JP2022060001A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 To provide an imaging device that facilitates photographing for creating a moving image such as a time-lapse moving image. An imaging device (100) includes an imaging section (115), a control section (135), and an operation section (150). The imaging unit captures a subject image and generates image data. The control unit controls an image capturing operation in which the image capturing unit generates image data for each predetermined capturing interval (ΔT) for a preset number of captured images (N). The operation unit receives a user's operation regarding setting of an image capturing operation. The control unit controls the operation unit to set the frame rate (F) of a moving image created from the imaging result of the image capturing operation, the moving image period (T2) during which the moving image is reproduced, and the imaging period (T1) during which the image capturing operation is performed. Alternatively, it accepts a user's operation of inputting a photographing interval. The control unit sets the number of shots and the shooting interval based on the information input by the user's operation, and controls the image shooting operation. [Selection drawing] Fig. 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to an image pickup device that performs interval shooting for creating a time-lapse moving image.

Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging device for the purpose of appropriately reproducing a time-lapse moving image according to a shooting target and a shooting situation. The image pickup apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a shooting scene selection unit for selecting a shooting scene and a parameter setting unit. The parameter setting unit independently sets the shooting parameters related to time-lapse shooting and the playback parameters related to the reproduction of the time-lapse moving image shot with the shooting parameters according to the shooting scene selected by the shooting scene selection unit. .. In this way, by setting the reproduction parameters according to the shooting scene inside the image pickup device independently of the shooting parameters, it is possible to perform the reproduction according to the shooting scene.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-53670

The present disclosure provides an image pickup apparatus capable of facilitating shooting for creating a moving image such as a time-lapse moving image.

The image pickup apparatus in the present disclosure includes an image pickup unit, a control unit, and an operation unit. The image pickup unit captures a subject image and generates image data. The control unit controls an image shooting operation in which the imaging unit generates image data at preset shooting intervals for the number of shots set in advance. The operation unit accepts the user's operation regarding the setting of the image capturing operation. The control unit is a user operation that inputs the frame rate of the moving image created from the shooting result of the image shooting operation, the moving image period in which the moving image is played, and the shooting period or shooting interval in which the image shooting operation is performed. Accept. The control unit controls the image shooting operation by setting the number of shots and the shooting interval based on the information input by the user operation.

According to the image pickup apparatus in the present disclosure, it is possible to facilitate shooting for creating a moving image such as a time-lapse moving image.

The figure which shows the structure of the digital camera which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. Diagram showing the back of a digital camera Diagram to outline the operation of a digital camera Diagram for explaining the setting operation of interval shooting in a digital camera Flow chart exemplifying the automatic calculation process of a digital camera Diagram illustrating the data structure of setting information for interval shooting Diagram for explaining the setting of the start time of interval shooting in a digital camera Flow chart exemplifying the interval shooting operation of a digital camera Diagram showing a display example of the confirmation screen for creating a time-lapse movie The figure for demonstrating the setting operation of the interval photography in Embodiment 2. A flowchart illustrating the correction process of the setting operation of the interval shooting in the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters and duplicate explanations for substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy of the following description and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the inventor intends to limit the subject matter described in the claims by those skilled in the art by providing the accompanying drawings and the following description in order to fully understand the present disclosure. not.

(Embodiment 1)
In the first embodiment, a digital camera as an example of the image pickup apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described.

1. 1. Configuration The configuration of the digital camera according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment. The digital camera 100 of the present embodiment includes an image sensor 115, an image processing engine 120, a display monitor 130, and a control unit 135. Further, the digital camera 100 includes a buffer memory 125, a card slot 140, a flash memory 145, and an operation unit 150.

Further, the digital camera 100 includes, for example, an optical system 110 and a lens driving unit 112. The optical system 110 and the lens driving unit 112 may form an interchangeable lens that can be attached to and detached from the digital camera 100 main body.

The optical system 110 includes a focus lens, a zoom lens, an optical image stabilization lens (OIS), an aperture, a shutter, and the like. The focus lens is a lens for changing the focus state of the subject image formed on the image sensor 115. The zoom lens is a lens for changing the magnification of the subject image formed by the optical system. The focus lens and the like are each composed of one or a plurality of lenses.

The lens driving unit 112 drives the focus lens and the like in the optical system 110. The lens drive unit 112 includes a motor and moves the focus lens along the optical axis of the optical system 110 under the control of the control unit 135. The configuration for driving the focus lens in the lens driving unit 112 can be realized by a DC motor, a stepping motor, a servo motor, an ultrasonic motor, or the like.

The image sensor 115 captures a subject image formed via the optical system 110 and generates imaging data. The captured data constitutes image data showing an image captured by the image sensor 115. The image sensor 115 generates image data of a new frame at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 30 frames / sec). The generation timing of the image pickup data and the electronic shutter operation in the image sensor 115 are controlled by the control unit 135. As the image sensor 115, various image sensors such as a CMOS image sensor, a CCD image sensor, or an NaCl image sensor can be used.

The image sensor 115 executes a still image capturing operation, a through image capturing operation, and the like. The through image is mainly a moving image, and is displayed on the display monitor 130 for the user to determine a composition for capturing a still image. The through image and the still image are examples of captured images in the present embodiment, respectively. The image sensor 115 is an example of an image pickup unit in this embodiment.

The image processing engine 120 performs various processes on the image pickup data output from the image sensor 115 to generate image data, or performs various processes on the image data to display an image on the display monitor 130. Or generate. Examples of various processes include, but are not limited to, white balance correction, gamma correction, YC conversion processing, electronic zoom processing, compression processing, decompression processing, and the like. The image processing engine 120 may be configured by a hard-wired electronic circuit, or may be configured by a microcomputer, a processor, or the like using a program.

The display monitor 130 is an example of a display unit that displays various information. For example, the display monitor 130 displays an image (through image) imaged by the image sensor 115 and indicated by image data image-processed by the image processing engine 120. Further, the display monitor 130 displays a menu screen or the like for the user to make various settings for the digital camera 100. The display monitor 130 can be configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL device.

The operation unit 150 is a general term for a user interface that receives an operation (instruction) from the user. The operation unit 150 includes, for example, physical buttons, levers, dials, touch panels, switches, and the like. The operation unit 150 also includes virtual buttons and icons displayed on the display monitor 130. A specific example of the operation unit 150 will be described later.

The control unit 135 is a hardware controller that collectively controls the operation of the entire digital camera 100. The control unit 135 includes a CPU and the like, and the CPU realizes a predetermined function by executing a program (software). The control unit 135 may include, instead of the CPU, a processor composed of a dedicated electronic circuit designed to realize a predetermined function. That is, the control unit 135 can be realized by various processors such as CPU, MPU, GPU, DSU, FPGA, and ASIC. The control unit 135 may be composed of one or a plurality of processors. Further, the control unit 135 may be configured by one semiconductor chip together with the image processing engine 120 and the like.

The buffer memory 125 is a recording medium that functions as a work memory for the image processing engine 120 and the control unit 135. The buffer memory 125 is realized by a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like. The flash memory 145 is a non-volatile recording medium. Each of the memories 145 and 125 is an example of a storage unit in the present embodiment.

The card slot 140 is a means for inserting a removable memory card 142. The card slot 140 can electrically and mechanically connect the memory card 142. The memory card 142 is an external memory provided with a recording element such as a flash memory inside. The memory card 142 can store data such as image data generated by the image processing engine 120.

1-1. A specific example of the operation unit 150 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the back surface of the digital camera 100.

In FIG. 2, as an example of the operation unit 150, a release button 151, a selection button 152, a touch panel 155, a plurality of push buttons 156, 157, and a dial 158 are shown. When the operation unit 150 receives an operation by the user, the operation unit 150 transmits various instruction signals to the control unit 135.

The release button 151 is a two-step pressing type button. When the release button 151 is half-pressed by the user, the control unit 135 executes autofocus control (AF control), auto exposure control (AE control), and the like. When the release button 151 is fully pressed by the user, the control unit 135 records the image data captured at the timing of the pressing operation on the memory card 142 or the like as a recorded image.

The selection button 152 includes a push-type button provided in the vertical and horizontal directions and a push-type button provided in the center. The user can select various condition items displayed on the display monitor 130 or move the cursor by pressing the selection button 152 in any of the up, down, left, and right directions. When the center button of the selection button 152 is pressed by the user while the digital camera 1 is in the shooting mode or the playback mode, the control unit 135 displays a menu screen on the display monitor 130. The menu screen is a screen for setting various conditions for shooting / playback. When the center button is pressed while the setting items of various conditions are selected, the control unit 135 confirms the settings of the selected items.

The touch panel 155 is arranged so as to superimpose on the display screen of the display monitor 130, and detects a touch operation on the display screen by the user's finger. As a result, the user can perform operations such as designating an area for the image displayed on the display monitor 130 and various selections on the menu screen.

The dial 158 is a rotary operating member. The dial 158 can be used to set various modes in the digital camera 100.

2. 2. Operation The operation of the digital camera 100 configured as described above will be described below.

2-1. Outline of Operation The digital camera 100 of the present embodiment has a function of performing interval shooting in which images are intermittently repeatedly shot and creating a time-lapse moving image 20 from the shooting results. An outline of the operation of such a digital camera 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3A is a diagram for explaining interval shooting by the digital camera 100. FIG. 3B is a diagram for explaining a time-lapse moving image 20 based on the interval shooting of FIG. 3A.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment executes image shooting at each shooting interval ΔT by the number of shots N set in advance during the interval shooting operation. The shooting interval ΔT is a preset time interval. Such an interval shooting operation is an example of an image shooting operation in the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the time-lapse moving image 20 is a moving image created from an image of a shooting result so as to show the passage of time in the period during which the interval shooting operation is executed, that is, the shooting period T1. The time-lapse moving image 20 has a period for being reproduced as a moving image, that is, a moving image period T2 and a frame rate F for the moving image.

For example, when the user sets the shooting interval ΔT and the number of shots N, the digital camera 100 can execute interval shooting according to the settings. However, such detailed settings for interval shooting may be complicated even for a user such as a professional cameraman.

For example, the user may want to perform an interval shooting of a desired shooting period T1 minute so that a time-lapse movie 20 can be obtained at a desired movie frame rate F and a movie period T2 as a shooting result. In such a case, for example, the purpose of the user who uses the interval shooting is to provide the video work, and it is assumed that the video frame rate F or the like is specified in advance as the format of the video work.

In the above case, in the conventional digital camera, a complicated situation occurs in which the user back-calculates the set value such as the shooting interval ΔT obtained as a result of the desired moving image frame rate F or the like each time before the interval shooting. It ends up. As described above, in the prior art, there is a problem that it is difficult for the user to use interval shooting from the viewpoint of creating a desired time-lapse moving image 20.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the digital camera 100, the user inputs the moving image frame rate F, the moving image period T2, and the shooting period T1 for the time-lapse moving image 20 instead of directly setting the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT. Provide a possible user interface. In response to such an input value, the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment automatically calculates the shooting interval ΔT and the number of shots N so that the input value can be obtained as a result, and sets the interval shooting. This makes it possible to facilitate the use of interval shooting of the digital camera 100 when the user creates a desired time-lapse moving image 20.

2-2. Interval shooting setting operation The operation of setting interval shooting in the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a setting operation of interval shooting in the digital camera 100.

FIG. 4A shows a display example of the interval shooting setting menu screen in the digital camera 100. The control unit 135 of the digital camera 100 causes the display monitor 130 to display the menu items that can be set in the interval shooting setting menu. In this display example, the display monitor 130 displays "number of shots", "shooting interval", and "start time" as the menu items that can be set, and the current set values of each. The control unit 135 manages each set value in, for example, the buffer memory 125.

Further, in the display example of FIG. 4A, the display monitor 130 displays the scheduled end date and time according to the current set value and the return button 30 under the control of the control unit 135. The return button 30 accepts a user operation for returning from the current menu screen to a higher-level menu screen, live view, or the like.

The control unit 135 of the digital camera 100 is a user operation for changing each set value by selecting each menu item via the operation unit 150 on the setting menu screen as illustrated in FIG. 4 (A). Accept. For example, FIG. 4B illustrates a detailed setting screen in which the display monitor 130 transitions from FIG. 4A when the menu item “Number of shots” is selected.

In the display example of FIG. 4B, the detailed setting screen displayed on the display monitor 130 under the control of the control unit 135 includes a setting field 31 for the number of shots N, a setting field 32 for the shooting interval ΔT, and a change key 33. including. The control unit 135 accepts a user operation for changing the set value of the number of shots N or the shooting interval ΔT in the setting fields 31 and 32. The set value of the number of shots N can be changed, for example, in units of one shot. The setting value of the shooting interval ΔT can be changed, for example, in units of 1 second and 1 minute.

In the detailed setting screen illustrated in FIG. 4B, the display monitor 130 further displays the enter button 34, the calculation button 35, the return button 30, and the scheduled end date and time. For example, the user operates the decision button 34 after changing the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT to desired set values in the setting fields 31 and 32. Then, the control unit 135 of the digital camera 100 records each setting value displayed in the setting fields 31 and 32 when the decision button 34 is operated in the buffer memory 125 or the like as setting information used at the time of interval shooting.

The user operation of the detailed setting screen (FIG. 4B) as described above can be implemented by, for example, a touch operation of the touch panel 155, a pressing operation of the selection button 152, or the like. Each configuration for setting the number of shots N and the time interval ΔT on the screen of FIG. 4B is an example of the setting unit in the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the digital camera 100 provides a user interface that assists the detailed setting from the user input regarding the time-lapse movie 20 by incorporating the calculation button 35 into the setting menu for performing the detailed setting of the interval shooting as described above. do. An information input screen transitioning from FIG. 4B when the calculation button 35 is operated is illustrated in FIG. 4C.

In the display example of FIG. 4C, the display monitor 130 has "video frame rate", "video period", and "shooting period" as information items 40 for receiving user input under the control of the control unit 135, and each information item. The input value at 40 is displayed. The control unit 135 performs a process of automatically calculating the set value of the interval shooting, that is, an automatic calculation process, based on the input value of each of the above information items 40.

In the information input screen illustrated in FIG. 4C, the display monitor 130 displays a calculation column 41 showing a provisional calculation result in the automatic calculation process, a decision button 42, and a return button 30. For example, the user inputs a desired moving image frame rate F, moving image period T2, and shooting period T1 as input values for each information item 40, and operates the enter button 42. FIG. 4 (D) illustrates a confirmation screen that transitions when the decision button 42 of FIG. 4 (C) is operated.

In the display example of FIG. 4D, the display monitor 130 is controlled by the control unit 135 to display a confirmation message such as "Does the following settings reflect?" And a calculation showing the final calculation result in the automatic calculation process. The result column 43 and the yes / no buttons 44 and 45 are displayed. According to the automatic calculation process of the present embodiment, the set value of the interval shooting is automatically corrected when a fraction is generated in the calculation from the user input (details will be described later).

On the confirmation screen of FIG. 4D, when the user operates the Yes button 44, the digital camera 100 reflects the calculation result displayed in the calculation result column 43 in the set value of the interval shooting. For example, the display monitor 130 returns to the screen of FIG. 4B, and the above calculation result is automatically input to the setting fields 31 and 32.

According to the setting menu of the digital camera 100 in the present embodiment as described above, the user can directly set detailed interval shooting such as the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT, and can use the assist function by the calculation button 35. (See FIG. 4 (B)). In this function, the user can obtain the calculation result for the detailed setting of the interval shooting by inputting the information for creating the time-lapse movie 20 (see FIGS. 4 (C) and 4 (D)).

2-2-1. Automatic calculation processing The details of the automatic calculation processing performed in the setting menu of the digital camera 100 as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 6. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the automatic calculation process.

The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 starts, for example, when the operation of the calculation button 35 on the detailed setting screen of FIG. 4B is input, and is executed by the control unit 135 of the digital camera 100. The operation of the calculation button 35 may be a touch operation of the calculation button 35 on the screen by the touch panel 155, a pressing operation of the push button 156 corresponding to the calculation button 35, or the like.

First, the control unit 135 causes the display monitor 130 to display an information input screen as illustrated in FIG. 4 (C) (S1). In the screen display of step S1, the input value of each information item 40 and the calculated value in the calculation field 41 are updated at any time.

The control unit 135 accepts a user operation for each information item 40 on the information input screen in the operation unit 150, and acquires each input value of the moving image frame rate F, the moving image period T2, and the shooting period T1 (S2). The input value of the moving image frame rate F is input in units of, for example, fps (frames per second). The input value of the moving image period T2 is input in seconds and minutes, for example. The input value of the shooting period T1 is input in units of seconds, minutes and hours, for example.

In step S2, the user operation for each information item 40 may be a touch operation by the touch panel 155, a pressing operation of the selection button 152, or the like. When the input value of each information item 40 is changed, the control unit 135 causes the display monitor 130 to display a pop-up for changing the input value or the like on the screen illustrated in FIG. 4C in response to the user operation. Alternatively, the screen may be changed to another screen.

Next, the control unit 135 calculates the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT in the interval shooting based on the acquired moving image frame rate F, the moving image period T2, and the shooting period T1 (S3). For example, the control unit 135 calculates the calculated value of the number of shots N by calculating the multiplication of the input value of the moving image frame rate F and the input value of the moving image period T2 as in the following equation (1) (S3). ..
N = F × T2… (1)

Further, the control unit 135 calculates the calculated value of the shooting interval ΔT by calculating the division with respect to the input value of the shooting period T1 as in the following equation (2) (S3).
ΔT = T1 / (F × T2) = T1 / N ... (2)

Since the above equation (2) is a division, it is conceivable that a fraction may occur in the calculated value of the shooting interval ΔT. The calculated value in step S3 is calculated within a predetermined range, for example, up to the first decimal place.

In step S3, the control unit 135 causes the calculation column 41 to display each calculated value calculated based on the input value displayed in the information item 40 on the information input screen of FIG. 4C, and various types are displayed in the operation unit 150. Accept user operations. The control unit 135 determines whether or not the operation of the determination button 42 on the information input screen (FIG. 4 (C)) has been input (S4). The operation of the enter button 42 may be a touch operation by the touch panel 155 or a push operation of the push button 156.

For example, when the user performs an operation of changing the input value of the information item 40 (NO in S4) instead of operating the enter button 42, the control unit 135 performs the processing after step S2 for the new input value. In steps S2 to S4, the user can adjust the input value of each information item 40 while referring to, for example, the display in the calculation column 41.

When the operation of the enter button 42 is input (YES in S4), the control unit 135 determines, for example, whether or not the calculated value of the shooting interval ΔT calculated in step S3 includes a fraction (S5). The reference of the fraction of the shooting interval ΔT is, for example, the minimum unit of the set value that can be changed in the setting field 32 of FIG. 4 (B).

When the calculated value of the shooting interval ΔT does not include a fraction (NO in S5), the control unit 135 displays a confirmation screen as illustrated in FIG. 4D based on the processing results of steps S2 and S3. Monitor 130 Is displayed in (S6). In this case (NO in S5), the calculation result column 43 on the confirmation screen displays the calculated values of the number of shots N calculated in step S3, the shooting interval ΔT, and the input value of the shooting period T1 acquired in step S2. Will be done.

When the calculated value of the shooting interval ΔT includes a fraction (YES in S5), the control unit 135 corrects the shooting interval ΔT by rounding down or the like (S7). Further, the control unit 135 corrects the shooting period T1 so as to match the correction value of the shooting interval ΔT obtained by removing the fraction from the calculated value by rounding (S7). The correction value of the shooting period T1 is calculated by calculating the following equation (3) using, for example, the correction value of the shooting interval ΔT.
T1 = ΔT × F × T2… (3)

According to the above equation (3), for example, when the fraction of the shooting interval ΔT is rounded down, the shooting period T1 is shortened accordingly.

When the above-mentioned fractions are corrected (YES, S7 in S5), the control unit 135 sets the shooting interval ΔT before the correction and the shooting interval ΔT in the calculation result column 43 of the confirmation screen as illustrated in FIG. 4 (D). Instead of the shooting period T1, each correction value is displayed (S6). The user can confirm the corrected shooting period T1 that offsets the fraction of the shooting interval ΔT in the calculation result column 43 of the confirmation screen.

With the confirmation screen in step S6 displayed, the control unit 135 accepts the operation of the yes button 44 or the no button 45 in the operation unit 150 (S8). The operation of the yes / no buttons 44 and 45 may be a touch operation of the touch panel 155, or may be an operation of selecting one of “yes” and “no” using the selection button 152.

When the operation of the No button 45 is input, that is, when the operation of the Yes button 44 is not input (NO in S8), the control unit 135 confirms the screen display of the display monitor 130 (FIG. 4 (D)). Transition to the information input screen (FIG. 4 (C)) from (S1). After that, the control unit 135 performs the processing after step S2 again.

On the other hand, when the operation of the Yes button 44 is input (YES in S8), the control unit 135 sets the number of shots N, the shooting interval ΔT, and the shooting period T1 displayed in the calculation result column 43 of the confirmation screen for interval shooting. It is reflected in the setting of the digital camera 100 (S9).

For example, in step S9, the screen display of the display monitor 130 changes from the confirmation screen illustrated in FIG. 4D to the detailed setting screen illustrated in FIG. 4B under the control of the control unit 135. At this time, the control unit 135 automatically updates the set values of the setting columns 31 and 32 on the detailed setting screen according to the number of shots N in the calculation result column 43 and the shooting interval ΔT in step S8 (S9). Further, the control unit 135 calculates the scheduled end date and time based on the shooting period T1 in the calculation result column 43 in step S8, the preset start time, and the current date and time.

For example, the control unit 135 ends the automatic calculation process of FIG. 5 after reflecting the calculation result on the detailed setting screen (FIG. 4 (B)) as described above (S9).

According to the above automatic calculation process, the digital camera 100 acquires the desired input values of the moving image frame rate F, the moving image period T2, and the shooting period T1 for the user to create the time-lapse moving image 20, and the number of shots taken in the interval shooting. N and the shooting interval ΔT are automatically calculated (S2, S3). At this time, the shooting interval ΔT and the shooting period T1 are automatically corrected according to the fraction of the calculation result (S7). FIG. 6 illustrates the setting information D1 for interval photography obtained by the automatic calculation process.

The setting information D1 illustrated in FIG. 6 is managed by associating the "number of shots", the "shooting interval", the "start time", the "shooting period", the "video frame rate", and the "video period". do. For example, when the user inputs the operation of the decision button 34 on the detailed setting screen (FIG. 4B) after step S9 of the automatic calculation process, the control unit 135 sets the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT in the setting information D1. , Record the set value of the result of automatic calculation processing. In this case, the control unit 135 records the input value acquired in step S2 of the automatic calculation process in the moving image frame rate F in the setting information D1 and the moving image period T2. Further, the control unit 135 records the input value in step S2 or the correction value in step S7 in the shooting period T1 in the setting information D1.

In the above description of step S7, truncation is exemplified as a rounding process for correcting the photographing interval ΔT. The fraction processing of the shooting interval ΔT is not particularly limited to rounding down, and may be rounding up or rounding off. Further, the digital camera 100 may be set to change the shooting interval ΔT in the interval shooting operation so that the calculated value of the shooting interval ΔT according to the equation (2) becomes an average value, for example.

In the above description of step S9, an example in which the control unit 135 reflects the number of shots N, the shooting interval ΔT, and the shooting period T1 of the calculation result on the detailed setting screen of FIG. 4B has been described. The reflection method is not particularly limited to this. For example, in step S9, the control unit 135 may record the setting information D1 as described above without going through the detailed setting screen of FIG. 4B. In this case, the display monitor 130 may transition to the setting menu screen of FIG. 4A after the automatic calculation process.

2-2-2. Start Time of Interval Shooting A method of setting the start time of interval shooting in the digital camera 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7A illustrates a state in which the menu item “start time” is being selected on the setting menu screen similar to that in FIG. 4A. The control unit 135 of the digital camera 100 shifts the screen display of the display monitor 130 from FIG. 7A to the setting screen of FIG. 7B in response to a user operation for selecting the menu item.

In the setting screen illustrated in FIG. 7B, the control unit 135 causes the display monitor 130 to display two options "immediate start" and "start time setting" to be selected by the user operation. "Immediate start" is an option to start the interval shooting operation immediately when the release button 151 is operated, for example. The "start time setting" is an option to start the interval shooting operation when the preset start time is reached. FIG. 7 (C) illustrates a display example of the detailed setting screen transitioning from FIG. 7 (B) when the latter option is selected.

In the display example of FIG. 7C, the detailed setting screen displayed on the display monitor 130 includes a start time setting field 36, a change key 33, and an enter button 34. The control unit 135 accepts a user operation for designating a set value of the start time in the setting field 36. When the user operates the decision button 34, the control unit 135 records the setting value displayed in the setting field 36 at the start time in the setting information D1 (FIG. 6) D1 for interval shooting. When the former option is selected, information indicating "immediate start" is recorded as the start time of the setting information D1.

2-3. Interval shooting operation An example of the interval shooting operation of the digital camera 100 performed based on the above various settings will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 9. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the interval shooting operation of the digital camera 100.

The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 starts, for example, when the shooting mode of the digital camera 100 is set to the mode for interval shooting. Hereinafter, an operation example when the setting information D1 for interval shooting illustrated in FIG. 6 is stored in advance will be described.

First, the control unit 135 of the digital camera 100 refers to the setting information D1 for interval shooting, and determines whether or not the current time is the start time of the setting information D1 (S21). When the start time of the setting information D1 is "immediate start", the determination in step S21 is performed depending on whether or not the operation to start shooting is performed by the release button 151.

When the start time of the interval shooting operation is reached (YES in S21), the control unit 135 executes, for example, one image shooting (S22). For example, the control unit 135 causes the image sensor 115 to perform an image pickup operation of a still image, and records the generated image data such as RAW data in, for example, the buffer memory 125. The image data may be recorded in the memory card 142 in step S22.

The control unit 135 refers to the setting information D1 for interval shooting, and determines whether or not the number of shot image data reaches the number of shots N set in the setting information D1 (S23).

When the number of shots has not reached the number of shots N of the setting information D1 (NO in S23), the control unit 135 waits from the time of shooting in step S22 until the shooting interval ΔT of the setting information D1 elapses (NO). S24). At this time, the control unit 135 may appropriately control the digital camera 100 to a sleep mode or the like.

After that, the control unit 135 waits for the shooting interval ΔT (S24), and then shoots one image again (S22). The control unit 135 repeats the processes of steps S22 to S24 until the number of shots reaches the number of shots N of the setting information D1.

When the number of shots reaches the number of shots N of the setting information D1 (YES in S23), the control unit 135 displays, for example, a confirmation screen for creating the time-lapse moving image 20 on the display monitor 130 (S25). A display example of step S25 is illustrated in FIG.

In the display example of FIG. 9, the confirmation screen displayed on the display monitor 130 includes a confirmation message such as "Do you want to create a moving image now?" And yes / no buttons 51 and 52. The control unit 135 accepts user operations of the Yes / No buttons 51 and 52 in the operation unit 150 when the screen is displayed (S26).

When the operation of the Yes button 51 is input (YES in S26), the control unit 135 creates a time-lapse moving image 20 from the image data of the shooting result based on the moving image frame rate F and the moving image period T2 in the setting information D1 (YES in S26). S27). The control unit 135 records the created time-lapse moving image 20 on the memory card 142, and ends the process shown in this flowchart.

On the other hand, when the operation of the No button 52 is input, that is, when the operation of the Yes button 51 is not input (NO in S26), the control unit 135 does not create the time-lapse movie 20 (S27). The process shown in the flowchart ends. At this time, the control unit 135 may record the N image data captured in steps S21 to S25 on the memory card 142 in association with the moving image frame rate F of the setting information D1 and the moving image period T2. ..

According to the above interval shooting operation, interval shooting is performed according to the start time, the number of shots N, and the shooting interval ΔT set in the interval shooting setting menu (S21 to S24). In this operation example, the time-lapse moving image 20 is performed after shooting N images (S27). The user can select whether or not to create the time-lapse movie 20 immediately after shooting (S26).

In the above operation example, an example in which the time-lapse moving image 20 is performed after shooting N image data has been described, but the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment may create a time-lapse moving image 20 during N image shooting (S22 to S24). For example, the control unit 135 may sequentially encode a moving image on the obtained image data each time one image is taken (S22).

3. 3. Summary As described above, the digital camera 100, which is an example of the image pickup apparatus in the present embodiment, includes an image sensor 115, which is an example of an image pickup unit, a control unit 135, and an operation unit 150. The image sensor 115 captures a subject image and generates image data. The control unit 135 controls the interval shooting operation, which is an example of the image shooting operation in which the image sensor 115 generates image data at each preset shooting interval ΔT for the preset number of shots N. The operation unit 150 receives a user's operation regarding the setting of the interval shooting operation. In the control unit 135, the operation unit 150 has a video frame rate F of the time-lapse video 20 which is an example of a video created from the shooting result of the interval shooting operation, a video period T2 in which the time-lapse video 20 is played, and an interval shooting operation. Accepts a user operation for inputting the shooting period T1 or the shooting interval ΔT. The control unit 135 controls the interval shooting operation by setting the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT based on the information input by the user operation.

According to the above digital camera 100, the user can input a desired moving image frame rate F, moving image period T2, and shooting period T1 for the time-lapse moving image 20 instead of directly setting the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT. This makes it easier to shoot for creating a moving image such as a time-lapse moving image.

In the present embodiment, the number of shots N is calculated by multiplying the moving image frame rate F and the moving image period T2 in the information input by the user operation. The digital camera 100 can automatically calculate the corresponding number of shots N based on the information input by the user.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 135 accepts a user operation for inputting a moving image frame rate F, a moving image period T2, and a shooting period T1 in the operation unit 150. The shooting interval ΔT is calculated from the moving image frame rate F, the moving image period T2, and the shooting period T1 in the information input by the user operation. The digital camera 100 can automatically calculate the corresponding shooting interval ΔT based on the information input by the user.

In the present embodiment, when the calculated shooting interval ΔT has a fraction (YES in S5), the control unit 135 corrects the shooting period T1 according to the fraction of the shooting interval ΔT (S7). According to the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment, the shooting period T1 input by the user can be automatically corrected.

In the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment, the operation unit 150 includes setting units such as setting fields 31 and 32 for setting the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT by user operation (see FIG. 4B). When the control unit 135 receives a user operation for inputting the moving image frame rate F, the moving image period T2, and the shooting period T1, the information input by the user operation is reflected in the setting of the setting unit (S9). The user may directly set the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT, or may reflect the information in the setting by inputting information about the time-lapse moving image 20.

The digital camera 100 of the present embodiment further includes a display monitor 130, which is an example of a display unit that displays information. When the control unit 135 receives a user operation for inputting the moving image frame rate F, the moving image period T2, and the shooting period T1, the control unit 135 displays the number of shots N and the shooting period T1 calculated from the information input by the user operation. It is displayed on the monitor 130 (see FIG. 4C). As a result, the user can confirm the calculation result by the digital camera 100 according to the input value.

In the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 135 creates a time-lapse moving image 20 having a frame rate F and a moving image period T2 in the information input by the user operation based on the shooting result by the interval shooting operation (S27). .. The creation of such a time-lapse moving image 20 may be performed after the execution of the interval shooting operation, or may be performed during the execution.

(Embodiment 2)
In the above-described first embodiment, in the interval shooting setting operation of the digital camera 100, a method of correcting only the shooting period T1 according to a fraction of the shooting interval ΔT is exemplified, but the correction method of the shooting setting value is not limited to this. .. In the second embodiment, a method of correcting the shooting set value different from that of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 11.

Hereinafter, the digital camera 100 according to the present embodiment will be described by omitting the description of the same configuration and operation as the digital camera 100 according to the first embodiment as appropriate.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the setting operation of interval shooting in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the correction processing of the setting operation of the interval shooting in the present embodiment. 10 (A) to 10 (C) exemplify various screens similar to those of FIGS. 4 (A) to 4 (C), respectively. FIG. 10D exemplifies a confirmation screen of the correction result in the present embodiment.

In the setting operation of the first embodiment, it is conceivable that the shooting period T1 input by the user may be significantly changed by the correction of the automatic calculation process (S7 in FIG. 5) (FIGS. 4 (C) and 4 (D)). reference). Therefore, in the present embodiment, a correction process is adopted in which the shooting period T1 input by the user is not changed as much as possible.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 135 of the digital camera 100 executes the correction process shown in FIG. 11 in step S7 when performing the processes of steps S1 to S9 of FIG. 5 as in the first embodiment. That is, each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 is executed in step S5 of FIG. 5 when the calculated value of the shooting interval ΔT includes a fraction (YES in S5).

First, with respect to the fraction of the shooting interval ΔT, the control unit 135 corrects the shooting interval ΔT by, for example, performing a rounding process to round down the decimal point (S101). The correction value of the shooting interval ΔT determined in step S101 is hereinafter referred to as “ΔT100”. Next, the control unit 135 calculates the number of shots N2 according to the following equation (21) based on the corrected shooting interval ΔT100 in step S101 (S102).
N2 = T1 / ΔT100 ... (21)

The control unit 135 determines, for example, whether or not the number of shots N2 calculated from the above equation (21) has a fraction (S103). When the number of shots N2 has no fraction (NO in S103), the control unit 135 determines the number of shots N2 calculated in step S102 as a correction value (S104).

On the other hand, if the number of shots N2 has a fraction (YES in S103), the control unit 135 further corrects it by rounding (S105). The rounding in step S105 is, for example, rounding up to the nearest whole number. The correction value of the number of shots determined in step S105 is set to "N3".

Finally, the control unit 135 calculates the shooting period T100 of the correction result as in the following equation (22) based on the number of shots N3 determined as described above and the shooting interval ΔT100 (S106).
T100 = N3 × ΔT100… (22)

The control unit 135 performs, for example, the processing after step S6 in FIG. 11 based on the correction result obtained in step S104 or S106.

According to the above processing, by correcting the number of shots according to the fraction of the shooting interval (S101), the shooting setting can be completed without changing the shooting period input by the user as much as possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 (D), the width in which the shooting period is changed can be reduced as compared with the case where only the shooting period is corrected (see FIG. 4 (D)).

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the control unit 135 of the digital camera 100 has a fraction in the calculated shooting interval (YES in S5), the control unit 135 corrects the number of shots according to the fraction of the shooting interval (S101). .. The control unit 135 may correct the shooting period according to the fraction of the number of shots calculated at this time (S106). According to such a correction, the width changed from the shooting period input by the user can be reduced, and the intention of the user can be easily reflected.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the first and second embodiments have been described as examples of the techniques disclosed in the present application. However, the technique in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made as appropriate. It is also possible to combine the components described in the first and second embodiments to form a new embodiment. Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

In the first and second embodiments described above, an example in which the digital camera 100 accepts a user operation for inputting a moving image frame rate F, a moving image period T2, and a shooting period T1 has been described. In the present embodiment, the digital camera 100 may accept a user operation for inputting the shooting interval ΔT instead of the above-mentioned shooting period T1. For example, when the user creates the time-lapse moving image 20, there may be a case where there is a desired shooting interval ΔT, but there is no particular request for the shooting period T1. Also in this case, the digital camera 100 can calculate the number of shots N as in the first embodiment based on the information input by the user, and can automatically set the number of shots N and the shooting interval ΔT. Further, the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment may calculate the shooting period T1 based on the information input by the user.

In each of the above embodiments, an example in which the digital camera 100 creates a time-lapse moving image 20 based on the shooting result of the interval shooting operation has been described. In the present embodiment, the time-lapse moving image 20 may not be created in an image pickup device such as a digital camera 100, or may be created in an information device outside the image pickup device such as a personal computer.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, a digital camera 100 including an optical system 110 and a lens driving unit 112 is exemplified. The image pickup apparatus of this embodiment does not have to include the optical system 110 and the lens driving unit 112, and may be, for example, an interchangeable lens type camera.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the digital camera has been described as an example of the image pickup apparatus, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The image pickup apparatus of the present disclosure may be an electronic device having an image capturing function (for example, a video camera, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc.).

As described above, an embodiment has been described as an example of the technique in the present disclosure. To that end, an attached drawing and a detailed description are provided.

Therefore, among the components described in the attached drawings and the detailed description, not only the components essential for problem solving but also the components not essential for problem solving in order to illustrate the above-mentioned technology. Can also be included. Therefore, the fact that those non-essential components are described in the accompanying drawings or detailed description should not immediately determine that those non-essential components are essential.

Further, since the above-described embodiment is for exemplifying the technique in the present disclosure, various changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. can be made within the scope of claims or the equivalent thereof.

The present disclosure is applicable to various image pickup devices that perform a shooting operation for creating a time-lapse moving image.

100 Digital camera 115 Image sensor 125 Buffer memory 135 Control unit 145 Flash memory 150 Operation unit

Claims (8)

An image pickup unit that captures a subject image and generates image data,
A control unit that controls an image shooting operation in which the image pickup unit generates the image data at preset shooting intervals for the number of shots set in advance.
It is equipped with an operation unit that accepts user operations related to the setting of the image shooting operation.
The control unit
In the operation unit, a user who inputs a frame rate of a moving image created from the shooting result of the image shooting operation, a moving image period in which the moving image is played, a shooting period in which the image shooting operation is performed, or the shooting interval. Accept the operation,
An image pickup device that controls the image shooting operation by setting the number of shots and the shooting interval based on the information input by the user operation. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the number of shots is calculated by multiplying the frame rate of the moving image and the moving image period in the information input by the user operation. The control unit receives a user operation for inputting the frame rate of the moving image, the moving image period, and the shooting period in the operation unit.
The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the shooting interval is calculated from the frame rate of the moving image, the moving image period, and the shooting period in the information input by the user operation. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit corrects the shooting period according to the fraction of the shooting interval when the calculated shooting interval has a fraction. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein when the calculated shooting interval has a fraction, the control unit corrects the number of shots according to the fraction of the shooting interval. The operation unit includes a setting unit for setting the number of shots and the shooting interval by user operation.
When the control unit receives a user operation for inputting the frame rate of the moving image, the moving image period, the shooting period or the shooting interval, the information input by the user operation is used as the setting of the setting unit. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1. It also has a display unit that displays information.
When the control unit receives a user operation for inputting the frame rate of the moving image, the moving image period, the shooting period or the shooting interval, the number of shots and the number of shots calculated from the information input by the user operation are taken. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the period is displayed on the display unit. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit creates a moving image having a frame rate and a moving image period in the information input by the user operation based on the shooting result of the image shooting operation.

Images