JPH03107932A - optical equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To focus within a focusing range desired by a photographer without troublesome operation by detecting the line of the sight of the photographer, obtaining the steady gaze point thereof and realizing an auto-depth mode which decides a focal position and an stop value at the time of photographing with the aid of using both information of the focal position and a photometric value at the steady gaze point. CONSTITUTION:The steady gaze point of the line of the sight of the photographer is obtained by using a line of sight detection device 8. By using both information of the focal position and the photometric value at that point, the focal position and the exposure value at the time of the photographing are decided. That means, the focusing point (the point which is thought important at the time of photographing) desired by the photographer is recognized and the focal position and the stop value is set so as to perform focusing on the point. Thus, the focusing range is set as the photographer wishes without the troublesome operation.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a photographing control device for a camera that performs automatic focus and exposure control used in still cameras, video cameras, etc. The present invention relates to a photographing control device for a camera that performs automatic focus and exposure control using information on the gaze point of the camera.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, cameras have been equipped with a so-called depth mode, which uses focus exposure control to determine the focus position and exposure value during photography using both focus position information and photometric value information of one point or multiple points. Various types are provided.

In this depth mode, for example, the range of focus (depth of field) can be set as desired by the photographer. When you want to focus on different subjects (A) to (C), put the subject (A) in the focusing frame of camera C, press the release button halfway (SW, ON), and then focus on the subject (C). Place the camera in the distance measurement frame and press the release button halfway in the same way. By this operation, M, P, and tl (microprocessor units) in the camera memorize the focal position information of the objects (^) and (C). Furthermore, using the focal length information of the photographic lens, etc., the focal position between the closest subject (^) and the farthest subject (C), where an ideal depth of field can be obtained, is determined.
) calculates the aperture value that falls within the depth of field, and calculates the shutter speed from this aperture value. Also, when you want to focus only on the central subject (B) as shown in figure (b),
) in the rangefinder frame and press the release button halfway twice, then set the aperture to wide open and set the shutter speed accordingly.
Only the subject (B) is in focus, and the other subjects (
A photograph with shallow depth in which A) and (C) are blurred is obtained.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, in the above conventional example, the photographer sets the point and range to focus on by pointing the distance measuring frame at the closest point and farthest point and pressing the release button halfway. Because you have to repeat the push operation twice,
The disadvantages of setting operations being cumbersome and time-consuming have been eliminated.

An object of the present invention is to solve such conventional problems and to take pictures of a single subject or multiple subjects at different distances by simply gazing at the desired subject in the viewfinder without requiring any complicated operations. To provide a camera photography control device that can appropriately photograph images.

[Means and effects for solving the problem] In the present invention, a line of sight detection device is used to determine the point of gaze of the photographer, and both focal position information and photometric value information at that point are used to determine the point of view of the photographer. In other words, by knowing the point the photographer wants to focus on (the important point in shooting) and setting the focus position and aperture value to focus on that point, you can easily This allows the photographer to set the in-focus range as desired without any complicated operations.

[Embodiments] Embodiment 1 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a camera in which the present invention can be effectively implemented.

Subject light from the photographic lens 6 reaches the photographer's eye E via the main mirror 4, pentaprism 3, and dichroic mirror 2.

On the other hand, a part of the subject light from the photographic lens 6 passes through the main mirror 4 and reaches the focusing unit 5 via the sub-mirror 7.

The dichroic mirror 2 converts light from the eye E side into, for example, 9
0'' angle, and the reflected light is imaged on the image sensor 1 for line of sight detection via an imaging lens (not shown). Although not shown in FIG. Light from an LED or other device with a weak output is irradiated toward the eye E looking into the image, and the reflected light is imaged on the image sensor 1, and based on information such as the image formation position, a line of sight position calculation device (not shown) is used to display the viewfinder. As a method of detecting the gaze position, for example, a method of determining the gaze position from the reflected image of the cornea and the center position of the pupil is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-1.
It is publicly known from No. 72552 and the like.

Further, the subject 5 from the photographing lens 6 enters a photometry sensor (not shown), and a photometry calculation circuit or the like enables photometry such as spot photometry at an arbitrary point in the viewfinder or average photometry. It has become.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a camera photographing control device according to the present invention.
FIG.

8 is the image sensor 1 shown in FIG. 2 or the LE not shown.
10 is a microprocessing unit (M, P, U) including a line-of-sight position calculation circuit, a photometry calculation circuit, a distance measurement calculation circuit, etc.; Information from the sensor 13 and ranging sensor (AF sensor) 14 is input to M, P, and jl 10 via the interface 11. Each information processed by the 0M, P, and tl 10 is input via the interface 11. shutter unit 1
5. Drive the aperture unit 16 and focusing unit 17, and store the calculation results in the memory 12.

Note that a first switch (SW+) signal and a second switch (Slh) signal from a release switch (not shown) are input to M, P, and tl 10.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the operation of the camera photographing control device according to this embodiment.

When the main switch of the camera is turned on, the mode that automatically determines the in-focus range (depth of field) and determines the aperture value and shutter speed based on the result (hereinafter referred to as auto depth mode) is selected using a switch, etc. When instructed to do so and enters the auto depth mode routine shown in the figure, initialization is performed to clear information such as the gaze point and (final) focal position that have been calculated up to that point, and then the camera's line of sight in the viewfinder is Perform detection. This is M, P, U
To is performed by taking in image signals from the image sensor 1 of the line of sight detection unit 8 at regular intervals and calculating them. Next, it is determined whether or not this point is a gaze point, If it is determined, the focal position information, photometric value information, or gaze point information (
coordinates). This operation continues until the release switch is pressed halfway (SW is turned on), but it is pointless to continue it for too long, so the focus points to be stored in memory are several recent ones. limited to. In other words, the point of interest that occurs more than a certain period of time before the release switch is pressed halfway (SW, ON), that is, immediately after looking through the viewfinder, is excluded because it is difficult to think of it as an important point in photography, and Only points of interest within a certain period of time from the time of pressing are stored in the memory 12 as focal position information at that point. As a result, when using long-term gaze point data, "the range from very close to almost infinity is specified as the range to focus on" and "a wide range of light metering values are always used to determine the exposure value." This makes it possible to eliminate the negative effect of "becoming the object of the search", that is, the negative effect that the photographer's intention inputted by the line of sight becomes distracted and becomes meaningless. In other words, if the photographer focuses on one subject or multiple subjects in the viewfinder, 1
The focal position, photometric value, or gaze point coordinates of one subject or a plurality of subjects are each stored in memory. and,
If the release switch is pressed halfway (SW, ON)
First, using the focal position information stored in the memory 12, the photographer knows the closest and farthest points of the subject that he or she is looking at;
Furthermore, using information such as the focal length of the lens, the focal position between the two points that provides the ideal depth of field, and the aperture value that brings the two points within the depth of field are calculated, and at the same time, the focal position is calculated. Drive Helens.

Next, use all of the memorized photometric values or perform photometry at a point corresponding to the memorized point of interest to determine the exposure value at the time of release, and then determine the shutter speed from this value and the aperture value. . An example of how to calculate the exposure value at the time of release is to calculate a weighted average using the formula shown below.

However, n: Number of points of interest I (i): Photometric value of each point.And if the release switch is completely pressed (SW2 is turned on), the routine goes to the release operation using the calculated aperture value and shutter speed. Transition.

In the flowchart in Figure 3, the calculated values (focal position, aperture value, shutter speed) are held as long as the release switch remains pressed halfway (SW, ON). However, in the present invention, without holding the shutter speed, it is also possible to constantly measure light while the release switch is half-pressed (SW, ON) and constantly update the shutter speed at the time of release based on that value. do not have.

Further, as an example of a method for determining whether or not it is a gaze point, there is a method using the gaze retention time. In other words, if the photographer's line of sight remains at a position that can be considered the same for a certain period of time or more, there is a method of regarding that point as the point of interest.

Note that in this embodiment, the focal position is determined using the closest point and the farthest point, but all focal position information may be used. In that case, the way to find the focal position is to take the weighted average of all the focal position information, set that as the focal position, and then set the aperture value so that the closest and farthest points are in focus. .

Example 2 FIG. 4(a) is a block diagram of the second embodiment.

18 is an external input means for manually inputting that the photographer is looking at the point of interest; 2o is a superimpose element drive circuit;
1 is a superimpose element, which constitutes a superimpose unit 19. G, L, C (grated liquid crystal) are known as superimposed elements, and are arranged on a focusing plate as shown in FIG. M, P, and U t o determine the position of the photographer's line of sight when an input is received from an external input means, and output a signal related to the position to the superimpose element drive circuit 20 via the interface 11.

The drive circuit 20 drives the elements according to the signals to perform superimposed display. Note that the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the explanation thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4(b) is a flowchart showing the operation of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the photographer specifies whether or not the point of interest is the point of interest based on an instruction from an external input means.

When the auto depth mode routine shown in the figure is entered by turning on the camera's auto depth mode selection switch, etc., the camera first performs initialization such as clearing the calculation results up to that point, and then detects the photographer's line of sight. This point is then displayed superimposed in the viewfinder.

The photographer looks at this display and decides whether or not that point is important when shooting, that is, whether it is a point (point of interest) used in calculations to obtain constants for final focus position control and exposure control. Then, the result is indicated by one external input means. When a point of interest is designated by the external input means 18, focal position information, photometric value information, or point of interest information (coordinates) at that point is memorized. This operation is continued until the release button is pressed halfway, but for the same reason as in the first embodiment, the number of recent gaze points to be stored in memory is limited. When the release switch is pressed halfway, the closest and farthest points are first determined using the focal position information stored in memory, as in Example 1, and the focal length information of the lens is also used. Then, the focal position between the two points that provides an ideal depth of field width and the aperture value that allows the two points to fall within the depth of field are calculated, and the lens is simultaneously driven to that focal position. Next, use all of the memorized photometric values or perform photometry at a point corresponding to the memorized gaze point to determine the exposure value at the time of release, and then set the shutter speed based on this value and the aperture value. . If the release switch is pressed completely (SW).

On), the camera moves to a routine that performs shutter operation using the calculated aperture value and shutter speed.

In this embodiment as well, while the release switch is pressed halfway, it does not matter whether the calculated values (focal position, aperture value, shutter speed) are retained or the shutter speed is updated. But it doesn't matter.

In Embodiment 1.2 described above, processing such as determining the farthest point and closest point is performed after the release switch is pressed halfway (SW, ON), but in Embodiment 3.4, which will be described later, It performs processing such as finding the farthest point and closest point in the loop until the switch is pressed halfway.

Example 3 FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the third embodiment.

When the auto-depth mode is entered in the same manner as in the above embodiment, initialization processing is first performed to clear the calculation results up to that point. Next, the line of sight of the photographer is detected. Next, it is determined whether or not this point is a point of interest, and if it is determined to be a point of interest, the focal position information, photometric value information, or point of interest information (location 1ill) at that point is memorized.

Note that the method of determining the gaze point includes the method of using the gaze retention time shown in the first embodiment. First, use the memorized focal position information to find the closest and farthest points, and then use this and the focal length of the lens to determine the focal position between the two points that will give you the ideal depth width. Calculate the aperture value that falls within the depth of field. Thereafter, photometry is performed using all of the memorized photometric values or at a point corresponding to the memorized gaze point to determine the exposure value at the time of release, and then the shutter speed. This operation continues until the release switch is pressed halfway, and each time a new point of interest is extracted, the closest and farthest points are determined, and the focal position, aperture value, and shutter speed are calculated. For the same reason as in Examples 1 and 2, the gazing points used when determining the multiple values of the focus position, aperture value, and shutter speed are limited to those after a certain period of time from immediately before the release switch is pressed halfway. This is done by preparing a memory that stores information about multiple points of interest, and each time a point of interest is extracted, the information for that point is stored in memory, and when the information is stored in all memories, the oldest All you have to do is update the information on the point of interest to the latest one.
When the release switch is pressed halfway, the lens is driven to the focal position calculated at that point. Furthermore, if the release switch is fully pressed (SW2 on),
The routine moves to a release operation based on the calculated aperture value and shutter speed.

Example 4 FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the fourth embodiment.

In this embodiment, after detecting the photographer's line of sight, the point is displayed superimposed in the viewfinder, and the photographer looks at the display and decides by himself whether or not to set it as the point of interest. Embodiment 3 except that 2 is instructed by external means.
It is exactly the same.

Note that in the flowchart of Embodiment 3.4 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the calculated value is held as long as the release switch remains pressed halfway, but Embodiment 3. .4, it is also possible to always perform photometry while the release switch is being pressed halfway, and to constantly update the shutter speed at the time of release based on the measured value.

In addition, in Examples 2 and 3.4, when determining the focal position during photographing using the focal position information of all the gaze points, as in Example 1, take the weighted average value of all the focal position information, You can set this as the focal point and then set the aperture value so that the closest and farthest points are in focus.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the present invention, the line of sight of the photographer is detected, the gaze point is determined, and both the focal position information and the photometric value information at the gaze point are used when taking a picture. focal position,
By implementing an auto-depth mode that determines the aperture value and shutter speed, it is possible to focus on the photographer's desired range without complicated operations, and this operation and calculation is performed during framing. This allows the lens to be driven immediately upon release, making it possible to create a depth mode that is extremely easy to operate.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a camera photographing control device according to the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram of a camera that can effectively implement the present invention, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment, and FIGS. 4(a) and (b) are blocks of the second embodiment. Figures and flowcharts, Figures 5 and 6 are Example 3
．． The flowchart of No. 4 and FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are diagrams for explaining the photographing operation in the conventional depth mode, respectively. 8... line of sight detection unit 10... microprocessor unit) (M, P,
U) 11... Interface Figure 1 3... Metering sensor 2... Memory 1 4... AF sensor 5... Shutter unit 6... Aperture unit 7... Focusing unit and other 4th person Figure (0) Figure 3 Figure (0] and 1 1 So Figure

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A line-of-sight position detection means for detecting the position of the subject in the finder that the photographer is gazing at based on the line-of-sight of the photographer looking into the finder of the camera, and one or more objects detected by the line-of-sight position detection means. means for detecting photometric information and focus information of the subject corresponding to each gaze point position, respectively, and using the photometry information and focus information at each of the one or more gaze points, the exposure value and the subject at all the gaze points are detected. 1. A photographing control device for a camera, comprising a control means for determining a photographing focal point position for focusing. 2. The photographing control device for a camera according to claim 1, wherein the control means determines the photographing focal position using the nearest focus information and the farthest focal point information among the plurality of focus information. 3. The photographing control device for a camera according to claim 1, wherein the control means determines the photographing focal position based on focal position information at all the gaze points. 4. The photographing control device for a camera according to claim 1, wherein the control means determines the exposure value after determining the photographing focal position.