JP5479883B2 - Imaging apparatus and imaging method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and an imaging method.

  When shooting still images and moving images using an imaging device such as a digital still camera or video camera, the auxiliary line is displayed on a screen such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor or EVF (Electronic View Finder). It may be easier for the person to determine the composition of the subject image. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the auxiliary lines displayed on the viewfinder are displayed on the screen 70 with two vertical lines 72 and 74 and two horizontal lines 76 and 78 at equal intervals. A display pattern to be divided is common. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen 70 on which auxiliary lines are displayed. As for the display of the auxiliary line, either the auxiliary line is always fixed and displayed in the same position on the screen or the auxiliary line is not displayed on the screen at all by the menu operation by the photographer. .

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying an auxiliary line in a screen during photographing. In Patent Document 1, in order to avoid the annoyance that an auxiliary line is always displayed on the screen, the auxiliary line is automatically displayed only in the vicinity of the linear portion of the subject image only when the subject image includes a linear portion. .

JP 2004-104463 A

  When an image is taken using the imaging apparatus, as shown in FIG. 9, the vertical line along the structure is vertical in the screen 70, and the horizontal line of the sea is horizontal in the screen 70, so that the subject image It is desirable that the subject be photographed with the vertical and horizontal parallel to the screen frame. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen 70 on which a subject image is displayed. However, if an image is taken without using an auxiliary line, the image pickup apparatus body may rotate and tilt in the roll direction, and an image that is not desirable as a composition may be taken as shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, the sea horizon is photographed with the diagonal direction in the lower right. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen 70 on which a subject image is displayed.

  In order to prevent shooting an image with poor composition as shown in FIG. 10, the imaging device displays an auxiliary line in the screen 70 as shown in FIG. 11, and the vertical or horizontal inclination of the subject image is shown to the photographer. Has the function to show. The auxiliary line is displayed on the screen of the LCD monitor or EVF using OSD (On Screen Display).

  However, the conventional auxiliary line is fixed and displayed in the screen 70. Therefore, if the subject image is close to any of the four auxiliary lines in the screen 70, the photographer can easily align the subject image with the vertical or horizontal line, but if the subject image is separated from the auxiliary line, It is difficult to achieve a desirable composition. For example, in FIG. 11, a desirable composition can be obtained by aligning the horizontal line of the sea in the screen 70 in parallel with the horizontal line 78 of the auxiliary line. However, since the horizontal line and the horizontal line 78 of the sea in the screen 70 are separated, it is difficult for the photographer to level the screen. Further, if the composition is moved in order to force the horizontal line and the horizontal line 78 of the sea in the screen 70 closer, other parts of the subject image, in the example of FIG. 11, the apex of the suspension bridge will not enter the screen. There is a risk that the composition that is originally intended to be shot cannot be obtained.

  Also, in the case of a subject that does not need to be aligned vertically or horizontally, if four auxiliary lines are displayed and the screen is divided into nine parts, the photographer will be annoying and the screen will be difficult to see.

  Further, when the auxiliary line is displayed only in the vicinity of the straight line portion of the subject image as in Patent Document 1, a short auxiliary line is displayed depending on the straight line portion of the subject image, and it is difficult for the photographer to adjust the vertical or horizontal. Further, in Patent Document 1, when the difference between the inclination of the straight line portion of the subject image and the auxiliary line falls within a certain range, it is displayed or not displayed. However, in such control, depending on the inclination of the subject image, the display and non-display of the auxiliary line may be repeated in a short time, and the display of the auxiliary line may be troublesome for the photographer. Further, in Patent Document 1, when a plurality of straight line portions of a subject image exist and are dispersed in the screen, a large number of auxiliary lines may be displayed on the screen, and it is also troublesome for the photographer to display the auxiliary lines. Sometimes.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to avoid displaying troublesome auxiliary lines and display auxiliary lines on the screen that are easy for the photographer to match the subject image. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved image pickup apparatus and image pickup method that can be used.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, at least one vertical line movable in the horizontal direction within the screen and at least one horizontal line movable in the vertical direction within the screen are displayed. An auxiliary line display unit, a contour extraction unit that extracts a contour of a subject image from image data acquired by photographing a subject, a straight line detection unit that detects a plurality of straight line portions from the extracted contour, and a detected straight line portion A target extraction unit that extracts a target straight line portion from a plurality of detected straight line portions and a distance between the extracted target straight line portion and a vertical line or a horizontal line according to the angle in the screen and the length in the screen. And an auxiliary line display unit that displays the moving line while moving the vertical line or horizontal line toward the target straight line part based on the distance between the target straight line part and the vertical line or horizontal line. There is provided.

  According to this configuration, at least one vertical line movable in the horizontal direction within the screen and at least one horizontal line movable in the vertical direction within the screen are displayed. In addition, the contour of the subject image is extracted from the image data acquired by photographing the subject, a plurality of straight line portions are detected from the extracted contour, and the angle of the detected straight line portion in the screen and the length in the screen are determined. In response, a target straight line portion is extracted from the plurality of detected straight line portions. Then, the distance between the extracted target straight line portion and the vertical line or horizontal line is calculated, and the vertical line or horizontal line moves toward the target straight line portion based on the distance between the target straight line portion and the vertical line or horizontal line. Is displayed. As a result, it is possible to display on the screen an auxiliary line that is easy for the photographer to match the subject image without making the display of the auxiliary line bothersome for the photographer.

  A mode determination unit that determines whether or not the auxiliary line display mode displays the vertical line and the horizontal line on the screen. The auxiliary line display unit determines whether the vertical line and the horizontal line are in the auxiliary line display mode. A horizontal line is displayed on the screen, and when it is determined that the auxiliary line display mode is not set, the vertical line and the horizontal line are not displayed on the screen. According to this configuration, the auxiliary line display mode is a mode in which vertical lines and horizontal lines are displayed on the screen. Then, it is determined whether or not the auxiliary line display mode is selected. When it is determined that the auxiliary line display mode is selected, the vertical line and the horizontal line are displayed on the screen, and when it is determined that the auxiliary line display mode is not selected, the vertical line is displayed. And horizontal lines are not displayed on the screen.

  The target extraction unit extracts a straight line portion having the longest length as a target straight line portion from among the detected plurality of straight line portions. According to this configuration, the length of the straight line portion is taken into consideration, and the target straight line portion is extracted from the detected plurality of straight line portions.

  The target extraction unit extracts, as a target straight line part, a straight line part having the smallest difference in inclination from the horizontal or vertical among the detected plurality of straight line parts. According to this configuration, the straight line portion is extracted from a plurality of detected straight line portions in consideration of the inclination of the straight line portion with respect to horizontal or vertical.

  The target extraction unit extracts, as a target straight line portion, a straight line portion having the smallest distance from the center of the screen among the detected plurality of straight line portions. According to this configuration, the distance from the screen center of the straight line portion is taken into consideration, and the target straight line portion is extracted from the detected plurality of straight line portions.

  When the target extraction unit cannot extract the target straight line portion, the distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the screen center and the vertical line or horizontal line, and the auxiliary line display unit calculates the distance between the screen center and the vertical line or horizontal line. Based on this, the vertical line or horizontal line is displayed while moving toward the center of the screen. According to this configuration, when the target straight line portion cannot be extracted, the distance between the screen center and the vertical line or horizontal line is calculated, and based on the distance between the screen center and the vertical line or horizontal line, the vertical line or horizontal line is located at the screen center. It is displayed while moving toward.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, at least one horizontal line movable in the vertical direction within the screen and at least one vertical line movable in the horizontal direction within the screen. , A step of extracting the contour of the subject image from the image data acquired by photographing the subject, a step of detecting a plurality of straight line portions from the extracted contour, and a screen of the detected straight line portion A step of extracting a target straight line portion from a plurality of detected straight line portions according to an angle and a length in the screen; a step of calculating a distance between the extracted target straight line portion and a vertical line or a horizontal line; and a target straight line An imaging method comprising: displaying the vertical line or the horizontal line while moving the vertical line or the horizontal line toward the target straight line part based on a distance between the part and the vertical line or the horizontal line. That.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to avoid annoying display of auxiliary lines and display on the screen auxiliary lines that are easy for the photographer to match with the subject image.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an imaging apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing a guideline display operation of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a guideline movement amount calculation operation of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen 170 on which the guideline was displayed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the image 180 which displayed the result which carried out the outline extraction with respect to the to-be-photographed image, and the binarization process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the image 190 which displayed the result of carrying out the linear approximation of the to-be-photographed image. It is explanatory drawing which shows the image 190 which displayed the relationship between a guideline and a target straight line part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen 170 on which the guideline was displayed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen 70 on which the to-be-photographed image was displayed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen 70 on which the to-be-photographed image was displayed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen 70 on which the auxiliary line was displayed.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

[1. Configuration of Imaging Device 100]
First, with reference to FIG. 1, a configuration of an imaging apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  The imaging apparatus 100 is, for example, a digital still camera that can capture still images or a video camera that can capture moving images. The display of the guideline in the screen in the present embodiment can be applied to either a live view display that is displayed at the time of still image shooting or a captured image display at the time of moving image shooting. Note that the present invention can also be applied to a case where a moving image is taken with a digital still camera or a still image is taken with a video camera.

  The imaging apparatus 100 includes, for example, a lens 102, an imaging element 104, a controller unit 108, an overall signal processing unit 110, an EVF driving unit 122, an EVF 124, a monitor driving unit 132, an LCD monitor 134, and a still image. / A moving image compression processing unit 140, a memory card 150, an operation unit 160, and the like.

  The lens 102 is an optical system that forms an image of external light information on the image sensor 104, and transmits light from the subject to the image sensor 104. Although not shown, the lens 102 includes, for example, a zoom lens, a diaphragm, and a focus lens. The zoom lens is a lens that changes the angle of view by changing the focal length. The diaphragm is a mechanism that adjusts the amount of light transmitted. The focus lens moves in the optical axis direction to focus the subject image on the imaging surface of the image sensor 104. The focus lens is driven by the controller unit 108.

  The image sensor 104 is an example of a photoelectric conversion element, and includes a plurality of elements capable of performing photoelectric conversion that converts light information that has passed through the lens 102 and entered into an electrical signal. Each element generates an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of light received. As the image sensor 104, a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, or the like can be applied.

  In order to control the exposure time of the image sensor 104, a mechanical shutter (not shown) can be applied so that the light is blocked during non-photographing and the light is applied only during photographing. Further, the present invention is not limited to this, and an electronic shutter may be applied. The mechanical shutter or electronic shutter is operated by a switch of the shutter button (operation unit 160).

  The image sensor 104 further includes a CDS / AMP unit and an A / D conversion unit. The CDS / AMP unit (Correlated Double Sampling / Amplifier) removes reset noise and amplifier noise included in the electrical signal output from the image sensor 104, and converts the electrical signal to an arbitrary signal. Amplify to level. The A / D conversion unit digitally converts the electrical signal output from the CDS / AMP unit to generate a digital signal. The A / D conversion unit outputs the generated digital signal to the video signal processing unit 106.

  The video signal processing unit 106 includes a preprocessing unit and an image processing unit. The pre-processing unit performs processing on the digital signal output from the A / D conversion unit, and generates an image signal that can be image-processed. The preprocessing unit performs processing such as pixel defect correction, black level correction, and shading correction of the image sensor 104, for example. The preprocessing unit outputs the generated image signal to the image processing unit.

  The image processing unit receives the image signal from the preprocessing unit, and converts it into a luminance signal and a color signal. The image processing unit generates an image signal subjected to image processing based on a WB control value, a γ value, an edge (contour) enhancement control value, and the like. The image processing unit sends the generated image signal to the still image / moving image compression processing unit 140.

  The controller unit 108 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processor Unit), and controls components such as the lens 102 and the video signal processing unit 106 based on signals from the operation unit 160 and the overall signal processing unit 110.

  The overall signal processing unit 110 is a CPU, for example, and functions as an arithmetic processing device and a control device according to a program, and controls processing of each component provided in the imaging device 100. For example, the overall signal processing unit 110 outputs a signal to the controller unit 108 to drive the focus lens of the lens 102. In the present embodiment, the operation system command by the controller unit 108 and the signal system command by the overall signal processing unit 110 are performed by separate CPUs, but a configuration having only one CPU may be used. .

  The overall signal processing unit 110 includes a movement amount calculation unit 112 and a guide display unit 114.

The movement amount calculation unit 112 includes, for example, a mode determination unit, a contour extraction unit, a straight line detection unit, a target extraction unit, a distance calculation unit, and the like.
The mode determination unit determines whether or not the imaging apparatus 100 is in a guide display mode (auxiliary line display mode) in which a guide line including vertical lines and horizontal lines is displayed on the screen. The contour extraction unit extracts the contour of the subject image from the image data acquired by photographing the subject. The straight line detection unit detects a plurality of straight line portions from the extracted contour. The target extraction unit extracts the target straight line portion from the plurality of detected straight line portions according to the angle in the screen and the length in the screen of the detected straight line portion. The distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the extracted target straight line portion and the vertical line or horizontal line.

  When it is determined that the guide display mode is in the guide display mode, the guide display unit 114 displays one horizontal line that can be moved in the vertical direction within the screen and one vertical line that can be moved in the horizontal direction within the screen. The guide display unit 114 is an example of an auxiliary line display unit. The guide display unit 114 displays the vertical line or horizontal line while moving the vertical line or horizontal line toward the target straight line part based on the distance between the target straight line part and the vertical line or horizontal line. When it is determined that the guide display unit 114 is not in the guide display mode, the guide display unit 114 does not display the vertical line and the horizontal line on the screen.

  The EVF driving unit 122 or the monitor driving unit 132 receives image data from the VRAM and displays an image on the screen of the EVF 124 or the LCD monitor 134. The EVF 124 and the LCD monitor 134 are provided in the main body of the imaging apparatus 100. The images displayed by the EVF 124 and the LCD monitor 134 are, for example, an image before shooting (live view display) read from the VRAM, various setting screens of the imaging apparatus 100, images captured and recorded, and the like. The EVF 124 and the LCD monitor 134 are, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. Both the EVF 124 and the LCD monitor 134 may be provided in the imaging apparatus 100 as in the present embodiment, or only one of them may be provided in the imaging apparatus 100.

  Further, the EVF 124 and the LCD monitor 134 display a guideline (auxiliary line) for facilitating the photographer to determine the composition. The guideline is displayed by an OSD (On Screen Display) when the EVF 124 or the LCD monitor 134 receives a signal from the overall signal processing unit 110.

  The still image / moving image compression processing unit 140 performs compression encoding processing on the image data from the video signal processing unit 106 by a still image encoding method such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) standard. The generated compression-encoded data is recorded on the memory card 150 or the like.

  The still image / moving image compression processing unit 140 receives image data of a still image from the video signal processing unit 106 and generates moving image data by coding (encoding) processing. The still image / moving image compression processing unit 140 performs encoding processing, for example, in the MPEG format, and generates stream data in which a plurality of image frames are collected as one file. The generated moving image data is recorded on the memory card 150 or the like. The still image / moving image compression processing unit 140 performs a decompression decoding process on the encoded data of the still image or the moving image supplied from the memory card 150.

  The memory card 150 writes image data or reads recorded image data and setting information. The memory card 150 is a recording medium such as a magnetic disk or a semiconductor storage medium, and records photographed image data. As long as it is a recording medium, it is not limited to the memory card 150, and may be an optical disc (CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magneto-optical disc, or the like. The memory card 150 may be configured to be detachable from the imaging device 100.

  The operation unit 160 is, for example, an up / down / left / right key, a power switch, a mode dial, or a shutter button provided in the imaging apparatus 100. The operation unit 160 sends an operation signal to the controller unit 108 or the like based on an operation by the user. For example, a shutter button used for taking a still image can be pressed halfway (S1 operation), fully pressed (S2 operation), and released by the user. When the shutter button is half-pressed, it outputs an operation signal for starting focus control, and when the half-press is released, the focus control ends. Further, when the shutter button is fully pressed, an operation signal for starting shooting is output.

  Note that a series of processing in the imaging apparatus 100 may be processed by hardware or may be realized by software processing by a program on a computer.

[2. Operation of Imaging Device 100]
(Guideline display operation)
First, a guideline display operation of the imaging apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the guideline display operation of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guideline of the present embodiment includes a vertical line 172 and a horizontal line 174, and gradually moves on the screen toward the target straight line portion detected from the subject image. As the guideline moves and the photographer aligns the subject image with the guideline, the guideline is displayed along the target straight line portion as shown in FIG. 4 and 8 are explanatory diagrams showing a screen 170 on which a guideline is displayed.

  The guideline display operation will be described in detail below. First, the imaging apparatus 100 determines whether or not it is a guide display mode in which a guideline can be displayed on the screen of the EVF 124 or the LCD monitor 134 (step S101). The start or end of the guide display mode is selected and determined by the photographer via the menu screen, for example.

  If it is determined in step S101 that the guide display mode is set, the guideline is displayed on the screen (step S102). As shown in FIG. 4, the guide line is composed of two straight lines of one vertical line 172 and one horizontal line 174, and divides the screen 170 into four. Both the vertical line 172 and the horizontal line 174 are straight lines extending from one end or the vicinity of one end of the screen 170 to the other end or the vicinity of the end. By displaying a long straight line on the screen in this way, the photographer can easily recognize the position of the guideline. In addition, the photographer can easily align the subject image with the vertical line 172 or the horizontal line 174 in the screen as compared with the case where the guideline is displayed only in the vicinity of the straight line portion in the screen.

  When the photographer makes a menu selection or the like and shifts from the non-guideline display mode to the guideline display mode, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the vertical lines 172 and horizontal lines 174 of the guide lines pass through the center of the screen. indicate.

  Next, a target straight line portion (target vertical straight line portion and target horizontal straight line portion) to be moved is detected from the subject image, and the guideline is moved to the target straight line portion. The target straight line portion is a straight line included in the subject image that serves as a reference for the photographer to determine the composition of the image.

  In order to move the guideline to the target straight line portion, first, the amount of movement of the guideline within the screen is calculated (step S103). As shown in FIG. 7, the movement amount is calculated as Δx for the vertical line 172 and Δy for the horizontal line 174. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an image 190 displaying the relationship between the guideline and the target straight line portion.

  Δx is the distance from the current position of the vertical line 172 to the target vertical straight line portion 192, and Δy is the distance from the current position of the horizontal line 174 to the target horizontal straight line portion. Details of the calculation of the movement amount will be described later.

  When the movement amount is calculated, the vertical line is moved and displayed on the target vertical straight line portion by Δx / n on the screen, and the horizontal line is moved and displayed on the target horizontal straight line portion by Δy / n (step S104). Note that n is a natural number when the movement is completed in n processes. At this time, instead of moving the guideline from the current position of the guideline to the target straight line portion in a short time, the guideline is gradually moved in a relatively long time so that the photographer can recognize the movement. This makes it easier for the photographer to find the guideline within the screen and to move the subject image within the screen according to the guideline.

  Further, the movement amount may be calculated after the imaging apparatus 100 recognizes the switching of the subject image on the entire screen or at a relatively long interval. Contrary to this embodiment, on the contrary, if the guideline is moved to the target straight line portion in a short time or the movement amount is calculated at a short interval, the guideline will be displayed while the photographer decides the composition of the image. It is displayed or hidden at various locations on the screen. As a result, the photographer becomes annoyed by displaying the guideline. As in this embodiment, when the photographer slightly shifts the screen by moving the guideline gradually to the target straight line and calculating the movement amount at relatively long intervals, the guideline It is displayed with a delay to follow. Therefore, the photographer can easily determine the composition of the image.

  Then, it is determined whether the movement has been completed by determining whether the guideline has been moved n times or whether the distance between the current position of the guideline and the target straight line portion has become 0 (zero) (step S105). . When the movement is completed, the guide line is continuously displayed at the position as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined that the movement is not completed, the guideline movement process is continued.

  As described above, the case where it is determined that the guide display mode is set in step S101 has been described. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S101 that the guide display mode is not set, the guideline is not displayed on the screen (step S106). When the menu selection by the photographer shifts from the guide display mode to the non-guide display mode, the guideline is deleted from the screen. Thereby, when the photographer determines that the guideline is not desired to be displayed, the guideline can be hidden.

(Calculation of guideline movement)
Next, a guideline movement amount calculation operation of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the guideline movement amount calculation operation of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  When the guideline is displayed on the screen in the guide display mode, the amount of movement of the guideline within the screen is calculated in order to move the guideline to the target straight line portion. The guideline movement amount calculation operation will be described in detail below.

  First, a target vertical straight line portion and a target horizontal straight line portion, which are guideline movement targets, are detected from the image being shot. For example, the contour portion of the subject image is extracted from the entire image data obtained by photographing the subject (step S111). For the contour extraction process, for example, a technique usually used in image processing can be applied. And the binarization process is performed with respect to the extracted outline part, and an image as shown in FIG. 5 is acquired. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an image 180 that displays the result of the contour extraction and binarization processing performed on the subject image. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the entire image is approximated by a straight line from the result of contour extraction and binarization processing on the subject image. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an image 190 displaying the result of linear approximation of the subject image.

  Then, from a plurality of straight line portions in the image obtained by the straight line approximation, a straight line portion having a certain angle or less with respect to each of the vertical line and the horizontal line and the length of the straight line portion being a certain length or more is extracted. (Step S112). By limiting the extracted straight line portion to a certain angle or less and a certain length or less, it is possible to eliminate straight portions that are not related to determining the composition of the image, and target straight portions that are highly relevant to determining the composition. Guideline can be moved.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the extracted straight line portion exists as a result of the extraction in step S112 (step S113). If the extracted straight line portion exists, the target vertical straight line portion for the vertical line and the target horizontal straight line portion for the horizontal line are extracted (step S114). In the example of FIG. 6, for example, the straight line A is extracted as the target horizontal straight line portion, and the straight line B is extracted as the target vertical straight line portion.

  For example, (1) a target vertical straight line portion and a target horizontal straight line portion are extracted by selecting a straight line portion having the longest length in each of a plurality of extracted straight line portions in the vertical and horizontal directions. Or (2) by selecting a straight line portion having a smallest difference in inclination from the vertical or horizontal in the vertical and horizontal directions among the plurality of extracted straight line portions, the target vertical straight line portion and the target horizontal straight line portion are selected. Extract. Furthermore, (3) the target vertical straight line portion and the target horizontal straight line portion are extracted by selecting the straight line portion having the shortest distance from the screen center in the vertical and horizontal directions among the plurality of extracted straight line portions. To do.

  The condition (1) emphasizes the length of the straight line portion rather than the position and angle of the straight line portion. The condition (2) emphasizes the angle of the straight line portion rather than the position and length of the straight line portion. The condition (3) emphasizes the position of the straight line portion (center of the screen) rather than the length and angle of the straight line portion. Any one of (1) to (3) is determined in advance. It may be determined according to the situation of the photographed subject image. Alternatively, the priority order is determined by combining (1) to (3). Based on the determined condition, a target vertical straight line portion for the vertical line and a target horizontal straight line portion for the horizontal line are extracted in step S114. Note that conditions other than (1) to (3) may be set.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 7, a distance Δx from the current position of the vertical line 172 to the center of the target vertical straight line portion 192 and a distance Δy from the current position of the horizontal line 174 to the center of the target horizontal straight line portion 194 are calculated ( Step S116). Note that the distance is calculated not by using the center of the target straight line portion but by using other parts of the target straight line portion, for example, end points, and the end point of the target straight line portion and the current position of the vertical line 172 or the current position of the horizontal line 174 are calculated. The distance may be calculated.

  If it is determined in step S112 that there is no straight line portion with a certain angle or less and a certain length or less, and it is determined in step S113 that there is no straight line portion, the target coordinates for moving the guideline are set at the center of the screen (step S115). Then, a distance Δx from the current position of the vertical line 172 to the center of the screen and a distance Δy from the current position of the horizontal line 174 to the center of the screen are calculated (step S116).

  The movement amount calculation operation is thus completed. Thereafter, the guideline moves within the screen based on the calculated movement amount.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a sensor that detects horizontal or vertical is built in the imaging apparatus 100, and an appropriate composition can be easily obtained without causing the sensor to display an original vertical line or horizontal line on the screen. it can.

  In the present embodiment, since the guide line composed of the vertical line and the horizontal line moves to an appropriate position, the photographer can easily align the subject image with the guide line. For example, conventionally, when the guideline is fixed, it may not be possible to obtain a composition to be originally photographed by forcing the subject image to the guideline. However, in this embodiment, such a problem does not occur.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guideline that can be moved in the screen extends from one end or near the end of the screen to the other end or near the other end, so that a short auxiliary line is displayed. Compared to the case, the photographer can easily adjust the vertical or horizontal. Further, since the target straight line portion is extracted and the guideline is moved toward the target straight line portion, it is easy to match the subject image with the guideline. Further, in the present embodiment, the guideline is displayed while being moved, so that the guideline is hardly switched on the screen, and the photographer can determine the composition without feeling troublesome.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the guide line is composed of one vertical line and one horizontal line, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the number of guide lines may be three or more. For example, a guide line including two vertical lines and two horizontal lines may be displayed.

  In the above embodiment, both of the two guidelines are moved within the screen. However, it is not always necessary to move all the guidelines within the screen. For example, when displaying a guideline composed of two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, even if one vertical line and one horizontal line are fixed in the screen and the remaining one vertical line and one horizontal line are moved in the screen, Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Imaging device 102 Lens 104 Image pick-up element 106 Image | video signal processing part 108 Controller part 110 Whole signal processing part 112 Movement amount calculation part 114 Guide display part 122 EVF drive part 124 EVF
132 Monitor Drive Unit 134 LCD Monitor 140 Still Image / Movie Compression Processing Unit 150 Memory Card 160 Operation Unit

Claims (4)

An auxiliary line display unit for displaying at least one vertical line movable in the horizontal direction in the screen and at least one horizontal line movable in the vertical direction in the screen;
A contour extraction unit that extracts a contour of a subject image from image data acquired by photographing the subject;
A straight line detection unit for detecting a plurality of straight line parts from the extracted outline;
Among the detected plurality of straight portions, and a target extractor which distance from the screen center to extract the smallest the linear portion as a target linear portion,
A distance calculation unit for calculating a distance between the extracted target straight line portion and the vertical line or the horizontal line;
The auxiliary line display unit displays an image while moving the vertical line or the horizontal line toward the target straight line portion based on a distance between the target straight line portion and the vertical line or the horizontal line. A mode determination unit for determining whether or not the display mode is an auxiliary line display mode for displaying the vertical line and the horizontal line on the screen;
The auxiliary line display unit displays the vertical line and the horizontal line on the screen when it is determined that the auxiliary line display mode is selected, and the vertical line and the horizontal line when it is determined that the auxiliary line display mode is not selected. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a horizontal line is not displayed on the screen. When the target extraction unit cannot extract the target straight line portion,
The distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the center of the screen and the vertical line or the horizontal line,
3. The display according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary line display unit displays the vertical line or the horizontal line while moving the vertical line or the horizontal line toward the screen center based on a distance between the center of the screen and the vertical line or the horizontal line. Imaging device. Displaying at least one horizontal line vertically movable within the screen and at least one vertical line movable horizontally within the screen;
Extracting the contour of the subject image from the image data acquired by photographing the subject;
Detecting a plurality of straight line portions from the extracted contour;
Among the detected plurality of straight portions, comprising the steps of: a distance from the screen center to extract the smallest the linear portion as a target linear portion,
Calculating a distance between the extracted target straight line portion and the vertical line or the horizontal line;
An imaging method comprising: displaying the vertical line or the horizontal line while moving the vertical line or the horizontal line toward the target straight line part based on a distance between the target straight line part and the vertical line or the horizontal line.