JPH0518748A - Digital electronic still camera capable of displaying distance information and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To compute-display not only the information of distance to a photographed body but also its dimension while maintaining measuring accuracy and shortening measuring time by omitting a mechanically movable part such as a movable mirror device in a digital electronic still camera. CONSTITUTION:The video signals, passing lens systems 1R, 1L, of a photographed body 16 are converted into digital signals at A/D converters 7R, 7L and then recorded into video signal recording circuits 8R, 8L. At the reproducing time, a right and a left images are displayed on LCD displays 11R, 11L. Two places on the images are then assigned by a mouse 14 so as to read addresses corresponding to the assigned points, and the actual dimension between two points is computed by the specified algorithm and displayed on a display.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital electronic still camera for converting a video signal of a subject image photographed by an image pickup system into a digital signal, storing the digital signal in a semiconductor memory, and reproducing the digital signal. The present invention relates to a digital electronic still camera capable of calculating a dimension between points and the like from a stored image and displaying the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A distance measuring device for measuring a distance to a subject using a triangulation method has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-12).
3718). This proposal is to triangulate based on distance information obtained by two fixed reflectors separated by a predetermined distance and a rotary reflector rotatably supported at the same distance from these fixed reflectors.

[0003]

Since the image pickup system has only one system, the structure is simple, but since it is composed of a fixed mirror and a rotating mirror, it has a mechanically movable mechanism. Since the driving energy is required, the capacity of the battery is large and its shape is also large. Since it is mechanically driven, it takes a long time to complete the distance measurement. Mechanical durability, maintenance of mechanical accuracy, and mirror stains occur. There are various problems such as. The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems. By omitting mechanically movable parts, it is possible to maintain measurement accuracy and shorten measurement time, and calculate and display not only distance information to the object but also the size of the object. It is to provide a digital electronic still camera.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a digital electronic still camera according to the present invention is a pair of solid-state image pickup devices which receive reflected light from the same subject respectively incident from two lens systems separated by a base length. A device, an A / D converter for converting an analog video signal obtained by processing the outputs of the pair of solid-state image pickup devices into a digital signal, and the pair of A / D-converted digital video signals stored therein Video signal recording circuit, an LCD display for displaying a pair of images stored by the video signal recording circuit, a measurement point input device, and a pair of images displayed on the LCD display by the measurement point input device When an arbitrary position in the inside is specified, the address in the image of the video signal recording circuit corresponding to the position is read and the triangulation method is used. It calculates the actual size of between two locations that the designated by the location distance to a specified point, a further 2 places a positioned in the image of the object by Gorizumu,
It comprises a control means for controlling the LCD display.

[0005]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of a digital electronic still camera (hereinafter referred to as “camera”) according to the present invention.
(A) is a front view of the camera 6, and (b) is a side view showing an imaging system portion in a cutaway manner. Two lens systems 1R and 1L are provided in the front of the camera at a fixed distance (base line length) in the lateral direction, and reflected light from the same subject enters the lens systems 1R and 1L, respectively. The left imaging system is a lens 3L (only the left lens system can be seen because it is a left side view), an infrared cut filter and an optical low pass filter 2L arranged in front of the lens 3L, and a diaphragm arranged in the rear of the lens 3L. It is composed of 4L. The light passing through the image pickup system is focused on the solid-state image pickup device 5L arranged at the rear of the image pickup system. The imaging system on the right side has the same configuration as that on the left side,
It has similar optical properties.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating distance information and a subject size in a camera according to the present invention. This figure shows a case in which the subject is positioned on the inside of the left and right lenses (position of O ₁ ), on the left side (position of O ₂ ) and on the right side (position of O ₃ ), respectively. The calculation can be performed by the same method regardless of the position. That is,
The distance to the subject can be calculated from the focal length of the lens, the distance between the optical axes of the lenses (base line length), and the amount of displacement from each optical axis of image formation by the left and right lenses. The focal length and the base line length of the lens are known amounts, and the displacement amount can be measured and obtained. Now, suppose that the subject O ₁ is at a distance of L ₁ from the principal point of the lens. The focal length of the lens is f, the distance between the optical axes of the left and right lenses is D, and the object O _{1 is}
Is a point perpendicular to the optical axis, that is, a point perpendicular to the X axis is X ₀ . The distance between the left lens position L and X ₀ is D ₁ , the distance between the right lens position R is D ₂ , the distance between the point where the object O ₁ is imaged by the right lens 1R and the optical axis ZR is XR ₁ , If the distance between the point where the object O ₁ is imaged by the left lens 1L and the optical axis ZL is XL ₁ , the following equation holds. XR ₁ : f = D ₂ : L ₁ (1) XL ₁ : f = D ₁ : L ₁ (2) From (1) D ₂ = XR ₁ × L ₁ / f (3) ( From 2) D ₁ = XL ₁ × L ₁ / f D = D ₁ + D ₂ = (XR ₁ + XL ₁ ) × L ₁ / f Therefore L ₁ = D × f / (XR ₁ + XL ₁ ) …… ( 4) As is clear from the equation (4), the distance to the subject can be calculated by obtaining XR ₁ and XL ₁ .

Next, considering the distance L ₂ to the object O ₂ to the object, XR ₂ : f = XR: L ₂ (5) XL ₂ : f = (D + XR): L ₂ (6) ( From 5) XR = XR ₂ × L ₂ / f …… (7) From (6) (D + XR) = XL ₂ × L ₂ / f …… (8) From (8)-(7) D = (XL ₂ -XR ₂ ) × L ₂ / f, so L ₂ = D × f / (XL ₂ −XR ₂ ) ... (9)

Similarly, when the object O ₃ is also calculated, XR ₃ : f = (D + XL): L ₃ (10) XL ₃ : f = XL: L ₃ (11) (10) From (D + XL) = XR ₃ × L ₃ / f …… (12) From (11) XL = XL ₃ × L ₃ / f …… (13) From (12)-(13) D = (XR ₃ −XL ₃ ) × L ₃ because it is _{/ f L 3 = D × f} / (XR 3 -XL 3) ...... (14)

In the above equations (4), (9) and (14), when the point of interest of the subject (for example, the edge of the object) forms an image on the image sensor, how much the image forming position is from the optical axis of each lens system. It shows that the distance to that point can be calculated by determining if there is a deviation. This deviation amount ΔD (= XR ₃ −
XL ₃ etc.), where ds is the pixel size of the image sensor in the horizontal scanning direction of the sensor, ΔD = n × ds (15) where n is a positive integer explain.
Dimension (W) between points O ₁ and O ₂ of object O shown in FIG.
When obtaining, the distances L ₁ and L ₂ from O ₁ and O ₂ can be obtained by the above-mentioned method. The XR from (7), since D ₂ can be calculated from equation (3), width (W) is _{W = {(L 1 -L 2} ) 2 + (D 2 + XR) 2} 1/2 ...... It can be calculated by (16).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the circuit of the digital electronic still camera according to the present invention. Reflected light from the subject 16 respectively incident from the right lens 1R and the left lens 1L is subjected to the same processing, storage, and reproduction by a pair of circuit units having the same configuration. Light incident from the right lens 1R is converted into a video signal by the solid-state image sensor 5R. The video signal is processed by the signal processing circuit 6R by correlated double sampling, AG
Signal processing such as C, gamma correction, and removal of high frequency signals by a low frequency filter is performed. The signal processed video signal is A /
After being converted into a digital signal by the D converter 6R, it is stored in the video signal recording circuit 8R. Light incident from the left lens 1L is similarly stored in the video signal recording circuit 8L. The digital data signal read from the video signal recording circuit 8R is converted into an analog video signal by the D / A converter 9R. This analog video signal is reproduced on the LCD display 11R after the high frequency signal is removed and amplified by the low pass filter and the video amplifier 10R. Similarly, the video signal taken in from the left side is also reproduced on the LCD display 11L.

Since the image memory of the video signal recording circuits 8R and 8L uses the point where the image plane and the optical axis of the image pickup system intersect as a reference point for measurement, it is left and right when an object at infinity is focused. Addresses are determined corresponding to images with reference points R and L (see FIG. 2) of the lenses as reference addresses. LC above
Each point of the images reproduced on the D displays 11R and 11L corresponds to the address of the image memory of the video signal recording circuits 8R and 8L. The system control CPU 12 is connected to the video signal recording circuits 8R and 8L by a data bus 17 and a control signal line 18, and can control the video signal recording circuits 8R and 8L and exchange data via these lines. CPU for system control
A mouse 14, which is a measurement point input device, is connected to 12 via a mouse interface circuit 13.

FIG. 5 shows LCD displays 11R and 1R.
It is an example of the image of the subject reproduced to 1L. The calculation of the subject size and the display operation will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Subject roof dimensions (A and B
If the user wants to know (between), specify the right edge A of the roof on the left and right screens with the mouse 14 and click (steps 1, 2). The system control CPU 12 reads the address of the image memory corresponding to the mark positions on the left and right screens based on the information from the mouse (steps 3 and 4). CPU 1 for system control
2 obtains the dimension between the optical axis and the mark position on the solid-state image sensor, for example, XR ₁ or the like, from this address data and the reference address. Then, the measured XR ₁ or the like is substituted into any one of the equations (4), (9) or (14) to calculate the distance to the point A of the subject (step 5), and the distance data is used for the LCD display 11R and It is displayed on 11L (step 6). Similarly, the left end B of the roof on the left and right screens is designated, calculated, and displayed (steps 7 to 12). When the distance information is calculated for the positions A and B, the system control CPU 12 next substitutes the distance information into the equation (16) to calculate the actual dimension between points A and B (step 13). Then, the actual size is displayed on the LCD display.

[0013]

As described above, in the digital electronic still camera according to the present invention, the images of the same subject, which are taken in from the two lens systems separated by the base line length, are formed on the respective solid-state image pickup devices and digitally converted. When two points of the subject are designated by the measuring point input device, two addresses are stored in the memory and displayed on the LCD display at the time of reproduction, and the address information of the image memory corresponding to the designated positions is read out and predetermined. The distance information to the designated position of the subject is calculated by the algorithm of No. 2 and the object designated by the predetermined algorithm is used from this distance information.
It is configured to calculate and display the actual dimension between points. Therefore, since the present invention does not include a mechanically operating portion, the measurement speed is faster and the variation in measurement accuracy is much smaller than in the conventional example. In addition, since the distance information is obtained by combining the left and right screens, if you want to know the distance to the subject and its size later, not immediately after shooting, you can immediately respond, and the position can be displayed on the screen. You can easily find out by just specifying the above.
If the camera is used to record and record travel, business trips, construction sites, etc., there is an advantage that the size of a necessary portion can be freely obtained at a necessary time. Further, the dimensions of the tower roof as shown in FIG. 5 can be easily obtained by the camera without climbing to that location.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B are external views of a digital electronic still camera according to the present invention, FIG. 1A is a front view of a camera 6, and FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating distance information and a subject size according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating a dimension of a subject from distance information.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram showing an embodiment of a circuit of a digital electronic still camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of subjects on the left and right screens.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation and an operation for calculating and displaying distance information and actual dimensions.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1L, 1R ... Lens system 2L ... Filter 3L ... Lens 4L ... Aperture 5L, 5R ... Solid-state imaging device 6L, 6R ... Signal processing circuit 7L, 7R ... A / D converter 8L, 8R ... Video signal recording circuit 9L, 9R ... D / A converter 10L, 10R ... Low-pass filter and video amplifier 11L, 11R ... LCD display 12 ... System control CPU (control means) 13 ... Interface circuit 14 ... Mouse (measurement point input device)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location H04N 5/232 A 9187-5C

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A pair of solid-state image pickup devices for receiving reflected light from the same subject respectively incident from two lens systems separated by a base line length, and outputs of the pair of solid-state image pickup devices. An A / D converter for converting an analog video signal obtained by signal processing into a digital signal, a video signal recording circuit for storing the pair of A / D-converted digital video signals, and the video signal recording circuit. An LCD display for displaying a pair of stored images, a measurement point input device, and an arbitrary position in the pair of images displayed on the LCD display by the measurement point input device, The address in the image of the corresponding video signal recording circuit is read, and the distance to the position designation point of the object by the algorithm utilizing the triangulation method, and further the image It is possible to display distance information and the like characterized by comprising control means for calculating the actual size between the two designated locations by designating the two designated locations, and controlling to display on the LCD display. Digital electronic still camera.