. Is displayed.

However, detection errors often occur in line-of-sight detection, and especially when glasses are used, the errors are large, and the focus detection area of the portion where the main subject exists is not always selected.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the focus detection area 211 where the main object 230 exists should be selected, the main object
A focus detection area where no 0 exists (a focus detection area corresponding to the mark 210; hereinafter, referred to as a first focus detection area) may be selected.

In such a case, it is necessary to reselect the focus detection area. Therefore, after the driving of the photographing lens 1 is completed in step 105, the photographer looks in the direction in which the user wants to move the focus detection area. Move).

As a result, the gazing point coordinate 2 is detected in step 106, and the gazing point movement vector (x2-x1, y) is determined in step 107 from the gazing point coordinate 1 and the gazing point coordinate 2.
2-y1) and the magnitude of the vector “A” = √ ((x2-x
1) ² + (y2-y1) ² ) is calculated.

If the magnitude “A” of the movement vector is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount C (step 108), step 11
At 2, the selected area is corrected.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, assuming that the gazing point coordinate 2 is detected at the position of the coordinate 231, the calculated gazing point movement vector corresponds to the previously selected first focus detection area. It goes in the direction between the line segment c and the line segment d with the center. The CPU 100 determines that 8 adjacent to the first focus detection area
Focus detection areas (marks 202, 206, 211, and 2)
Among the focus detection areas corresponding to 15, 218, 214, 209, and 205), the focus detection area (the focus detection area corresponding to the mark 211) included between the line segments c and d is reselected.

When the direction of the movement vector is in the direction between the line segments a and b, the focus detection area corresponding to the mark 202 is selected again. Thus, the focus detection area existing between the line segments is reselected according to the line segment in which the direction of the movement vector exists.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the focus detection area is not re-selected directly based on the gazing point coordinates 2 detected later, but the gazing point coordinates 1 and the gazing point coordinates detected earlier. Then, the movement direction of the point of gaze from Step 2 is calculated, and the focus detection area is reselected based on the calculated movement direction. For this reason, when re-selecting the focus detection area, the photographer only has to move his or her eyes largely in the direction in which the focus detection area to be truly selected exists. Therefore, even when a large number of focus detection areas are present as in the present embodiment, an intended focus detection area can be easily and reliably set as compared with a case where a focus detection area is reselected directly based on the gazing point coordinates 2. Can be selected.

If the gazing point coordinate 2 is not detected within the range of the visual field mask 22, it is determined that the line of sight has moved to see the F-LCD 25, and the focus detection area is not reselected.

When the reselection of the focus detection area is completed in step 200, the process proceeds to step 201, where the mark corresponding to the reselected focus detection area is turned on, and the focus detection area correction subroutine ends.

When the focus detection area correction subroutine is completed, the process returns to step 113 in FIG. 5, and focus detection is performed again in the reselected focus detection area in the same manner as in step 104. At 116, the photographing lens 1 is driven.

In this embodiment, the focus detection is performed until the photographing lens 1 is in focus, and once focus is achieved, focus detection is not performed thereafter. When the driving of the lens 1 is completed, the process proceeds to step 110, and the subsequent driving of the lens is prohibited. Then, a shooting operation is executed in step 111 according to the ON of SW2.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
4 shows an operation flowchart of the single-lens reflex camera according to the embodiment.

When it is confirmed in step 400 that the switch SW1 is ON, the flow shifts to step 401 to perform photometry. Next, in step 402, a line-of-sight detection subroutine is executed. Then, after calculating the gazing point coordinates 1 from the gaze detection result and storing it in the RAM, the process proceeds to step 403, where the gazing point coordinates 1
Is selected and the display mark corresponding to this focus detection area is lit. The operation up to this point is the same as in the first embodiment.

In step 404, a 300 msec timer is started. Next, in step 405, the line-of-sight detection subroutine is executed again to calculate the gazing point coordinates 2, stored in the RAM, and proceeds to step 406.

As in the first embodiment, when the gazing point coordinate 2 is detected outside the visual field mask 22, it is determined that the photographer is looking at the F-LCD 25, and the gazing point coordinate 2 is detected.
Is not defined, and the line-of-sight detection is further repeated.

In step 406, the gaze movement vector and the vector size "A" are calculated from the gaze point coordinates 1 and the gaze point coordinates 2.

Then, in step 407, "A" is compared with the predetermined amount C. If "A" is smaller than the predetermined amount C, the flow shifts to step 408, where the 300 msec timer is checked and the time is up. If not, step 405
Move to. If the time is up in step 408, the process proceeds to step 409.

At step 409, the state of SW1 is confirmed. As a result of the confirmation, when SW1 is turned off,
Return to START. Step 41 if SW1 is ON
The focus shifts to 0, and focus detection is performed in the selected focus detection area. Then, the photographing lens 1 is driven in step 411,
When the driving is completed, the process proceeds to step 412, where SW2 is set to O
If it is FF, the flow returns to step 409 to check the state of SW1, and if SW2 is ON, the flow shifts to step 410 to execute a series of shutter release operations (photographing operations).

On the other hand, if "A" is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount C in step 407, the flow shifts to step 416 to execute the same focus detection area correction subroutine as in the first embodiment.

When the focus detection area correction subroutine is completed, the flow shifts to step 412, where a photographing operation is executed in response to turning on of SW2.

According to the present embodiment, if the gazing point does not move until a predetermined time (300 msec) elapses after the selection of the previous focus detection area, the focus is detected in the previous focus detection area. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the focus detection area from remaining uncertain for a long time, thereby preventing shooting opportunities such as missing a photo opportunity.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the focus detection operation or the lens driving is not immediately performed by selecting the previous focus detection area, and the previous focus detection area is determined as the selected area after the lapse of a predetermined time, and when the previous focus detection area is determined. Since the focus detection operation and the lens drive are performed when the focus detection area is re-selected in, useless camera operation is performed in a state where the selection of the focus detection area may be changed. Can be prevented.

The present invention can be applied to devices other than the cameras of the above embodiments, for example, video cameras, digital cameras, binoculars, telescopes, microscopes, and head mounted displays.

[0118]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a predetermined area contrary to the observer's intention is selected due to an error in gaze detection, the correction (reselection) is made based on the moving direction of the gazing point. To do it. For this reason, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately reselect a predetermined area intended by the observer based on the line of sight without special operation, thereby improving convenience. Can be done.

If the operation based on the area selection result is restricted until a predetermined time elapses after the area selection based on the first point of interest, the operation based on the area selection that may become ineffective is performed. This can be prevented from being wasted later.

Further, if the selected area is changed based on the calculated moving direction only when the moving amount of the second gazing point with respect to the first gazing point is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the moving of the gazing point due to the detection error is improved. It is possible to prevent the selection area from being changed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an optical system layout of a single-lens reflex camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the camera.

FIG. 3 is a viewfinder view of the camera.

FIG. 4 is a viewfinder view of the camera.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a series of operations of the camera.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the camera when correcting a focus detection area.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a series of operations of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of detecting a line of sight using the line of sight detection optical system of the camera.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an eyeball image formed on an area sensor of the camera.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an output from the area sensor.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a visual line detection subroutine of the camera.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Photographing lens 6f ... Focus detection sensor 11 ... Eyepiece 12 ... Imaging lens, 13 ... IRED 14 ... Eye line detection area sensor 15 ... Photographer's eyeball 21 ... Transmissive liquid crystal panel 25 ... LCD in viewfinder 33 ... Lens Drive motor 100 CPU 101 eye-gaze detection circuit 103 automatic focus detection circuit 105 LCD drive circuit 106 LED drive circuit 107 IRED drive circuit

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A gaze detecting means for detecting a gazing point in the observation area from a gaze direction of an observer observing the observation area, and a gazing point in the observation area based on the gazing point detected by the gaze detecting means. In a device having a line-of-sight selection function having a selection unit for selecting any one of a plurality of predetermined regions, the selection unit performs region selection based on a first gazing point detected by the line-of-sight detection unit. Then, when a second gazing point is detected by the line-of-sight detecting means, a moving direction of the second gazing point with respect to the first gazing point is calculated, and a selection area is determined based on the calculated moving direction. A device having a line-of-sight selection function, characterized by changing the line of sight. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting unit selects an area based on the first gazing point detected by the line-of-sight detecting unit.
Thereafter, when a second gazing point is detected by the sight line detecting means within a predetermined time, a moving direction of the second gazing point with respect to the first gazing point is calculated, and based on the calculated moving direction. 2. The selection area is changed.
An apparatus having a line-of-sight selection function according to item 1. 3. An operation unit that operates in accordance with an area selection result by the selection unit, wherein after the area selection based on the first point of interest by the selection unit, the predetermined time elapses. The apparatus having a line-of-sight selection function according to claim 2, wherein the operation of the operation means is regulated. 4. The selecting means calculates a moving amount of the second gazing point with respect to the first gazing point, and based on the calculated moving direction only when the calculated moving amount is equal to or more than a predetermined amount. The apparatus having a line-of-sight selection function according to claim 1, wherein the selection area is changed. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit changes the selected area to a predetermined area adjacent to the predetermined area selected based on the first gazing point in the calculated movement direction. An apparatus having a line-of-sight selection function according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. A sight line detecting means for detecting a gazing point in the finder from a sight line direction of a photographer observing the finder; A camera having a line-of-sight selection function having a selection unit for selecting one of the focus detection regions, wherein the selection unit selects a focus detection region based on a first point of gaze detected by the line-of-sight detection unit. Then, when a second gazing point is detected by the line-of-sight detecting means, a moving direction of the second gazing point with respect to the first gazing point is calculated, and a selection area is determined based on the calculated moving direction. A camera having a line-of-sight selection function, wherein 7. The selection means selects a focus detection area based on the first gaze point detected by the gaze detection means, and thereafter, within a predetermined time, the second gaze point is determined by the gaze detection means. 7. The line of sight according to claim 6, wherein when detected, the moving direction of the second gazing point with respect to the first gazing point is calculated, and the selected area is changed based on the calculated moving direction. Camera with selection function. 8. A camera operation based on a result of selecting a focus detection area until the predetermined time elapses after the area is selected based on the first point of interest by the selection unit. A camera having a line-of-sight selection function according to claim 7. 9. The selecting means calculates a moving amount of the second gazing point with respect to the first gazing point, and based on the calculated moving direction only when the calculated moving amount is equal to or more than a predetermined amount. 9. The camera having a line-of-sight selection function according to claim 6, wherein the selection area is changed. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit changes the selected area to a focus detection area adjacent to the focus detection area selected based on the first gazing point in the calculated movement direction. Item 10. A camera having a line-of-sight selection function according to any one of Items 6 to 9.