Digital camera system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9147106-B2
Application number	US-201313964648-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2013
Priority date	Apr 15, 2003
Publication date	Sep 29, 2015
Grant date	Sep 29, 2015

Abstract

A digital camera system capable of operating by detecting a feature point, which has not been accomplished, in addition to ordinary functions of a conventional camera is provided. According to an aspect of the present invention, a digital camera system includes a detecting means that detects a given feature point from an image data, a receiving means that receives an order from a user, a selecting means that selects each feature point in accordance with a given order instructed by the receiving means when a plurality of feature points are detected, and a display that displays feature point information identifying the feature point selected by the selecting means.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A digital camera system comprising:
a first storing unit that stores a first feature point;
a detecting unit that detects a second feature point from an object image prior to shooting the object image;
a display that displays a first marker indicating the second feature point overlaying with the object image;
a determination unit that determines whether the second feature point is coincident with the first feature point;
a receiving unit that receives an order regarding a priority of a plurality of second feature points from a user;
a selecting unit that selects a feature point from the plurality of second feature points in accordance with the priority instructed by the receiving unit when the plurality of second feature points are detected;
a display controlling unit that controls to display a second marker, which is different from the first marker overlaying with the second feature point, which is coincident with the first feature point, and a third marker indicating the selected feature point, when the determination unit determines that the second feature point is coincident with the first feature point;
a shooting condition setting unit that sets a shooting condition in accordance with the selected feature point; and
a shooting unit that shoots the object image on the shooting condition set by the shooting condition setting unit.

2. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a face detection unit that detects a size of a face from the second feature point detected by the detecting unit, wherein the selecting unit selects the face in descending order of the face size detected by the face detection unit.

3. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a distance detection unit that detects distances to each of the plurality of second feature points, wherein the selecting unit selects the second feature points in ascending order based on the distances detected by the distance detection unit.

4. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein the shooting condition setting unit includes a focus-area-setting unit that sets a given area including the selected feature point selected by the selecting unit as a focus area for detecting focus.

5. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein the shooting condition setting unit includes a photometry-area-setting unit that sets a given area including the feature point selected by the selecting unit as a photometry area.

6. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein the first storing unit further stores information regarding a name of the first feature point.

7. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein the priority is determined when the plurality of second feature points are detected at a time.

8. The digital camera system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a discriminating unit that discriminates the priority, wherein the selecting unit selects the second feature points in order of the priority discriminated by the discriminating unit.

9. The digital camera system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a distance-measuring-area-setting unit that sets a distance measuring area for measuring a distance to a subject displayed on the display, wherein the priority is a priority among the plurality of second feature points based on the distance measuring area set by the distance-measuring-area-setting unit.

10. The digital camera system according to claim 7 , further comprising: a photometry-area-setting unit that sets a photometry area for measuring lightness of the subject displayed on the display, wherein the priority is a priority among the plurality of second feature points based on the photometry area set by the photometry-area-setting unit.

11. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein
information regarding the second feature point is stored with image data including the second feature point, and
the information regarding the second feature point is at least one of color process information and outline correction process.

12. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein
information regarding the second feature point is reproduced including the second feature point, and
the information regarding the second feature point is at least one of color process information and outline correction process information.

13. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a discriminating unit that discriminates and displays whether or not at least one of the first feature point and information regarding the first feature point is stored in the first storing unit.

14. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an input unit that inputs information regarding the second feature point displayed on the display;
an instruction unit that instructs to store the second feature point and information regarding the second feature point in connection with the object image; and
a second storing unit that stores the second feature point, information regarding the second feature point, and the object image instructed by the instruction unit.

15. The digital camera system according to claim 14 , wherein
information regarding the second feature point is detected in the object image, and
the information regarding the second feature point is positional information in the object image upon detecting the second feature point from the object image.

16. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first storing unit stores the first feature point and first specific name information regarding the first feature point, and
the system further comprises:
an input unit that inputs second specific name information regarding the second feature point detected by the detecting unit; and
a storing instruction unit that instructs to additionally store in the first storing unit the second feature point when the first specific name information and the second specific name information are identical and the first feature point and the second feature point are different.

17. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first storing unit stores the first feature point and first specific name information regarding the first feature point, and
the system further comprises:
a second storing unit that stores the second feature point and second specific name information in connection with image data; and
a storing instruction unit that instructs to additionally store in the first storing unit the second feature point when the first feature point and the second feature point are different.

18. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first storing unit stores the first feature point and first specific name information regarding the first feature point, and
the system further comprises:
a second storing unit that stores the second feature point and second specific name information in connection with image data; and
a storing instruction unit that instructs to additionally store in the second storing unit the first feature point when the first feature point and the second feature point are different.

19. The digital camera system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second storing unit that stores the second feature point together with information regarding the second feature point detected from the object image; and
a deleting unit that deletes from the second storing unit information regarding the second feature point displayed on the

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Nozaki Hirotake
• Hibino Hideo
• Kobayashi Toshiaki
• Yokonuma Norizaku
• Ejima Satoshi
• Ohta Tadashi

Classifications

• H04N23/71

  Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation · CPC title

• H04N23/61

  based on recognised objects · CPC title

• H04N23/635

  Region indicators; Field of view indicators · CPC title

• H04N23/673 Primary

  based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method · CPC title

• H04N23/80

  Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof · CPC title