US20040170397A1 - Camera and method of photographing good image - Google Patents

Abstract

A camera includes a release button, an input unit, an A/D converter, a memory, a control unit, an alarm, a recording unit and an output unit. The memory stores data for the image converted by the A/D converter. The control unit judges whether or not the image stored in the memory satisfies a predetermined photographing condition and outputs a timing signal when the image satisfies the photographing condition. The alarm outputs an alarm signal to a photographer. The recording unit records the refined image on a recording medium. The output unit outputs the refined image.

Description

• This application is a Divisional of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/586,600, filed on Jun. 2, 2000, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference and for which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 120; this application also claims priority based on a Japanese patent applications, Hei 11-157159 filed on Jun. 3, 1999, and Hei 11-158666 filed on Jun. 4, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention[0002]
• The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly to a camera capable of automatically photographing an image of a subject when the subject satisfies a predetermined photographing condition.[0003]
• 2. Description of the Related Art[0004]
• Conventionally, a technique is known to correct a photograph so that a person photographed by a camera can be satisfied with the result. However, this technique requires a high degree of skill. Furthermore, it is difficult to correct a person's face in the photograph when he or she is blinking or is not smiling, to a face as if he or she is not blinking or is smiling.[0005]
• On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (Kokai) H[0006]9-212620 and Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (Kokai) H10-191216 disclose a technique to continuously photograph a plurality of images. Those images are displayed, and the person photographed by the camera can select a desirable image from among those images.
• Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (Kokai) H5-40303, H4-156526 and H5-100148 disclose cameras which can automatically judge the timing for photographing images.[0007]
• However, this was troublesome because the photographed person or the photographer needed to select the desired image by checking all of the images. Furthermore, when a lot of people are photographed in the image, it is more difficult to select an image that all of them are satisfied with.[0008]
• Furthermore, images are photographed at the timing when the photographer judges it is the best timing. Therefore, the photographers timing is not always matched with the best timing for the photographed person. In addition, when a lot of people are photographed in the image, it is more difficult to judge the best timing at which many of them will be satisfied with the image.[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a camera which overcomes the above issues in the related art. This object is achieved by combinations described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous and exemplary combinations of the present invention.[0010]
• According to the first aspect of the present invention, a camera comprises: an image data input unit forming an image of a subject for photographing said subject; a condition storing unit storing a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable subject; and a timing signal generator outputting a timing signal when said subject satisfies said photographing condition.[0011]
• The camera may include an extractor extracting data of an aimed object from said image of said subject based on an extracting condition, wherein said photographing condition may include a predetermined condition related to a desirable aimed object and said timing signal generator outputs said timing signal when said aimed object satisfies said photographing condition.[0012]
• The extracting condition may be based on depth information of said image indicating the distance to each part of said subject.[0013]
• The extractor may detect data of a judgement location from said data of said aimed object in said image based on a detecting condition different from said extracting condition, said photographing condition may include a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable judgement location, and the timing signal generator may output said timing signal when said judgement location satisfies said photographing condition.[0014]
• The extractor may extract data of a plurality of said aimed objects from said image; and said timing signal generator may output said timing signal when said plurality of aimed objects satisfy said photographing condition.[0015]
• The timing signal generator may output said timing signal when the ratio of said aimed objects satisfying said photographing condition against all of said plurality of said aimed object exceeds a predetermined ratio.[0016]
• The extractor may detect data of a plurality of judgement locations from each of said data of said plurality of aimed objects based on a detecting condition different from said first condition, said photographing condition may include a predetermined photographing condition related to said judgement location, and said timing signal generator may output said timing signal when said plurality of said judgement locations satisfy said photographing condition.[0017]
• The timing signal generator may output said timing signal when the ratio of said judgement locations satisfying said photographing condition against all of said plurality of said aimed object exceeds a predetermined ratio.[0018]
• The camera may include an image-pickup control unit controlling said input unit for photographing said image based on said timing signal.[0019]
• The camera may include an illuminator illuminating said subject based on said timing signal.[0020]
• The camera may include a recording unit recording said image on a replaceable nonvolatile recording medium based on said timing signal.[0021]
• The camera may include an alarm outputting an alarm signal for notifying that said subject satisfies said photographing condition based on said timing signal.[0022]
• The photographing condition may include a plurality of photographing conditions, and said camera may include a condition-setting unit previously selecting at least one of said photographing conditions, for photographing said image, from among said plurality of photographing conditions.[0023]
• The camera may include: an input condition determining unit determining an input condition for inputting said image based on information of said judgement location detected by said extractor; and an image-forming control unit controlling an input unit for forming said image of said subject based on said input condition.[0024]
• The camera as set forth in claim may include an image processing unit processing said image based on information of said judgement location detected by said extractor.[0025]
• According to the first aspect of the present invention, a camera comprises: an image data input unit forming a plurality of images of a subject for photographing said subject; a condition storing unit storing a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable variation of said subject; a variation detector detecting variation of said subject in said plurality of said images based on information of said plurality of images; and a timing signal generator outputting a timing signal when said variation of said subject satisfies said photographing condition.[0026]
• The camera may include: an extractor extracting data of an aimed object from each of said plurality of images of said subject based on an extracting condition, wherein said photographing condition may include a predetermined condition related to a desirable aimed object, said variation detector may detect variation of said aimed object in said plurality of images based on said information of said plurality of images, and said timing signal generator may output said timing signal when said variation of said aimed object satisfies said photographing condition.[0027]
• The extracting condition may be based on depth information of said plurality of images indicating the distance to each part of said subject.[0028]
• The extractor may detect data of a judgement location from said data of said aimed object in each of said plurality of images based on a detecting condition different from said extracting condition, said photographing condition may include a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable judgement location, said variation detector may detect variation of said judgement location in said plurality of images based on said information of said plurality of images, and said timing signal generator may output said timing signal when said variation of said judgement location satisfies said photographing condition.[0029]
• The photographing condition may include a predetermined starting condition for starting detection of said variation of said judgement location, and said variation detector may start detecting said variation of said judgement location when said judgement location satisfies said starting condition.[0030]
• The extractor may extract data of a plurality of said aimed objects from each of said plurality of images, said variation detector may detect variation of each of said plurality of said aimed objects in said plurality of images based on information of said plurality of images, and said timing signal generator may output said timing signal when said variation of said plurality of said aimed objects satisfy said photographing condition.[0031]
• The extractor may detect data of a plurality of judgement locations from each of said data of said plurality of aimed objects based on a detecting condition different from said extracting condition, said photographing condition may include a predetermined photographing condition related to desirable variation of said judgement location, said variation detector may detect variation of each of said plurality of said judgement locations in said plurality of images based on information of said plurality of images, and said timing signal generator may output said timing signal when said variation of said plurality of said judgement locations satisfy said photographing condition.[0032]
• The camera may include an image pickup control unit controlling said input unit for photographing said image based on said timing signal.[0033]
• The camera may include an illuminator illuminating said subject based on said timing signal.[0034]
• The camera may include a recording unit recording said image on a replaceable nonvolatile recording medium based on said timing signal.[0035]
• The camera may include an alarm outputting an alarm signal for notifying that said subject satisfies said photographing condition based on said timing signal.[0036]
• The photographing condition may include a plurality of photographing conditions, and said camera may include a condition-setting unit previously selecting at least one of said photographing conditions for photographing said image, from among said plurality of photographing conditions.[0037]
• The timing signal generator may select said judgement location satisfying said photographing condition from among said plurality of said judgement locations in said plurality of images, and outputs information for said aimed object including said judgement location, and the camera may include: an input condition determining unit determining an input condition for inputting said image based on information for said judgement location; and an image forming control unit controlling an input unit for forming said image of said subject based on said input condition.[0038]
• The timing signal generator may select said judgement location satisfying said photographing condition from among said plurality of said judgement locations in said plurality of images, and outputs information for said aimed object including said judgement location, and said camera may include an image processing unit processing said image based on said information for said judgement location.[0039]
• According to the third aspect of the present invention, a method of photographing an image of a subject comprises outputting a timing signal when said subject satisfies a predetermined photographing condition.[0040]
• The method may include: extracting data of an aimed object from said image of said subject based on an extracting condition, wherein said photographing condition may include a predetermined condition related to a desirable aimed object, and said timing signal may be output when said aimed object satisfies said photographing condition.[0041]
• The extracting may include detecting data of a judgement location from said data of said aimed object in said image based on a detecting condition different from said extracting condition, said photographing condition may include a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable judgement location, and said timing signal may be output when said judgement location satisfies said photographing condition.[0042]
• The method may include photographing said subject based on said timing signal.[0043]
• The method may include recording said photographed image of said subject on a replaceable nonvolatile recording medium based on said timing signal.[0044]
• The method may include: determining an input condition for inputting said image based on information for said judgement location detected in said detecting step; and forming said image of said subject based on said input condition.[0045]
• The method may include processing said image based on information for said judgement location detected in said detecting step.[0046]
• According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a method of photographing a plurality of images of a subject comprising: detecting variation of said subject in said plurality of said images based on information for said plurality of images; outputting a timing signal when said variation of said subject satisfies a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable variation of said subject.[0047]
• The method may include extracting data of an aimed object from each of said plurality of images of said subject based on an extracting condition, said detecting may include detecting variation of said aimed object based on information for said image, and said timing signal may be output when said variation of said aimed object satisfies said photographing condition.[0048]
• The extraction of said aimed object may include detecting data of a judgement location from said data of said aimed object in each of said plurality of images based on a detecting condition different from said extracting condition, said detecting variation of said subject may include detecting variation of said judgement location based on information for said image, and said timing signal may be output when said variation of said judgement location satisfies said photographing condition.[0049]
• The photographing condition may include a predetermined starting condition for starting detection of said variation of said judgement location, and said detecting of variation may start detecting said variation of said judgement location when said judgement location satisfies said starting condition.[0050]
• The method may include photographing said image based on said timing signal.[0051]
• This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all necessary features so that the invention may also be a sub-combination of these described features.[0052]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 shows a camera of the first embodiment according to the present invention,[0053]
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control unit of the first embodiment,[0054]
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the function of the extractor,[0055]
• FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method of photographing an image,[0056]
• FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of extracting a face part, step[0057]106 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of detecting a judgement location, step[0058]108 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of generating a timing signal,[0059]step110 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of photographing a refined image,[0060]step112 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of photographing a refined image,[0061]step112 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of generating a timing signal,[0062]step110 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 11 shows a camera of the second embodiment according to the present invention,[0063]
• FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the control unit of the second embodiment,[0064]
• FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the control unit of the third embodiment,[0065]
• FIG. 14 is a block diagram of the function of the[0066]extractor60,
• FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the function of the photographing condition judging unit,[0067]
• FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of detecting a judgement location, step[0068]108 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of generating a timing signal,[0069]step110 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of photographing a refined image,[0070]step112 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of generating a timing signal,[0071]step110 in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 20 is a block diagram of the control unit of the fourth embodiment,[0072]
• FIG. 21 is a block diagram of the control unit of the fifth embodiment,[0073]
• FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a method of photographing an image, and[0074]
• FIG. 23 shows a camera of the sixth embodiment.[0075]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• The invention will now be described based on the preferred embodiments, which do not intend to limit the scope of the present invention, but exemplify the invention. All of the features and the combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention.[0076]
• FIG. 1 shows a[0077]camera10 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. Thecamera10 continuously photographs raw images of a subject and determines the timing for photographing a refined image based on the previously photographed raw images. Thecamera10 photographs a refined image of the subject in accordance with the timing signal. Therefore, the timing for photographing a refined image may be automatically determined by thecamera10.
• The[0078]camera10 includes aninput unit20, an A/D converter30, amemory40, acontrol unit50, arelease button52, analarm54, arecording unit90 and anoutput unit92. Thecamera10 of this embodiment further includes anilluminator53. Thecamera10 may be, for example, a digital still camera or a digital video camera that can photograph a still image.
• The[0079]input unit20 includes a parallactic imagedata input unit22 and a normal imagedata input unit24. The parallactic imagedata input unit22 inputs parallactic images which are photographed from different viewpoints. The parallactic imagedata input unit22 has aparallactic lens32, aparallactic shutter34, and a parallactic charge coupled device (CCD)36. Theparallactic lens32 forms an image of a subject. Theparallactic shutter34 has a plurality of shutter units each of which serve as viewpoints. Theparallactic shutter34 opens one of the plurality of shutter units. Theparallactic CCD36 receives the image of the subject through theparallactic lens32 and whichever of the shutter units of theparallactic shutter34 that are opened. Theparallactic CCD36 also receives another image of the subject through theparallactic lens32 and another of the shutter units of theparallactic shutter34, which is opened at this time. The images received through theparallactic lens32 and theparallactic shutter34 form a parallactic image. Thus, theparallactic CCD36 receives the parallactic image of the subject formed by theparallactic lens32 and converts it to electronic signals.
• The normal image[0080]data input unit24 inputs a normal image photographed from a single viewpoint. The normal imagedata input unit24 has alens25, alens stop26, ashutter27, acolor filter28 and a charge coupled device (CCD)29. Thelens25 forms an image of a subject. Thelens stop26 adjusts an aperture condition. Theshutter27 adjusts exposure time. Thecolor filter28 separates RGB components of the light received through thelens25. TheCCD29 receives the image of the subject formed by thelens25 and converts it to electric signals.
• The A/[0081]D converter30 receives analog signals from the parallactic imagedata input unit22 and the normal imagedata input unit24. The A/D converter30 converts the received analog signals to digital signals and outputs the digital signals to thememory40. Thememory40 stores the input digital signals. This means that thememory40 stores the data of the parallactic image, the subject photographed by the parallactic imagedata input unit22, and the data of the normal image of the subject photographed by the normal imagedata input unit24.
• The[0082]control unit50 outputs a timing signal for starting photographing of an image of a subject when the subject satisfies a predetermined photographic condition. The timing signal is input to theinput unit20. Thecamera10 then starts the photographing operation based on the timing signal, to obtain a refined image of the subject. Thecontrol unit50 processes the photographed refined image and outputs the processed image. Thecontrol unit50 controls at least one of the following conditions: focus condition of thelens25, aperture condition of thelens stop26, exposure time of theshutter27, output signal of theCCD29, condition of theparallactic shutter34, and output signal of theparallactic CCD36. Thecontrol unit50 also controls theilluminator53.
• The[0083]release button52 outputs to the control unit50 a signal for starting the photographing operation . This means that when a user of thecamera10 pushes therelease button52, the signal is output to thecontrol unit50. Thecontrol unit50 then controls theinput unit20 for photographing an image of the subject.
• As described above, the[0084]camera10 is capable of automatically photographing a refined image of the subject by determining best timing for photographing the refined image. However, thecamera10 is also capable of photographing the image at a desirable timing for the user of thecamera10, when he/she pushes therelease button52. Thecamera10 may have a switch, not shown in the drawings, for selecting an automatic photographing mode in which the best timing for photographing the image is automatically determined, and a manual photographing mode in which the user of thecamera10 determines the desirable timing.
• The[0085]alarm54 outputs an alarm signal upon receiving the timing signal from thecontrol unit50. Thealarm54 may be, for example, an alarm generator or a light-emitting diode. Thus, the user of thecamera10 can know the best timing determined by thecamera10 for photographing a refined image of the subject.
• The[0086]recording unit90 records the image output from thecontrol unit50 on a recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, a magnetic recording medium such as a floppy disk, or a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory.
• The[0087]output unit92 outputs the image recorded on the recording medium. Theoutput unit92 may be, for example, a printer or a monitor. Theoutput unit92 may be a small liquid crystal display (LCD) of thecamera10. In this case, the user can see the image processed by thecontrol unit50 immediately after photographing the image. Theoutput unit92 may be an external monitor connected to thecamera10.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the[0088]control unit50 according to the first embodiment. Thecontrol unit50 includes an imagepickup control unit56, an image formingcontrol unit58, anextractor60, a condition-storingunit70, atiming signal generator80, an inputcondition determining unit82, and animage processing unit84.
• The[0089]extractor60 receives a parallactic image photographed by the parallactic imagedata input unit22 and a raw image photographed by the imagedata input unit24, from thememory40. Theextractor60 extracts an aimed object from the raw image based on the information obtained from the parallactic image and the raw image. The information includes image information of the raw image and depth information of the parallactic image. The aimed object defined here is an independent object at which a photographer aims when photographing. The aimed object may be, for example, a person in a room when the person and the objects in the room are photographed, a fish in an aquarium when the fish and the aquarium are photographed, or a bird stopping on a branch of a tree when the bird and the tree are photographed.
• The[0090]extractor60 then detects a judgement location from the aimed object based on the information obtained from the parallactic images and the raw images. The judgement location defined here is a location to which specific attention is paid when selecting a desirable image. The judgement location may be, for example, an eye of a person when the person is photographed, or a wing of a bird when the bird is photographed. The aimed object may be an area including the judgement location, extracted for a certain purpose. The information for the judgement location is output to thetiming signal generator80, the input-condition-determiningunit82 and the image-processingunit84.
• The condition-storing[0091]unit70 stores predetermined conditions related to a judgement location which should be included in a raw image obtained by photographing a subject. The best timing for photographing a refined image of the subject in this embodiment is when the aimed object in the image is in good condition. This means that a judgement location included in the aimed object satisfies the predetermined conditions stored in the condition-storingunit70. The condition-storingunit70 may store a plurality of photographing conditions. The condition-storingunit70 may include a condition-setting unit, not shown in the drawings, by which a user can select at least one of the photographing conditions from among a plurality of photographing conditions.
• The[0092]timing signal generator80 outputs a timing signal for photographing an image. Thetiming signal generator80 outputs the timing signal when the judgement location detected by theextractor60 satisfies the predetermined photographing condition stored in the storingunit70.
• The input-condition-determining[0093]unit82 determines an input condition for inputting a refined image, based on the information for the aimed object or the judgement location received from theextractor60. The input condition is output to the image-formingcontrol unit58. The input condition may be, for example, focus condition of thelens25 such that the aimed object including the judgement location is focussed.
• As the[0094]input unit20 inputs an image in accordance with the input condition such as the focus condition of thelens25, determined by the input-condition-determiningunit82, thecamera10 can photograph a refined image in which the subject is in good condition.
• The image-forming[0095]control unit58 controls theinput unit20 to form a refined image of the subject based on the input condition determined by the input-condition-determiningunit82. This means that the image-formingcontrol unit58 controls at least one of the conditions including focus condition of thelens25, aperture condition of thelens stop26, exposure time of theshutter27, and condition of theparallactic shutter34, based on the input condition.
• The image-[0096]pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to photograph a refined image of the subject based on the input condition determined by the condition-determiningunit70. This means that the image-pickup control unit56 controls at least one of the conditions including output signal of theCCD29 and output signal of theparallactic CCD36, based on the input condition. The output signal of theCCD29 determines the gradation characteristics based on a gamma (γ) curve and sensitivity.
• The image-[0097]pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20, to photograph a refined image based on the timing signal output from thetiming signal generator80. The image-pickup control unit56 controls the image-processingunit84 to process the refined image. The image-pickup control unit56 may control theilluminator53, for flashing a light preceding or at the same time as photographing a refined image by theinput unit20. The image-pickup control unit56 also controls the image-processingunit84, to process the input refined image.
• The image-processing[0098]unit84 receives the refined image photographed by the imagedata input unit24 from thememory40. The image-processingunit84 then processes the refined image based on the information for the aimed object or the judgement location extracted from theextractor60.
• Examples of the process condition for processing a normal image are explained in the following.[0099]
• The process condition for processing a normal image may relate to compression of the image. The process condition in this case is determined based on the data for the aimed object. The image-processing[0100]unit84 separately determines the compressing condition of the image for the aimed object and for the components other than the aimed object so that the quality of the aimed object does not deteriorate, even though the data size of the image itself is compressed. Theimage processing unit84 may separately determine the color compressing condition for the aimed object and the components other than the aimed object.
• The process condition for processing a normal image may relate to color of the image. The process condition in this case is determined based on the depth information. The processing-condition-determining unit[0101]74 may, for example, separately determine the color condition for the aimed object and the components other than the aimed object, so that all the components have optimum gradation.
• The image-processing[0102]unit84 may determine a processing condition in which the aimed object in the image is magnified and the magnified aimed object is composited with a background image. The background image may be the components included in the original image other than the aimed object, or an image previously selected by the user of thecamera10. The image-processingunit84 may then composite the data for the aimed object and the data for the components other than the aimed object to form a composite image.
• As described above, the[0103]extractor60 extracts the data for the aimed object and the judgement location from the image, and the aimed object and the judgement location can be processed separately from the components other than these parts.
• Since cameras are usually used to photograph human beings, the best timing for photographing a refined image means that the targeted person has a good appearance. The good appearance of the person may be when, for example, “the person is not blinking”, “the person's eyes are not red-eyed”, “the person is looking at the camera”, or “the person is smiling”. The condition-storing[0104]unit70 stores these conditions as the photographing conditions. The condition-storingunit70 may set a photographing condition by selecting at least one of the photographing conditions stored therein.
• The method of outputting a timing signal for photographing a refined image of a subject when a targeted person has a good appearance will be explained. The condition-storing[0105]unit70 stores conditions such as “the person is not blinking”, “the person's eyes are not red-eyed”, “the person is looking at the camera”, and “the person is smiling” as the photographing conditions. These photographing conditions relate to the face of the person, and more specifically to the eyes or mouth of the person. Therefore, it is assumed in this embodiment that the aimed object is the face area of the person and the judgement location is the eyes or mouth of the person.
• Each of the photographing conditions has a reference situation for the judgement location, which should meet the requirements of the photographing condition. The condition-storing[0106]unit70 also stores the reference situations for the judgement location, each respectively corresponding to each of the photographing conditions. The reference situations for the judgement location corresponding to each of the photographing conditions will be described in the following.
• For the conditions such as “the person is not blinking”, “the person's eyes are not red-eyed” and “the person is looking at the camera”, the reference situation may relate to the shape of the eye, color of the eye, and size of the eye. For the condition such as “the person is smiling”, the reference situation may also relate to the size of the eye, as well as shape of the mouth, and size of the mouth. Whether each of the judgement locations satisfies each of these reference situations or not is judged in accordance with predetermined algorithms based on experience.[0107]
• When the photographing condition “the person is not blinking” is selected, the judgement location may be the eye of the person. The reference situation for the eye in this photographing condition will be determined as follows. When a person blinks, his/her eyelid hides his/her eyeball. While he/she is blinking and his/her eye is partially closed, the white part of his/her eyeball is especially hidden by his/her eyelid. This means that when the person is not blinking, the white part of his/her eyeball should be relatively large. Therefore, the reference situation for the photographing condition “the person is not blinking” becomes “the white part of his/her eyeball has a large dimension”.[0108]
• When the photographing condition “the person's eyes are not red-eyed” is selected, the judgement location may be the eyes of the person. The reference situation for the eyes in this photographing condition will be determined as follows. Eyes of a person are usually red-eyed when the person is photographed using a flash in a dark situation. This happens because the person's eyes cannot sensibly compensate for the sudden brightness and his/her pupils become red. This means that when the person's eyes look red-eyed, his/her pupils in each iris become red and the rest of the iris does not become red. Typically, people of Asian descent have brown or dark brown colored irises, and people of European descent have green or blue colored irises. Therefore, the reference situation for the photographing condition “the person's eyes are not red-eyed” becomes “the red part in his/her iris has a small dimension”.[0109]
• When the photographing condition “the person is looking at the camera” is selected, the judgement location may be the eye of the person. The reference situation for the eye in this photographing condition will be determined as follows. When a person is looking at the camera, a line between the camera and the iris of the person and a normal vector of his/her iris are almost the same. Therefore, the reference situation for the photographing condition “the person is looking at the camera” becomes “the normal vector of the iris in his/her eye is approximately equal to the angle of the line between the camera and his/her iris”.[0110]
• When the photographing condition “the person is smiling” is selected, the judgement location may be the eyes and the mouth of the person. The reference situation for the eyes and the mouth in this photographing condition will be determined as follows. When a person is smiling, although it depends on each person, his/her eyes become relatively thin. At this time, although it depends on each person, his/her mouth expands right-and-left wards and his/her teeth are shown. Therefore, the reference situations for the photographing condition “the person is smiling” become “the white part in his/her eyes has a small dimension”, “the width of his/her mouth is wide” and “the white area in his/her mouth has a large dimension”.[0111]
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the function of the[0112]extractor60. Theextractor60 includes adepth information extractor62, animage information extractor64, an aimedobject extractor66 and ajudgement location detector68.
• The[0113]depth information extractor62 extracts the depth information indicating the distance to each of components of the subject, based on the data for the parallactic image received from thememory40. This means that thedepth information extractor62 determines a corresponding point for each of the components based on the parallactic image and gives a parallax amount. Thedepth information extractor62 extracts the depth information based on the parallax amount of each of the components. Determining the corresponding point is a known technique, thus the explanation of this technique will be omitted. Extracting the depth information based on the parallax amount is also a known technique using the principle of triangulation, thus the explanation of this technique will be omitted.
• The[0114]image information extractor64 extracts the image information for normal images, from the data for the normal images received from thememory40. The image information includes, for example, data for the normal image such as luminescence distribution, intensity distribution, color distribution, texture distribution, and motion distribution.
• The aimed[0115]object extractor66 extracts data for the face area of the person as the aimed object, based on the depth information and the image information. Each of the images may include, for example, a plurality of components. The aimedobject extractor66 recognizes each of the components based on the depth information. The aimedobject extractor66 then specifies the face area by referring to the depth information and the image information of each of the components. The method of specifying the face area will be described in the following.
• The aimed[0116]object extractor66 receives the photographing condition from the condition-storingunit70. The aimedobject extractor66 extracts the aimed object based on the photographing condition. In this embodiment, the aimed object is the face of the photographed person. Therefore, at first, the component including the face is specified depending on assumptions such as “the person should be close to the camera”, “the person should be in the middle of the image”, or “the proportional relationship of the height of the person to the width and height of the image should be within a predetermined range”. The distance from the camera to each of the components in the image is evaluated based on the depth information. The distance from the center of the image to each of the components in the image, and the proportional relationship of the height of the components are evaluated based on the image information. Each of the values is multiplied by predetermined constants corresponding to each condition. The multiplied values are added for each of the components. The added values are defined as weighted averages. The component having the largest weighted average is extracted as the component including the aimed object.
• The constants by which the values for each of the components are multiplied may be predetermined based on the aimed object. In this embodiment, for example, the aimed object is assumed to be the face of the photographed person. Therefore, the aimed[0117]object extractor66 specifies the area having a skin color as the face part, based on the image information. The colors of each of the components are evaluated based on the color distribution of the images. The values of the color distribution may also be multiplied by predetermined constants and the multiplied values are added for each of the components to give the weighted averages.
• As described above, the aimed[0118]object extractor66 extracts an aimed object based on the depth information in addition to the image information. Therefore, even when a plurality of people are photographed in the image and their faces are close to each other, the faces of the different people can be distinctly extracted.
• The[0119]judgement location detector68 detects the judgement location from the data for the face area extracted by the aimedobject extractor66. Thejudgement location detector68 receives the photographing condition from the condition-storingunit70. Thejudgement location detector68 detects the judgement location based on the photographing condition. In this embodiment, the judgement location is the eyes or mouth of the photographed person. Therefore, thejudgement location detector68 detects the eyes and mouth from the face area.
• There is relatively little variation in the eyes of people with respect to color, shapes or their place on the face. Therefore, patterns of eyes such as the color of the eyes, shape of the eyes, and the place of the eyes on the face are previously determined, and the parts which are approximately similar to the determined patterns of the eyes are recognized as the judgement location on the face. Similarly, there is relatively little variation in mouths of people with respect to color, shapes or place on the face. Therefore, patterns of the mouth are also previously determined and the parts which are approximately similar to the determined patterns of the mouth are recognized as the judgement location on the face.[0120]
• The[0121]extractor60 detects the judgement location from the extracted aimed object based on the image information for the aimed object. Therefore, theextractor60 does not extract locations having similar shapes to the judgement location from the subject other than the aimed object included in the image.
• The[0122]judgement location detector68 then outputs the data for the detected judgement locations to thetiming signal generator80.
• Referring back to FIG. 2, the method for judging the best timing for photographing an image will be explained in the following.[0123]
• The[0124]timing signal generator80 receives the data for the detected judgement locations from theextractor60. Thetiming signal generator80 also receives the photographing condition from the condition-storingunit70. Thetiming signal generator80 compares each of the judgement locations based on the reference situation for the photographing condition. Thetiming signal generator80 then generates a timing signal when the judgement location satisfies the reference situation for the photographing condition.
• When the photographing condition “the person is not blinking” is selected, the judgement location is the eyes and the reference situation is “the white part of his/her eyeball has a large dimension”, as described above. Therefore, the[0125]timing signal generator80 calculates the dimension of the white part of the eye detected by thejudgement location detector68 for each of the images, based on the image information. Thetiming signal generator80 generates a timing signal when the dimension of the white part of the eye has a larger dimension than a predetermined dimension. The width of the eye is always the same, even when the person opens or closes his/her eye. Therefore, the predetermined dimension may be determined relative to the width of the eye. People usually blink both eyes at the same time, therefore, thetiming signal generator80 may check only one of the eyes of the photographed person. However, by checking both eyes, the desired judgement location can be selected more precisely.
• When the photographing condition “the person's eyes are not red-eyed” is selected, the judgement location is the eyes and the reference situation is “the red part in his/her iris has a small dimension”, as described above. Therefore, the[0126]timing signal generator80 calculates the dimension of the red part in the iris of the eye detected by thejudgement location detector68 for the image, based on the image information. The iris of his/her eye is recognized as being a cylindrical or elliptic area whose circumference has a brownish or blue/green color. Thetiming signal generator80 generates a timing signal when the dimension of the red part of the eye has smaller dimension than a predetermined dimension. Both eyes of people are usually red eyed at the same time, therefore, thetiming signal generator80 may check only one of the eyes of the photographed person. However, by checking both of his/her eyes, the desired judgement location can be selected more precisely.
• When the photographing condition “the person is looking at the camera” is selected, the judgement location is the eye and the reference situation is “the normal vector of the iris in his/her eye is approximately equal to the angle of the line between the camera and his/her iris”, as described above. Therefore, the[0127]timing signal generator80 recognizes the iris as being a cylindrical or elliptic area whose circumference has a brownish or blue/green color. Thetiming signal generator80 then recognizes the center of the iris and the normal vector of the center of the iris. Thetiming signal generator80 generates a timing signal when the normal vector of the iris in the eye is closer to the line between the camera and the iris than a predetermined distance.
• The normal vector of the iris can be obtained from the relative position of the camera and the face of the person, the relative position of the face and the eyes of the person, and the relative position of the eyes and the irises of the person. The[0128]timing signal generator80 may judge the desired judgement location based on the normal vector obtained from these relative positions.
• When the photographing condition “the person is smiling” is selected, the judgement location is the eyes or the mouth and the reference situation is “the white part in his/her eye has a small dimension”, “the width of his/her mouth is wide” or “the white part in his/her mouth has a large dimension”, as described above. Therefore, the[0129]timing signal generator80 calculates the dimension of the white part of the eye, the width of the mouth, and the dimension of the white part of the mouth detected by thejudgement location detector68 for each of the images, based on the image information. Thetiming signal generator80 generates a timing signal when the white part of the eye has a smaller dimension than a predetermined dimension, when the mouth has a wider width than a predetermined width, or when the white part of the mouth has a larger dimension than a predetermined dimension. The predetermined dimension for the white part of the eye is relatively determined with respect to the width of the eye. The predetermined width for the mouth is relatively determined with respect to the width of the face of the person. The predetermined dimension for the white part of the mouth is relatively determined with respect to the dimension of the face of the person.
• The[0130]timing signal generator80 outputs a timing signal when the judgement location satisfies the above reference situations. As described above, thecontrol unit50 extracts the face part based on the raw image and the information for the raw image. Thecontrol unit50 then detects the judgement location from the data for the extracted face part. As thecamera10 photographs a subject when the detected judgement location satisfies the photographing condition, thecamera10 can automatically photograph a desirable refined image without bothering the photographer.
• The method of generating a timing signal when a plurality of people is photographed, will be explained next.[0131]
• When each of the images includes a plurality of people, the[0132]extractor60 extracts the aimed object and detects the judgement locations for each of the people. This means that the aimedobject extractor66 extracts the face parts for each of the people from each of the images. Thejudgement location extractor68 detects the eyes or the mouth for each of the people from each of the images.
• When each of the images includes a plurality of people, the[0133]timing signal generator80 compares each of the judgement locations for each of the people based on the reference situation for the photographing condition. Thetiming signal generator80 may generate a timing signal when the judgement locations for many of the people satisfy the reference situation for the photographing condition. Thetiming signal generator80 may output the timing signal when the ratio of the judgement locations satisfying the photographing condition against all of the plurality of the judgement locations exceeds a predetermined ratio. In this case, thecamera10 can photograph a refined image in which many of the people have a good appearance.
• FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method of photographing an image. The[0134]camera10 starts photographing the subject when therelease button52 is pushed (S100). When thecamera10 starts photographing, data for a parallactic image is input from the parallactic image data input unit22 (S102). At the same time, data for raw images are continuously input from the image data input unit24 (S104). Then, the aimedobject extractor66 extracts the face part of the targeted person as the aimed object (S106) . Thejudgement location detector68 detects the judgement location based on the image information for the face part (S108). Thetiming signal generator80 generates and outputs a timing signal when the judgement location satisfies a predetermined photographing condition (S110). Upon receiving the timing signal, the imagepickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to photograph a refined image (S112).
• The image-processing[0135]unit84 processes the refined image, for example, compositing images and the like (S114). Therecording unit90 records the processed image on a recording medium (S116). Theoutput unit92 outputs the recorded image (S118). The photographing operation is terminated (S120).
• FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of extracting a face part, step[0136]106 in FIG. 4. Thedepth information extractor62 extracts the depth information based on the parallactic image (S130). Theimage information extractor64 extracts the image information based on the raw image (Sl32). Then, the aimedobject extractor66 extracts the face part of the targeted person based on the depth information and the image information (S134). When each of the images includes a plurality of people, the aimedobject extractor66 extracts the face parts for all of the people from each of the images (S136).
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of detecting a judgement location, step[0137]108 in FIG. 4. Thejudgement location detector68 detects the judgement location based on the image information for the face part (S150). When each of the images includes a plurality of people, thejudgement location detector68 detects the judgement locations for all of the people (S152 and S150). Then, the input-condition-determiningunit82 determines the input condition based on the image information for the judgement location (S154).
• FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of generating a timing signal,[0138]step110 in FIG. 4. Thetiming signal generator80 judges whether the judgement location detected by thejudgement location detector68 satisfies the photographing condition or not (S160). Thetiming signal generator80 continues judging whether the judgement location satisfies the photographing condition or not for a predetermined period (S164 and S160). Thetiming signal generator80 generates a timing signal when the judgement location satisfies the photographing condition (S162). The imagepickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to stop photographing raw images when the judgement location does not satisfy the predetermined photographing condition for a predetermined period (S164 and S166).
• FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of photographing a refined image,[0139]step112 in FIG. 4. The imagepickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to automatically photograph a refined image based on the timing signal output at thestep110 in FIG. 4 (S170) . Theinput unit20 inputs the data for the refined image (S172).
• At the[0140]step112 in FIG. 4, thecamera10 may not automatically photograph a refined image but the user of thecamera10 may push therelease button52 to photograph the refined image, upon receiving the alarm signal from thealarm54.
• FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of photographing a refined image,[0141]step112 in FIG. 4. Thealarm54 outputs an alarm signal such as an alarm sound or an alarm light based on the timing signal generated at the step110 (Sl90). When the user, or the photographer of thecamera10 notices the alarm signal, and then pushes the release button52 (S192), thecamera10 photographs a refined image (S194)
• As the[0142]alarm54 outputs the alarm sound or the alarm light based on the timing signal, the user can photograph a refined image at an optimum timing, without having to judge the timing himself. Furthermore, the targeted person can also notice the timing by the alarm sound or the alarm light.
• The[0143]alarm54 may output an alarm signal such as an alarm sound or an alarm light when the timing signal is not output from the timing signal generator for a predetermined period.
• FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of generating a timing signal in which the[0144]alarm54 outputs the alarm signal,step110 in FIG. 4. Thetiming signal generator80 judges whether or not the judgement location detected by thejudgement location detector68 satisfies the photographing condition (S180). Thetiming signal generator80 continues judging whether or not the judgement location satisfies the photographing condition for a predetermined period (S184 and S180). Thetiming signal generator80 generates a timing signal when the judgement location satisfies the photographing condition (S182). Thealarm54 outputs an alarm signal such as the alarm sound and the alarm light when thetiming signal generator80 does not output the timing signal for a predetermined period (S184 and S186). The imagepickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to stop photographing raw images at this time (S188).
• As the[0145]alarm54 outputs an alarm signal such as an alarm sound and an alarm light when the timing signal is not output within a predetermined period, the photographer and the targeted person become aware of the fact that the targeted person does not meet the photographing condition, by the sound and the light.
• FIG. 11 shows a[0146]camera110 of the second embodiment according to the present invention. Thecamera110 continuously photographs raw images of a subject. Thecamera110 then photographs a refined image of the subject, in accordance with a predetermined input condition, at the timing when one of the previously photographed raw images satisfies a predetermined photographing condition. Thecamera110 in this embodiment is a silver halide type camera by which an image of a subject is formed on a silver halide film. Thecamera110 includes aninput unit120, an A/D converter30, amemory40, acontrol unit150, arelease button52 and analarm54. The A/D converter30, thememory40, therelease button52 and thealarm54 in this embodiment have the same structures and functions as those explained in the first embodiment. Therefore, the explanation of these parts will be omitted.
• The[0147]input unit120 includes a parallactic imagedata input unit122, a raw imagedata input unit124 and a refined imagedata input unit130. The parallactic imagedata input unit122 and the raw imagedata input unit124 in this embodiment respectively have the same structures and functions as the parallactic imagedata input unit22 and the imagedata input unit24 explained in the first embodiment. The refined imagedata input unit130 includes a lens132, a lens stop134, a shutter136 and a photographingunit138. The lens132, the lens stop134 and the shutter136 in this embodiment respectively have the same structures and functions as thelens25, thelens stop26 and theshutter27 shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment. The photographingunit138 receives an optical image of a subject and forms an image of the subject on a silver halide film.
• The image[0148]data input unit24 of the first embodiment inputs both a raw image and a refined image. As for thecamera110 of this embodiment, the raw imagedata input unit124 inputs an electronic raw image and the refined imagedata input unit130 inputs a refined image and forms the refined image on a film. The raw imagedata input unit124 has a CCD for receiving the image of the subject in the same way as thedata input unit24 of the first embodiment. The raw imagedata input unit124 outputs electronic signals for the image converted by the CCD.
• FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the[0149]control unit150 according to the second embodiment. Thecontrol unit150 includes an imagepickup control unit56, an image formingcontrol unit58, anextractor60, a condition-storingunit70, atiming signal generator80 and an input-condition-determiningunit82. Theextractor60, the condition-storingunit70, thetiming signal generator80 and the input-condition-determiningunit82 in this embodiment respectively have the same structures and functions as those of the first embodiment, thus the explanation of these parts will be omitted.
• The image-forming[0150]control unit58 controls theinput unit120 to form an image of a subject. The image formingcontrol unit58 controls at least one of the following conditions of the input unit120: focus condition of the lens132, aperture condition of the lens stop134 and exposure time of the shutter136, based on the input condition determined by the input-condition-determiningunit82. The image-pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit120 to photograph an image of a subject. The image-pickup control unit56 also controls the photographingunit138 to photograph a refined image, based on the input condition.
• In this embodiment, the[0151]camera110 includes the raw imagedata input unit124 for inputting an electronic raw image in addition to the imagedata input unit130 for inputting a refined image. Therefore, the camera can automatically set an optimum condition for photographing a refined image of the subject. Thus, the desired refined image can be obtained without photographing a plurality of images using silver halide films, which can be expensive.
• A camera of the third embodiment according to the present invention will be explained in the following. The camera of this embodiment has the same structure as that of the first embodiment explained with reference to FIG. 1. The camera of the third embodiment continuously photographs raw images of a subject. The camera then photographs a refined image, in accordance with a predetermined input condition, at the timing when the previously photographed raw image satisfies a predetermined photographing condition. The[0152]camera110 may have a switch, not shown in the drawings, for selecting an automatic photographing mode in which the best timing for photographing the image is automatically determined, and a manual photographing mode in which the user of thecamera110 determines the best timing.
• The camera of this embodiment has the same structure as that of the first embodiment and includes an[0153]input unit20, an A/D converter30, amemory40, acontrol unit50, arelease button52, analarm54, arecording unit90 and anoutput unit92. The camera of this embodiment may be, for example, a digital still camera or a digital video camera that can photograph a still image.
• FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the[0154]control unit50 according to the third embodiment. Thecontrol unit50 includes an image-pickup control unit56, an image-formingcontrol unit58, anextractor60, a condition-storingunit70, a photographingcondition judging unit80, an input-condition-determiningunit82, and an image-processingunit84.
• The[0155]extractor60 receives a parallactic image photographed by the parallactic imagedata input unit22 and a normal image photographed by the imagedata input unit24, from thememory40. The normal image includes a raw image and a refined image. Theextractor60 extracts an aimed object from the normal image based on the information obtained from the parallactic image and the normal image. The information includes image information of the normal image and depth information of the parallactic image. Theextractor60 outputs data for the aimed object to the input-condition-determiningunit82 and to the image-processingunit84.
• As described above, cameras are usually used to photograph human beings. Therefore, the best timing for photographing a refined image may be determined by the condition of a targeted person. Therefore, it is assumed that the[0156]extractor60 extracts a face part of the targeted person as the aimed object in this embodiment.
• The[0157]extractor60 then detects a judgement location from the aimed object based on the information obtained from the parallactic images and the normal images. It is also assumed that theextractor60 detects shapes or colors of the eyes or the mouth of the targeted person as the judgement location in this embodiment.
• The condition-storing[0158]unit70 stores predetermined photographing conditions related to the judgement location, which should be included in each of the raw images obtained by photographing the subject. The condition-storingunit70 may store a plurality of photographing conditions. The condition-storingunit70 may include a condition-setting unit, not shown in the drawings, by which a user can select at least one of the photographing conditions from among a plurality of photographing conditions.
• The best timing for photographing a refined image may be, for example, the timing when the targeted person does a predetermined motion. This means that the best timing may be the timing when the aimed object of the targeted person shows a predetermined variation. The predetermined variation may be, for example, “the person opens his/her eyes after he/she has been closing his/her eyes for more than two seconds” or “the person's vision of sight follows a predetermined trail”. The[0159]condition storing unit70 stores these conditions as the photographing conditions.
• The photographing[0160]condition judging unit80 outputs a timing signal for photographing an image. The photographingcondition judging unit80 outputs the timing signal when the judgement location detected by theextractor60 shows a predetermined motion that satisfies the predetermined photographing condition stored in the storingunit70.
• The input-condition-determining[0161]unit82 determines an input condition for inputting an image based on the information for an aimed object or the judgement location received from theextractor60. The input-condition-determiningunit82 outputs the input condition to the image formingcontrol unit58. The input condition may be, for example, focus condition of thelens25 such that the aimed object including the judgement location is focussed. As theinput unit20 inputs an image in accordance with the input condition such as the focus condition of thelens25, determined by the input-condition-determiningunit82, the camera of this embodiment can photograph a refined image in which the subject is in good condition.
• The image-forming[0162]control unit58 controls theinput unit20 to form a refined image of the subject based on the input condition determined by the condition-determiningunit70. This means that the image-formingcontrol unit58 controls at least one of the conditions including focus condition of thelens25, aperture condition of thelens stop26, exposure time of theshutter27, and condition of theparallactic shutter34, based on the input condition.
• The image[0163]pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20, to photograph a refined image of the subject based on the input condition determined by the condition-determiningunit70. This means that the image-pickup control unit56 controls at least one of the conditions including output signal of theCCD29 and output signal of theparallactic CCD36, based on the input condition. The image-pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20, to photograph a refined image based on the timing signal output from the photographingcondition judging unit80. The image-pickup control unit56 controls the image-processingunit84 to process the refined image.
• The image-processing[0164]unit84 receives the refined image photographed by the imagedata input unit24 from thememory40. The image-processingunit84 then processes the refined image based on the information for the aimed object or the judgement location extracted from theextractor60. The refined image is processed in accordance with the process conditions as explained in the first embodiment.
• FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram of the[0165]extractor60. Theextractor60 includes adepth information extractor62, animage information extractor64, an aimedobject extractor66 and ajudgement location detector68.
• The[0166]depth information extractor62 extracts the depth information indicating the distance to each of components of the subject, based on the data of the parallactic image received from thememory40.
• The[0167]image information extractor64 extracts the image information for normal images, from the data for the normal images received from thememory40. The image information includes, for example, data of the normal image such as luminescence distribution, intensity distribution, color distribution, texture distribution, and motion distribution.
• The aimed[0168]object extractor66 extracts data for the face area of the person as the aimed object, based on the depth information and the image information. The aimed object is extracted in a similar manner as that explained in the first embodiment.
• The aimed[0169]object extractor66 outputs the information for the aimed object to the input-condition-determiningunit82 and the image-processingunit84.
• As described above, the aimed[0170]object extractor66 extracts an aimed object based on the depth information in addition to the image information. Therefore, even when a plurality of people are photographed in the image and their faces are close to each other, the faces of the different people can be distinctly extracted.
• The[0171]judgement location detector68 detects the judgement location from the data for the aimed object extracted by the aimedobject extractor66. The judgement location is detected in accordance with a detecting condition different from the extracting condition for extracting the aimed object by the aimedobject extractor66. In this embodiment, the judgement location is eyes or mouth of the photographed person. Therefore, thejudgement location detector68 detects the eyes and mouth from the face area.
• The[0172]judgement location detector68 outputs the information for the judgement location to the photographingcondition judging unit80.
• FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the function of the photographing[0173]condition judging unit80. The photographingcondition judging unit80 includes a detection-startingunit85, avariation detector86 and a judgingunit88. The photographing condition includes a predetermined photographing condition related to the motion of the judgement location of the aimed object, and the starting condition for starting detection of the motion of the judgement location.
• The detection-starting[0174]unit85 outputs a starting signal when the judgement location detected by theextractor60 satisfies a predetermined starting condition. Thevariation detector86 starts detecting variation in the motion of the judgement location upon receiving the starting signal from the detection-startingunit85. The judgingunit88 outputs the timing signal for photographing a refined image when the variation of the motion of the judgement location detected by thevariation detector86 satisfies a predetermined photographing condition.
• The photographing conditions may be, for example, “the person opens his/her eyes after he/she has been closing his/her eyes for more than two seconds” or “the person's vision of sight follows a predetermined trail”. It is desirable that the photographing conditions are motions or variations of the targeted person, which the targeted person usually does not perform in front of the camera, in order to avoid misjudgment.[0175]
• Each of the photographing conditions has a reference situation for the judgement location, which should meet the requirements of the photographing condition. The condition-storing[0176]unit70 also stores the reference situations for the judgement location, each respectively corresponding to each of the photographing conditions. The reference situations for the judgement location corresponding to each of the photographing conditions will be described in the following.
• For the conditions such as “the person is not blinking”, and “the person is looking at the camera”, the reference situation may relate to shape of the eye, color of the eye, and size of the eye. Whether each of the judgement locations satisfies each of these reference situations or not is judged in accordance with predetermined algorithms based on experience.[0177]
• When the photographing condition “the person opens his/her eyes after he/she has been closing his/her eyes for more than two seconds” is selected, the judgement location may be the eye of the person. The reference situation for the eye in this photographing condition will be determined as follows. When a person blinks, his/her eyelid hides his/her eyeball. While he/she is blinking and his/her eye is partially closed, a white part of his/her eyeball is especially hidden by his/her eyelid. This means that when the person is blinking, the white part of his/her eyeball should be relatively small and when the person is not blinking, the white part of his/her eyeball should be relatively large. Therefore, whether the person opens his/her eyes or not is determined based on the dimension of the white part of his/her eyeball.[0178]
• The starting condition for the photographing condition “the person opens his/her eyes after he/she has been closing his/her eyes for more than two seconds” becomes “the person closes his/her eyes”. The detection-starting[0179]unit85 outputs a starting signal when it detects the closed eye of the person. Thevariation detector86 starts detecting variation of the eye upon receiving the starting signal. Thevariation detector86 counts the period while the person keeps his/her eyes closed, from the data for the raw images continuously input. Thevariation detector86 outputs the timing signal when the person opens his/her eyes after he/she has had his/her eyes closed for more than two seconds. It is desirable for thevariation detector86 to output the timing signal one second after the person opens his/her eyes rather than the moment when the person opens his/her eyes.
• When the photographing condition “the person's vision of sight follows a predetermined trail” is selected, the judgement location may be the eye of the person. The reference situation for the eye in this photographing condition will be determined as follows. The trail of the person's vision of sight can be detected by detecting the normal vector of the iris in the eye. At first, the iris of his/her eye is recognized, from his/her eye detected by the[0180]judgement location detector68, as being a cylindrical or elliptic area whose circumference has a brownish or blue/green color. The center of the iris is then detected based on the image information for the eye. The normal vector of the center of the iris is obtained based on the depth information.
• It is assumed in this photographing condition that the predetermined trail of the vision of sight is “the person looks upper left with respect to the camera, lower right with respect to the camera and then at the camera”, for example. The starting condition in this case becomes “the person looks to the upper left with respect to the camera”. The[0181]detection starting unit85 outputs a starting signal when it detects that the person is looking to the upper left with respect to the camera. Thevariation detector86 starts detecting variation of the vision of sight of the person upon receiving the starting signal. Thevariation detector86 detects the trail of the vision of sight based on the data for the plurality of input raw images. Thejudgement unit88 outputs the timing signal when the trail is “upper left, lower right and then at the camera”.
• The[0182]control unit50 extracts the face part based on the data for the raw image and the information thereof and then detects the judgement location from the information for the extracted face part. Thecontrol unit50 then detects the variation of the judgement location and determines the timing for photographing when the detected judgement location satisfies the photographing condition. Therefore, the camera of this embodiment can automatically photograph at a timing when the targeted person is in good condition.
• The method of generating a timing signal when a plurality of people is photographed will be explained next.[0183]
• When each of the images includes a plurality of people, the[0184]judgement location detector68 detects the judgement locations for each of the people. This means that the aimedobject extractor66 extracts the face parts for each of the people from each of the images. Thejudgement location extractor68 detects the eyes or the mouth for each of the people from each of the images.
• At this time, the[0185]variation detector86 detects the variation of the judgement locations for each of the people. The judgingunit88 outputs the timing signal when the variation of the plurality of judgement locations satisfy the photographing condition. The judgingunit88 selects the aimed objects respectively, including the judgement locations whose variation satisfies the photographing condition. The judgingunit88 then outputs the information of the aimed objects including the selected judgement locations to the input-condition-determiningunit82 and the image-processingunit84.
• The method of photographing an image in this embodiment is almost same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.[0186]
• FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of detecting a judgement location, step[0187]108 in FIG. 4. Thejudgement location detector68 detects the judgement location based on the image information for the face part (S250). When each of the images includes a plurality of people, thejudgement location detector68 detects the judgement locations for all of the people (S252 and S250).
• FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of generating a timing signal,[0188]step110 in FIG. 4. Thedetection starting unit85 judges whether or not the judgement location detected by thejudgement location detector68 satisfies the starting condition (S260). The detection-startingunit85 continues judging whether or not the judgement location satisfies the starting condition for a predetermined period (S260 and S262). Thevariation detector86 starts detecting the variation of the judgement location when the judgement location satisfies the starting condition (S261). The image-pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to stop photographing raw images when the judgement location does not satisfy the predetermined starting condition for a predetermined period (S262 and S263).
• The judging[0189]unit88 then judges whether the variation of the judgement location satisfies the photographing condition or not (S264). Thetiming signal generator80 generates a timing signal when the variation of the judgement location satisfies the photographing condition (S265). When the variation of the judgement location does not satisfy the photographing condition, the process returns to step S260 if the predetermined period is remaining. Then, thedetection starting unit85 judges again whether or not the judgement location detected by thejudgement location detector68 satisfies the starting condition (S260). The imagepickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to stop photographing raw images when the predetermined period is expired (S266 and S267).
• FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of photographing a refined image,[0190]step112 in FIG. 4. The image-pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to automatically photograph a refined image based on the timing signal output at thestep110 in FIG. 4 (S270). Theinput unit20 inputs the data for the refined image (S272).
• At the[0191]step112 in FIG. 4, thecamera10 may not automatically photograph a refined image but the user of thecamera10 may press therelease button52 to photographing the refined image upon receiving the alarm signal from thealarm54.
• The method of manually photographing a refined image by the user of the[0192]camera10 is in accordance with the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, which is explained in the first embodiment. Thealarm54 outputs an alarm signal such as an alarm sound or an alarm light based on the timing signal generated at the step110 (S190) . When the user, or the photographer of thecamera10 notices the alarm signal, and then he/she presses the release button52 (S192), thecamera10 photographs a refined image (S194).
• As the[0193]alarm54 outputs the alarm sound or the alarm light based on the timing signal, the user can photograph a refined image at an optimum timing without having to judge the timing himself. Furthermore, the targeted person can also notice the timing because of the alarm sound or the alarm light.
• The[0194]alarm54 may output an alarm signal such as an alarm sound or an alarm light when the timing signal is not output from the timing signal generator for a predetermined period.
• FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing in detail the method of generating a timing signal in which the[0195]alarm54 outputs the alarm signal,step110 in FIG. 4. The detection-startingunit85 judges whether or not the judgement location detected by thejudgement location detector68 satisfies the starting condition (S300). Thedetection starting unit85 continues judging whether or not the judgement location satisfies the starting condition for a predetermined period (S300 and S304). Thevariation detector86 starts detecting the variation of the judgement location when the judgement location satisfies the starting condition (S302). Thealarm54 outputs an alarm signal such as an alarm sound and an alarm light when the photographingcondition judging unit80 does not output the timing signal for a predetermined period (S304 and S306). Then, the image-pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to stop photographing raw images, when the judgement location does not satisfy the predetermined starting condition for a predetermined period (S308).
• The judging[0196]unit88 then judges whether or not the variation of the judgement location satisfies the photographing condition (S310). Thetiming signal generator80 generates a timing signal when the variation of the judgement location satisfies the photographing condition (S312). When the variation of the judgement location does not satisfy the photographing condition, the process returns to the step S314 if the predetermined period is not remaining. Then, thedetection starting unit85 judges again whether or not the judgement location detected by thejudgement location detector68 satisfies the starting condition (S314 and S300). At the step S314, thealarm54 outputs an alarm signal such as an alarm sound and an alarm light when the predetermined period is expired (S316). The image-pickup control unit56 controls theinput unit20 to stop photographing raw images (S318).
• As the[0197]alarm54 outputs the alarm signal such as the alarm sound and the alarm light when the timing signal is not output within a predetermined period, the photographer and the targeted person become aware of the fact that the targeted person does not meet the photographing condition because of the sound and the light.
• The camera of the fourth embodiment will be explained in the following. The camera of this embodiment is a silver halide type camera by which an image of a subject is formed on a silver halide film and has the same structure as that explained in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 11. Therefore, the explanation of the structure of the camera in this embodiment will be omitted.[0198]
• FIG. 20 is a block diagram of the[0199]control unit150 in this embodiment. Thecontrol unit150 in this embodiment includes an imagepickup control unit56, an image formingcontrol unit58, anextractor60, acondition storing unit70, a photographingcondition judging unit180, an input-condition-determiningunit82. Theextractor60, thecondition storing unit70, the photographingcondition judging unit180 and the input-condition-determiningunit82 in this embodiment respectively have same the structures and functions as those explained in the first embodiment, therefore, the explanation of these parts will be omitted.
• The image-forming[0200]control unit58 controls theinput unit120 to form an image of a subject. The image-formingcontrol unit58 controls at least one of the following conditions of the input unit120: focus condition of the lens132, aperture condition of the lens stop134 and exposure time of the shutter136, based on the input condition determined by the input-condition-determiningunit82. The imagepickup control unit56 controls theinput unit120 to photograph an image of a subject. The imagepickup control unit56 also controls the photographingunit138 to photograph a refined image based on the input condition.
• In this embodiment, the[0201]camera110 includes the raw imagedata input unit124 for inputting an electronic raw image, in addition to the imagedata input unit130 for inputting a refined image. Therefore, the camera can automatically set an optimum condition for photographing a refined image of the subject. Thus, a desired refined image can be obtained without photographing a plurality of images using silver halide films, which can be expensive.
• A camera of the fifth embodiment according to the present invention will be explained in the following. The camera of this embodiment continuously photographs images of a subject. The camera outputs a timing signal when the targeted subject in the image satisfies the photographing condition. Upon receiving the timing signal, the camera of this embodiment records one of the images, which was photographed at a predetermined earlier period than the timing signal, based on the timing signal, as a refined image.[0202]
• The camera of this embodiment includes a[0203]control unit50. The structure of the camera of this embodiment other than thecontrol unit50 is the same as that explained in the first to fourth embodiments. Thus, the explanation of same parts will be omitted.
• FIG. 21 is a block diagram of the[0204]control unit50 according to the fourth embodiment. Thecontrol unit50 includes anextractor60, a condition-storingunit70, atiming signal generator80, animage processing unit84, and aimage storing unit140. Theextractor60, the condition-storingunit70, thetiming signal generator80 and theimage processing unit84 are the same as those explained in the first to fourth embodiments. Although only thetiming signal generator80 is shown in FIG. 21, the part having the numeral80 may be the photographing condition judging unit explained in the third and the fourth embodiments.
• The[0205]image storing unit140 temporarily stores the images photographed by the imagedata input unit24 and input from thememory40. Each of the images is respectively stored with time records of when the image was photographed. Theimage storing unit140 receives the timing signal from thetiming signal generator80 and then outputs one of the raw images photographed at a timing earlier than the timing signal by a predetermined period as the refined image, to theimage processing unit84. Theimage processing unit84 processes the refined image based on the information for theextractor60.
• FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a method of photographing an image. The camera starts photographing the subject when the[0206]release button52 is pressed (S400) . When the camera starts photographing, data for a parallactic image is input from the parallactic image data input unit22 (S402). At the same time, data for raw images are continuously input from the image data input unit24 (S404). The raw images are temporarily stored in theimage storing unit140. Then, the aimedobject extractor66 extracts the face part of the targeted person as the aimed object (S406). Thejudgement location detector68 detects the judgement location based on the image information for the face part (S408). The photographingcondition judging unit180 generates and outputs a timing signal when the judgement location satisfies a predetermined photographing condition (S410). Upon receiving the timing signal, theimage storing unit140 selects one of the raw images photographed at a timing earlier than the timing signal by a predetermined period, as the refined image. Theimage storing unit140 outputs the refined image to the image-processing unit84 (S412).
• The image-processing[0207]unit84 processes the refined image (S414). The processing of the refined image may include compositing a plurality of refined images and the like. Therecording unit90 records the processed image on a recording medium (S416). Theoutput unit92 outputs the processed image (S418), and the photographing operation is terminated (S420).
• The detailed operations of the[0208]steps206,208 and210 are the same as those explained in the previous embodiments. Thus, an explanation of these steps will be omitted.
• The[0209]image storing unit140 may store all of the raw images which are photographed from a timing earlier than the timing signal by a predetermined period to the timing of the timing signal, as the refined images. In this case, the image-processingunit84 processes the plurality of refined images.
• As described above, the camera stores the raw image which is photographed at a timing earlier than the timing signal by a predetermined period as the refined image, based on the timing signal. Therefore, the refined image is selected by considering the delay time, even when the[0210]extractor60 takes a certain time for extracting the aimed object and detecting the judgement location. Thus, an image in which the targeted person has a good appearance can be obtained.
• Furthermore, the camera stores all of the raw images which are photographed from a timing earlier than the timing signal by a predetermined period to the timing of the timing signal, as the refined images. Therefore, an image in which the targeted person has a good appearance can be selected.[0211]
• FIG. 23 shows a[0212]camera210 of the sixth embodiment according to the present invention. Thecamera210 of this embodiment continuously photographs a plurality of raw images of a subject in the same way as the first to fifth embodiments. Thecamera210 outputs a timing signal when the raw image satisfies the photographing condition.
• The[0213]camera210 of this embodiment has the same structure as that of the first embodiment and further includes acommunication unit150. Thecamera210 outputs the timing signal through thecommunication unit150, to control operation of anexternal apparatus160 based on the timing signal. Thecommunication unit150 of thecamera210 sends the timing signal to theexternal apparatus160 by a wireless means. Thecommunication unit150 of thecamera210 and the external apparatus may be held in communication with each other by a wireless means such as via a radio or infrared radiation or by cables such as via a USB or a LAN. Theexternal apparatus160 may be, for example, a camera for photographing a refined image of the target, or an illuminator.
• In this embodiment, the[0214]camera210 continuously photographs raw images of a subject. Thecamera210 outputs a timing signal when the raw image satisfies a predetermined selecting condition. The timing signal is transferred from thecamera210 to theexternal apparatus160 through thecommunication unit150 of thecamera210. When theexternal apparatus160 is another camera for photographing a refined image, the external apparatus photographs a refined image of the subject based on the timing signal from thecamera210.
• Using the[0215]camera210 of this embodiment, even a silver halide type camera that does not include a raw image data input unit can photograph a refined image of a subject at the timing when the targeted person is in good condition. Thus, a desired refined image can be obtained without photographing a plurality of images using silver halide films which can be expensive.
• As described above, according to the embodiments of the present invention, an image in which a targeted object satisfies a predetermined photographing condition.[0216]
• Although the present invention has been described by way of exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that many changes and substitutions may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention which is defined only by the appended claims.[0217]

Claims (19)

What is claimed is:

1. A camera comprising:

an image data input unit forming a plurality of images of a subject for photographing said subject;

a condition storing unit storing a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable variation of said subject;

a variation detector detecting variation of said subject in said plurality of said images based on information of said plurality of images; and

a timing signal generator outputting a timing signal when said variation of said subject satisfies said photographing condition.

2. A camera as set forth inclaim 1, further comprising: an extractor extracting data of an aimed object from each of said plurality of images of said subject based on an extracting condition,

wherein said photographing condition includes a predetermined condition related to a desirable aimed object,

said variation detector detects variation of said aimed object in said plurality of images based on said information of said plurality of images, and

said timing signal generator outputs said timing signal when said variation of said aimed object satisfies said photographing condition.

3. A camera as set forth inclaim 2, wherein said extracting condition is based on depth information of said plurality of images indicating the distance to each part of said subject.

4. A camera as set forth inclaim 2,

wherein said extractor detects data of a judgement location from said data of said aimed object in each of said plurality of images based on a detecting condition different from said extracting condition,

said photographing condition includes a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable judgement location,

said variation detector detects variation of said judgement location in said plurality of images based on said information of said plurality of images, and

said timing signal generator outputs said timing signal when said variation of said judgement location satisfies said photographing condition.

5. A camera as set forth inclaim 4,

wherein said photographing condition includes a predetermined starting condition for starting detection of said variation of said judgement location, and

said variation detector starts detecting said variation of said judgement location when said judgement location satisfies said starting condition.

6. A camera as set forth inclaim 2,

wherein said extractor extracts data of a plurality of said aimed objects from each of said plurality of images,

said variation detector detects variation of each of said plurality of said aimed objects in said plurality of images based on information of said plurality of images, and

said timing signal generator outputs said timing signal when said variation of said plurality of said aimed objects satisfy said photographing condition.

7. A camera as set forth inclaim 6,

wherein said extractor detects data of a plurality of judgement locations from each of said data of said plurality of aimed objects based on a detecting condition different from said extracting condition,

said photographing condition includes a predetermined photographing condition related to desirable variation of said judgement location,

said variation detector detects variation of each of said plurality of said judgement locations in said plurality of images based on information of said plurality of images, and

said timing signal generator outputs said timing signal when said variation of said plurality of said judgement locations satisfy said photographing condition.

8. A camera as set forth inclaim 1 further comprising an image pickup control unit controlling said input unit for photographing said image based on said timing signal.

9. A camera as set forth inclaim 1, further comprising an illuminator illuminating said subject based on said timing signal.

10. A camera as set forth inclaim 1, further comprising a recording unit recording said image on a replaceable nonvolatile recording medium based on said timing signal.

11. A camera as set forth inclaim 1, further comprising an alarm outputting an alarm signal for notifying that said subject satisfies said photographing condition based on said timing signal.

12. A camera as set forth inclaim 1,

wherein said photographing condition includes a plurality of photographing conditions, and

said camera further comprises a condition-setting unit previously selecting at least one of said photographing conditions for photographing said image, from among said plurality of photographing conditions.

13. A camera as set forth inclaim 8, wherein said timing signal generator selects said judgement location satisfying said photographing condition from among said plurality of said judgement locations in said plurality of images, and outputs information for said aimed object including said judgement location, and

said camera further comprising:

an input condition determining unit determining an input condition for inputting said image based on information for said judgement location; and

an image forming control unit controlling an input unit for forming said image of said subject based on said input condition.

14. A camera as set forth inclaim 8, wherein said timing signal generator selects said judgement location satisfying

said photographing condition from among said plurality of said judgement locations in said plurality of images, and outputs information for said aimed object including said judgement location, and

said camera further comprising an image processing unit processing said image based on said information for said judgement location.

15. A method of photographing a plurality of images of a subject comprising:

detecting variation of said subject in said plurality of said images based on information for said plurality of images;

outputting a timing signal when said variation of said subject satisfies a predetermined photographing condition related to a desirable variation of said subject.

16. A method as set forth inclaim 15, further comprising extracting data of an aimed object from each of said plurality of images of said subject based on an extracting condition,

said detecting includes detecting variation of said aimed object based on information for said image, and

said timing signal is output when said variation of said aimed object satisfies said photographing condition.

17. A method as set forth inclaim 16, wherein said extraction of said aimed object includes detecting data of a judgement location from said data of said aimed object in each of said plurality of images based on a detecting condition different from said extracting condition,

said detecting variation of said subject includes detecting variation of said judgement location based on information for said image, and

said timing signal is output when said variation of said judgement location satisfies said photographing condition.

18. A method as set forth inclaim 17, wherein said photographing condition includes a predetermined starting condition for starting detection of said variation of said judgement location, and

said detecting of variation starts detecting said variation of said judgement location when said judgement location satisfies said starting condition.

19. A method as set forth inclaim 15, further comprising photographing said image based on said timing signal.

Images