Image display device, image display method, and program

Abstract

To provide an image display device, an image display method, and a program for stably displaying an object frame without damaging followability with respect to a detected object.SOLUTION: An image display device 11 is provided with: an image acquisition unit 101 that acquires successive images; an object detection unit 103 that detects an object from the images; an object frame determination unit 105 that determines an object frame which is a range of the object from the latest image among the images; an insensitive zone determination unit that determines an insensitive zone with respect to the position of the object frame; a storage unit 260 that stores a preceding object frame which corresponds to an object frame determined from an immediately preceding image and a preceding insensitive zone which corresponds to an insensitive zone determined from the immediately preceding image; and a display control unit 109 that displays the object frame when the position of the object is outside the range of the preceding insensitive zone, and displays the preceding object frame when the position of the object is within the range of the preceding insensitive zone.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image display device, an image display method, and a program, and more particularly to an image display device, an image display method, and a program that display an object frame that indicates the range of a detected object. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when taking a photograph with a digital camera, if the subject is a person, face detection is performed, and a face frame (target frame) is displayed based on information on the position and size of the detected face.

[0003] A technique has been proposed for stably displaying an object frame when the object frame is continuously displayed on a display unit configured by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) of a digital camera.

[0004] For example, in a standby state for shooting, face area detection and non-detection may be repeated, causing a target frame (rectangular frame) for indicating the face area to appear and disappear on a live view image (through image). The technology described in Patent Document 1 aims to prevent this target frame from repeatedly appearing and disappearing. With the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a subject area is not detected, the target frame continues to be displayed as the detected subject area that was set immediately before. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-221312 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the displayed object frame can be unstable depending on the movement of the detected object. For example, if the detected object is a face, the object frame will move to track even the slightest movement of the face, resulting in an unstable display of the object frame. On the other hand, a technology has been proposed that halves the amount of movement to suppress the range of fluctuation of the object frame, but in this case, the object frame's ability to track the object is impaired.

[0007] The technology described in Patent Document 1 is intended to prevent the repeated display and non-display of the target frame, and does not mention unstable display of the target frame due to the movement of the target.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an image display device, an image display method, and a program that stably display an object frame without impairing the ability to track a detected object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the present invention is an image display device comprising an image acquisition unit that acquires successive images, an object detection unit that detects an object from the images, an object frame determination unit that determines an object frame that is the range of the object from the most recent image in the images, a dead band determination unit that determines a dead band for the position of the object frame, a memory unit that stores the previous object frame corresponding to the object frame determined from the image one image before, and the previous dead band corresponding to the dead band determined from the image one image before, and a display control unit that displays the object frame when the position of the object is outside the range of the previous dead band, and displays the previous object frame when the position of the object is within the range of the previous dead band.

[0010] According to this aspect, if the target position is within the range of the previous dead zone, the target frame displayed previously is displayed, so that the target frame can be stably displayed without changing the position information for displaying the target frame even with small fluctuations (position fluctuations). Also, if the target position is outside the range of the previous dead zone, the target frame corresponding to the target detected this time is displayed, so that a target frame with excellent tracking ability (position tracking ability) to the detected target can be displayed.

[0011] Preferably, the object detection unit detects position information of the object, and the dead zone determination unit changes the dead zone based on the position information.

[0012] Preferably, the dead zone determination unit determines the movement of the object based on the position information and the previous dead zone, and changes the previous dead zone based on the result of the movement determination.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is an image display device that includes an image acquisition unit that acquires successive images, an object detection unit that detects an object from the images, an object frame determination unit that determines an object frame that is the range of the object from the most recent image in the images, a dead band determination unit that determines a dead band for the size of the object frame, a memory unit that stores a previous object frame that corresponds to the object frame determined from the image one image before, and a previous dead band that corresponds to the dead band determined from the image one image before, and a display control unit that displays the object frame when the size of the object is outside the range of the previous dead band, and displays the previous object frame when the size of the object is within the range of the previous dead band.

[0014] According to this aspect, if the size of the object is within the range of the previous dead zone, the object frame displayed previously is displayed, so that the object frame can be stably displayed without changing the size information for displaying the object frame in the event of small fluctuations (variations in size). Also, if the position of the object is outside the range of the previous dead zone, the object frame corresponding to the object detected this time is displayed, so that an object frame with excellent tracking ability (size tracking ability) to the detected object can be displayed.

[0015] Preferably, the object detection unit detects size information of the object, and the dead zone determination unit changes the dead zone based on the size information.

[0016] Preferably, the dead zone determination unit determines the movement of the object based on the size information and the previous dead zone, and changes the previous dead zone based on the result of the movement determination.

[0017] Preferably, the dead zone determination unit reduces the dead zone in the first direction when the result of the motion determination indicates the first direction.

[0018] Preferably, the dead zone determination unit increases the dead zone in the first direction when the result of the motion determination does not indicate the first direction.

[0019] Preferably, the dead zone is changed by changing the position or size of the dead zone depending on the object detected by the object detection unit.

[0020] Another aspect of the present invention is an image display device that includes an image acquisition unit that acquires successive images having information about the position of a detected object and the position of an object frame that is the range of the object; a dead zone determination unit that determines a dead zone for the position of the object frame; a memory unit that stores a previous object frame that corresponds to the object frame determined from the image immediately before and a previous dead zone that corresponds to the dead zone determined from the image immediately before; and a display control unit that displays the object frame when the position of the object is outside the range of the previous dead zone, and displays the previous object frame when the position of the object is within the range of the previous dead zone.

[0021] Another aspect of the present invention is an image display device that includes an image acquisition unit that acquires successive images having information regarding the size of a detected object and the size of an object frame that is the range of the object; a dead zone determination unit that determines a dead zone for the size of the object frame; a memory unit that stores a previous object frame that corresponds to the object frame determined from the image immediately before, and a previous dead zone that corresponds to the dead zone determined from the image immediately before; and a display control unit that displays the object frame when the size of the object is outside the range of the previous dead zone, and displays the previous object frame when the size of the object is within the range of the previous dead zone.

[0022] Preferably, the display control unit includes an information adding unit that records position information of the target frame displayed on the image.

[0023] Preferably, the dead zone is a dead zone width relative to the target frame, and the initial value of the dead zone is constant.

[0024] Preferably, the object detected by the object detection unit is an object.

[0025] Preferably, the object is a face or an eye.

[0026] Preferably, the target box is rectangular.

[0027] Preferably, the target box is an ellipse.

[0028] Another aspect of the present invention is an image display method, which includes the steps of acquiring successive images, detecting an object from the images, determining an object frame that is the range of the object from the latest image in the images, determining a dead zone for the position of the object frame, storing a previous object frame that corresponds to the object frame determined from the image one image before, and a previous dead zone that corresponds to the dead zone determined from the image one image before, and displaying the object frame if the position of the object is outside the range of the previous dead zone, and displaying the previous object frame if the position of the object is within the range of the previous dead zone.

[0029] Another aspect of the present invention is an image display method, which includes the steps of acquiring successive images, detecting an object from the images, determining an object frame that is the range of the object from the latest image in the images, determining a dead zone for the size of the object frame, storing a previous object frame that corresponds to the object frame determined from the image one image before, and a previous dead zone that corresponds to the dead zone determined from the image one image before, and displaying the object frame if the size of the object is outside the range of the previous dead zone, or displaying the previous object frame if the size of the object is within the range of the previous dead zone.

[0030] Another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute an image display process including the steps of acquiring successive images, detecting an object from the images, determining an object frame that is the range of the object from the most recent image in the images, determining a dead zone for the position of the object frame, storing a previous object frame that corresponds to the object frame determined from the image one image before, and a previous dead zone that corresponds to the dead zone determined from the image one image before, and displaying the object frame if the position of the object is outside the range of the previous dead zone, and displaying the previous object frame if the position of the object is within the range of the previous dead zone.

[0031] Another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute an image display process including the steps of acquiring successive images, detecting an object from the images, determining an object frame that is the range of the object from the most recent image in the images, determining a dead zone for the size of the object frame, storing a previous object frame that corresponds to the object frame determined from the image one image before, and a previous dead zone that corresponds to the dead zone determined from the image one image before, and displaying the object frame if the size of the object is outside the range of the previous dead zone, and displaying the previous object frame if the size of the object is within the range of the previous dead zone. [Effects of the Invention]

[0032] According to the present invention, if the position of the target is within the range of the previous dead zone, the target frame displayed last time is displayed, so that the display of the target frame does not change even if the target fluctuates slightly, and the target frame can be displayed stably; further, if the position of the target is outside the range of the previous dead zone, the target frame corresponding to the target detected this time is displayed, so that the target frame can be displayed with excellent tracking ability to the detected target. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an imaging device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an example of the imaging device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the imaging device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a main functional configuration of the image display device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the dead zone. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the dead zone. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of determining the dead zone. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an image display method. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an image display method. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of the dead zone processing. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the dead zone of the size of the target frame. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an image display method. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an image display method. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the appearance of a smartphone. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a smartphone. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an image display device, an image display method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] [Imaging device] 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a rear view, respectively, showing an example of an imaging device (digital camera) equipped with an image display device of the present invention.

[0036] The image display device 11 (see FIG. 4) is mounted on the imaging device 10 and displays a live view image (through image) captured by the imaging device 10. The image display device 11 can also display recorded moving images.

[0037] The imaging device 10 is a digital camera that receives light that has passed through a lens with an imaging element, converts the light into a digital signal, and records the signal as image data of a still image or a moving image on a recording medium.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 1, an imaging device 10 has a taking lens 12, a flash 1, etc. arranged on the front, and a shutter button 2, a power / mode switch 3, a mode dial 4, etc. arranged on the top. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 2, a monitor (LCD) 30, a zoom button, etc. are arranged on the back of the camera. A button 5, a cross button 6, a MENU / OK button 7, a playback button 8, a BACK button 9, etc. are arranged on the LCD panel.

[0039] The photographing lens 12 is a retractable zoom lens that is extended from the camera body when the camera's operating mode is set to photography mode using the power / mode switch 3. The strobe 1 irradiates the main subject with strobe light.

[0040] The shutter button 2 is a two-stroke switch consisting of a so-called "half-press" and "full press" position, and functions as a photographing preparation instruction section and an image recording instruction section.

[0041] When the still image shooting mode is selected as the shooting mode and the shutter button 2 is "half-pressed," the imaging device 10 performs a shooting preparation operation that performs AF (Autofocus) / AE (Auto Exposure) control, and when the shutter button 2 is "fully pressed," it captures and records a still image.

[0042] Furthermore, when the moving image shooting mode is selected as the shooting mode and the shutter button 2 is "fully pressed," the imaging device 10 starts recording moving images, and when the shutter button 2 is "fully pressed" again, the imaging device 10 stops recording and goes into standby mode.

[0043] The power / mode switch 3 functions both as a power switch for turning the power of the imaging device 10 on and off and as a mode switch for setting the mode of the imaging device 10, and is slidably disposed between an "OFF position," a "playback position," and a "shooting position." The imaging device 10 is turned on by sliding the power / mode switch 3 to the "playback position" or "shooting position," and turned off by sliding the power / mode switch 3 to the "OFF position." The imaging device 10 is set to "playback mode" by sliding the power / mode switch 3 to the "playback position," and to the "shooting position" by sliding the power / mode switch 3 to the "shooting mode."

[0044] The mode dial 4 functions as a mode switching unit that sets the shooting mode of the imaging device 10, and the shooting mode of the imaging device 10 is set to various modes depending on the setting position of the mode dial 4. For example, there is a "still image shooting mode" for shooting still images, a "video shooting mode" for shooting videos, etc.

[0045] The monitor 30 functions as a display unit, displays live view images in shooting mode, and still images or videos in playback mode, and also functions as part of a graphical user interface by displaying menu screens, etc.

[0046] The zoom button 5 functions as a zoom instruction means for instructing zooming, and is composed of a telephoto button 5T for instructing zooming to the telephoto side and a wide button 5W for instructing zooming to the wide-angle side. In the imaging device 10, when the telephoto button 5T and wide button 5W are operated in the shooting mode, the focal length of the photographing lens 12 is changed. In addition, when the telephoto button 5T and wide button 5W are operated in the playback mode, the image being played back is enlarged or reduced.

[0047] The cross button 6 is an operation unit for inputting instructions in four directions (up, down, left, and right), and functions as a button (cursor movement operation means) for selecting an item from the menu screen and for instructing the selection of various setting items from each menu. The left / right keys function as frame-by-frame (forward / reverse) buttons in playback mode.

[0048] The MENU / OK button 7 is an operation button that functions both as a menu button for issuing a command to display a menu on the screen of the monitor 30 and as an OK button for issuing a command to confirm and execute a selection.

[0049] The playback button 8 is a button for switching to a playback mode in which a captured and recorded still image or video is displayed on the monitor 30.

[0050] The BACK button 9 functions as a button for canceling an input operation or returning to the previous operation state.

[0051] In the imaging device 10 according to this embodiment, instead of providing specific components for the buttons / switches, a touch panel may be provided and the functions of the buttons / switches may be realized by operating the touch panel.

[0052] [Internal structure of the imaging device] 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the imaging device 10. The imaging device 10 forms an image of a subject (optical image) on an imaging element 210 through a photographing lens 12.

[0053] The photographing lens 12 is composed of a zoom lens 110 and a focus lens 150. The imaging device 10 also includes an aperture 130 and a lens driver 140. The lens driver 140 drives the zoom lens 110 and the focus lens 150 forward and backward in response to commands from a CPU 240 serving as a control unit, thereby performing zoom (optical zoom) adjustment and focus adjustment. The zoom adjustment and focus adjustment may be performed in response to commands from the CPU 240, or may be performed in response to zoom and focus operations performed by the user. The lens driver 140 also controls the aperture 130 in response to commands from the CPU 240 to adjust exposure. Meanwhile, information such as the positions of the zoom lens 110 and the focus lens 150 and the aperture of the aperture 130 is input to the CPU 240.

[0054] The imaging device 10 includes an imaging element 210, an AFE (Analog Front End) 220, an A / D converter 230 (Analog to Digital), a CPU 240, an operation unit 250, a storage unit 260, and a monitor 30. The imaging device 10 may also include a mechanical shutter (not shown) for blocking light transmitted through the imaging element 210. The imaging element 210 includes a light receiving surface on which a large number of light receiving elements are arranged in a matrix. Subject light transmitted through the zoom lens 110, the focus lens 150, and the diaphragm 130 is focused on the light receiving surface of the imaging element 210 and converted into an electrical signal by each light receiving element. R (red), G (green), or B (blue) color filters are provided on the light receiving surface of the imaging element 210, and a color image of the subject can be obtained based on the signals of each color. The image sensor 210 can be any of a variety of photoelectric conversion elements, such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) or a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device). The AFE 220 performs noise removal and amplification on the analog image signal output from the image sensor 210, and the A / D converter 230 converts the captured analog image signal into a digital image signal with a wide gradation range. The shutter may be a mechanical shutter or an electronic shutter. In the case of an electronic shutter, the exposure time (shutter speed) can be adjusted by controlling the charge accumulation period of the image sensor 210 using the CPU 240.

[0055] The storage unit 260 is configured with various types of magneto-optical storage media, non-transitory storage media such as semiconductor memory, and their control circuits, and stores moving images (including live view images) and still images. The storage media may be of a type that is detachable from the imaging device 10. The storage unit 260 also stores programs and information used for various types of control of the CPU 240.

[0056] The monitor 30 can display moving images (live view images, recorded moving images) and still images. The imaging device 10 may be equipped with a viewfinder, which functions as the monitor 30. The viewfinder is composed of, for example, an LCD panel, a prism, a lens, etc., and the user can view moving images and still images through an eyepiece (not shown). The viewfinder can be an "optical viewfinder (OVF)," an "electronic viewfinder (EVF)," or a "hybrid viewfinder (HVF)" that is a combination of these.

[0057] The CPU 240 reads out necessary programs and information used for various controls from the storage unit 260, and performs various processes and various controls performed by the CPU 240.

[0058] The CPU 240 executes various controls. The hardware structure is made up of the following various processors. The various processors include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is a general-purpose processor that executes software (programs) and functions as various functional units, a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electrical circuit, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), which is a processor with a circuit configuration designed specifically for executing specific processing.

[0059] A single processing unit may be configured with one of these various processors, or may be configured with two or more processors of the same or different types (e.g., multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Also, multiple functional units may be configured with a single processor. Examples of multiple functional units configured with a single processor include, first, a configuration in which a single processor is configured with a combination of one or more CPUs and software, as typified by computers such as client and server, and this processor operates as multiple functional units. Second, a configuration in which a processor is used to realize the functions of an entire system including multiple functional units on a single IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, as typified by a System on Chip (SoC). In this way, the various functional units are configured with one or more of the above-mentioned various processors as a hardware structure.

[0060] First Embodiment Next, a first embodiment will be described. In this example, a dead zone is set for the position of the target frame.

[0061] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the main functional configuration of the image display device 11 mounted on the imaging device 10. The image display device 11 includes an image acquisition unit 101, an object detection unit 103, an object frame determination unit 105, a dead zone determination unit 107, a display control unit 109, an information addition unit 111, a storage unit 260, and a monitor 30. The image acquisition unit 101, the object detection unit 103, the object frame determination unit 105, the dead zone determination unit 107, the display control unit 109, and the information addition unit 111 are realized by a CPU 240.

[0062] The image acquisition unit 101 acquires successive images. Specifically, the image acquisition unit 101 acquires successive images output from the A / D converter 230. For example, the image acquisition unit 101 acquires a live view image made up of a plurality of frame images captured by the imaging device 10.

[0063] The object detection unit 103 detects an object from the acquired image. For example, the object detection unit 103 detects a human face using a known technique. The object detection unit 103 detects a human face in the image and acquires position information consisting of, for example, position coordinates. The object detection unit 103 can also detect objects other than faces. For example, the object detection unit 103 can detect pupils.

[0064] The object frame determination unit 105 determines an object frame, which is the range of an object, from the latest image among the images. The object frame determination unit 105 determines an object frame for an object detected in each of the multiple images acquired by the image acquisition unit 101. The object frame is used to notify the user of the detected object, and various shapes can be adopted. For example, the object frame is a rectangle including a square, or the object frame is an ellipse including a perfect circle.

[0065] The dead zone determination unit 107 determines a dead zone related to the display of the object frame. The dead zone determination unit 107 determines, for example, a dead zone for the position of the object frame. Here, the dead zone related to the display of the object frame means that when the object frame (or object) moves within the range of the dead zone, the object frame to be displayed is constant and does not follow the object, and when the object frame (or object) moves outside the range of the dead zone, the object frame to be displayed follows the object (the object frame corresponds to the object).

[0066] 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating the dead zone determined by the dead zone determination unit 107. In FIGS. 5 and 6, a face 125 detected by the object detection unit 103 in the nth frame, an object frame 121 determined by the object frame determination unit 105 in accordance with the face 125, and a dead zone 120 determined by the dead zone determination unit 107 are shown. Also shown are a face 127 detected by the object detection unit 103 in the n+1th frame and an object frame 123 determined by the object frame determination unit 105 in accordance with the face 127. In this example, the object frames 121 and 123 are determined for the faces 125 and 127, respectively, in the same positional relationship. In this example, the reference points for the position of the object or the position of the object frame are reference point B1 (object frame 121) and reference point B2 (object frame 123) at the upper left corner of the object frame.

[0067] 5, the face 127 detected in the (n+1)th frame is located within the dead zone 120 set in the nth frame. That is, the (n+1)th reference point B2 is within the dead zone 120. Therefore, the target frame 121 is also displayed in the (n+1)th frame.

[0068] 6, face 127 detected in the (n+1)th frame is located outside the dead zone 122 set in the nth frame. That is, the (n+1)th reference point B2 is outside the dead zone 122. Therefore, in the (n+1)th frame, target frame 121 corresponding to face 127 is displayed.

[0069] In this way, by setting a dead zone for the position of the detected object, stable display can be achieved without moving the display of the object frame in response to minute movements of the object, and the object frame can be displayed with good tracking ability when the object moves beyond the dead zone.

[0070] Furthermore, the dead zone determination unit 107 can change the position and / or size of the dead zone depending on the detected object. That is, the dead zone determination unit 107 can change the position and size of the dead zone depending on the position of the detected object. Furthermore, the dead zone determination unit 107 can change the width of the dead zone depending on the movement of the object. The dead zone determination unit 107 determines the movement of the object based on the position information and the previous dead zone, and changes the dead zone (the previous dead zone) based on the result of the movement determination. For example, if the result of the movement determination indicates a first direction, the dead zone determination unit 107 narrows the dead zone in the first direction. That is, the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a narrow width in the direction in which the detected object is moving, thereby improving the ability of the object frame to track the object. Furthermore, if the result of the movement determination does not indicate the first direction, the dead zone determination unit 107 widens the dead zone in the first direction. That is, the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a wide width in the direction in which the detected object is not moving, thereby improving the stability of the display of the object frame.

[0071] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of the dead zone determined by the dead zone determination unit 107. In the case shown in Fig. 7, the dead zones are determined in the positive and negative directions of the X axis in the drawing.

[0072] In the example shown in FIG. 7(A), the widths of the dead zones in the positive and negative directions are the same as the display position P of the previous object frame. In this way, when it is unknown in which direction the object will move, setting the widths of the dead zones to the same in the positive and negative directions allows for an appropriate object frame to be displayed. For example, the initial value of the dead zone may be constant, and dead zones of the same width may be set in the positive and negative directions from the center of the angle of view. In the example shown in FIG. 7(B), the width of the dead zone is increased overall. In the example shown in FIG. 7(C), the width of the dead zone is decreased overall. As shown in FIG. 7(B), increasing the width of the dead zone overall improves the stability of the object frame display. As shown in FIG. 7(C), decreasing the width of the dead zone overall improves the tracking performance of the object frame display. In the example shown in FIG. 7(D), the dead zone determination unit 107 determines that the object has moved in the positive direction, and the width of the dead zone in the positive direction is decreased. In the example shown in FIG. 7(D), the dead zone determination unit 107 determines that the object has not moved in the negative direction, and the width of the dead zone in the negative direction is increased. 7(E) shows a case where the dead zone determination unit 107 determines that the object has moved in the negative direction, and narrows the width of the dead zone in the negative direction in its motion determination. Also, in the case shown in FIG. 7(E), it determines that the object has not moved in the positive direction, and widens the width of the dead zone in the positive direction.

[0073] In this way, the dead zone determination unit 107 can display the object frame stably and with good tracking by changing the position and size of the dead zone in accordance with the movement of the object.

[0074] Returning to Fig. 4, the storage unit 260 stores a previous target frame corresponding to the target frame determined from the image immediately preceding the image, and a previous dead zone corresponding to the dead zone determined from the image immediately preceding the image. Specifically, the storage unit 260 stores the target frame 121 and dead zone 120 (dead zone 122) in the n-th frame described in Figs. 5 and 6. The previous target frame and previous dead zone stored in the storage unit 260 are used for control of the display control unit 109. The information stored in the storage unit 260 may be updated for each image, or information for each image may be accumulated.

[0075] The display control unit 109 controls the display on the monitor 30. The monitor 30 displays a live view image, a recorded video, and a still image. The display control unit 109 also displays a target frame superimposed on the live view image or the recorded video. The display control unit 109 displays the target frame when the target position is outside the range of the previous dead zone, and displays the previous target when the target position is within the range of the previous dead zone.

[0076] The information adding unit 111 records the position information of the displayed target frame in the image by the display control unit 109. Specifically, the coordinate values ​​of the displayed target frame are added for each frame. The information adding unit 111 adds information using a known method.

[0077] Next, an image display method (image display step) using the image display device 11 will be described.

[0078] 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing an image display method using the image display device 11. In this example, a face is detected as the target, and a face frame corresponding to the detected face is displayed.

[0079] First, the image acquisition unit 101 acquires successive frame images in which faces are photographed (step S10). Then, the object detection unit 103 detects faces in each of the acquired frames and acquires position information of the detected faces (step S11).

[0080] The dead zone determination unit 107 determines whether the previous "positive (positive direction)" motion determination is "1" (step S12). If the previous "positive" motion determination is "1", the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a small dead zone width in the positive direction (step S13). On the other hand, if the previous "positive" motion determination is "0" (not "1"), the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a large dead zone width in the positive direction (step S14).

[0081] Next, the dead zone determination unit 107 determines whether the previous "negative (negative direction)" motion determination is "1" (step S15). If the previous "negative" motion determination is "1", the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a small dead zone width in the negative direction (step S16). On the other hand, if the previous "negative" motion determination is "0" (not "1"), the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a large dead zone width in the negative direction (step S17).

[0082] Next, the dead zone determination unit 107 sets the dead zone using the dead zone width set by the above process, based on the coordinates after the previous dead zone process (step S18).

[0083] 9, the dead zone determination unit 107 determines whether the acquired current face position exceeds the dead zone set as described above (step S19). If the acquired current face position exceeds the set dead zone, the dead zone determination unit 107 determines whether the position exceeds the dead zone in a positive direction (step S20). If the current face position exceeds the dead zone in a positive direction, the dead zone determination unit 107 sets the movement determination to "positive: 1" and "negative: 0" (step S21). On the other hand, if the current face position exceeds the dead zone in a negative direction, the object detection unit 103 sets the movement determination to "positive: 0" and "negative: 1" (step S22). Thereafter, the display control unit 109 displays a face frame using the currently detected position information for displaying the face frame (step S23).

[0084] On the other hand, if it is determined that the current face position does not exceed the dead zone, the current movement determination is set to "positive: 0" and "negative: 0" (step S24). Then, the current position information is overwritten with the previous position information (step S25). Thereafter, the display control unit 109 uses the previous position information for displaying the face frame (step S26).

[0085] The above-described configurations and functions can be realized by any hardware, software, or a combination of both. For example, the present invention can be applied to a program that causes a computer to execute the above-described processing steps (processing procedures), a computer-readable recording medium (non-transitory recording medium) on which such a program is recorded, or a computer on which such a program can be installed.

[0086] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of dead zone processing. The graph shown in FIG. 10 shows a live view image in which the detection target is a face and a face frame is displayed in accordance with the detected face. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis indicates the number of face detections performed for each frame, and the vertical axis indicates the X coordinate on the display unit. The line represented by squares on the graph indicates the upper limit of the dead zone, the line represented by diamonds indicates the position (X coordinate) of the detected face, the line represented by crosses indicates the position (X coordinate) for displaying the face frame after processing, and the line represented by triangles indicates the lower limit of the dead zone. Note that the position for displaying the face frame indicates the X coordinate of the center position of the frame. In the following description, the direction in which the X coordinate increases is considered to be the positive direction, and the direction in which the X coordinate decreases is considered to be the negative direction.

[0087] From the detection count of 170 to the timing indicated by arrow T1, the face position is detected between the upper limit and lower limit of the dead zone (within the dead zone). Therefore, the face frame display does not change, and the face frame is displayed in a fixed position.

[0088] At the timing indicated by arrow T2, the face position is detected as exceeding the upper limit of the dead zone, so the display position of the face frame is set to a position corresponding to the detected face position. Also, at the timing indicated by arrow T2, the same dead zone as at the timing indicated by arrow T1 is set. This is because the face position at the timing indicated by arrow T1 is detected within the dead zone.

[0089] At the timing indicated by arrow T3, the face position is detected as exceeding the upper limit of the dead zone, so the display position of the face frame is set to a position corresponding to the detected face position. Furthermore, at the timing indicated by arrow T3, the dead zone moves and the width of the dead zone is also changed. Specifically, at the timing indicated by arrow T3, the face frame is displayed at a position exceeding the upper limit of the dead zone at the timing indicated by arrow T2, based on the display position of the face frame at the timing indicated by arrow T2, so the width of the dead zone in the positive direction is reduced at the timing indicated by arrow T3.

[0090] In this way, by providing a dead zone for the display of the face frame, stable display of the face frame and tracking of the detected face position are not impaired. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned aspect, the position and width of the dead zone are adjusted based on the previous display position of the face frame, so that a face frame can be displayed with more stability and tracking.

[0091] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, a dead zone for a position was described, but in the second embodiment, an example of setting a dead zone for the size of a target frame will be described. In this embodiment, the units described in Fig. 4 have the following functions. In the following description, only the characteristic features of the second embodiment will be described.

[0092] The object detection unit 103 detects an object and detects size information of the object. For example, the object detection unit 103 detects a face as the object and detects size information (area, length) of the face.

[0093] The object frame determination unit 105 determines an object frame, which is the range of an object, from the latest image. The size of the object frame is determined according to the size of the detected object. For example, if a face is detected, the size of the object frame is determined so as to surround the range of the detected face.

[0094] The dead zone determination unit 107 determines the movement of the object based on the size information and the previous dead zone, and can change the previous dead zone based on the result of the movement determination. If the result of the movement determination indicates a first direction, the dead zone determination unit 107 reduces the dead zone in the first direction. Here, the dead zone determination unit 107 can quantify the length of one side of the square face frame, and determine the movement by regarding the direction in which the number increases as a positive direction and the direction in which the number decreases as a negative direction.

[0095] If the size of the target is outside the range of the previous dead zone, the display control unit 109 displays the target frame, and if it is within the range of the previous dead zone, the display control unit 109 displays the previous target frame.

[0096] The information adding unit 111 records size information of the displayed target frame in the image by the display control unit 109. Specifically, the size (area or length of one side) of the displayed target frame is added to each frame. The information adding unit 111 adds information using a known method.

[0097] 11 is a diagram illustrating the dead zone of the object frame size. In FIG. 11, object frame 131 indicates the lower limit of the dead zone, object frame 133 indicates the upper limit of the dead zone, and object frame 139 indicates the object frame for display. For example, when an object corresponding to object frame 137 is detected within the range between the lower limit of the dead zone indicated by object frame 131 and the upper limit of the dead zone indicated by object frame 133, display control unit 109 displays object frame 139. On the other hand, when an object corresponding to object frame 135 is detected outside the range between the lower limit of the dead zone indicated by object frame 131 and the upper limit of the dead zone indicated by object frame 133, display control unit 109 displays object frame 135 as the object frame for display.

[0098] Next, a description will be given of an image display method (image display step) using the image display device 11. The image display method detects faces in successive frames and successively displays face frames that notify the user of the positions of the detected faces.

[0099] 12 and 13 are flowcharts showing an image display method (image display step) using the image display device 11. FIG.

[0100] First, the image acquisition unit 101 acquires successive frame images in which a face is photographed (step S30). Then, the object detection unit 103 detects a face in each of the acquired frames and acquires size information of the detected face (step S31).

[0101] The dead zone determination unit 107 determines whether the previous "positive (positive direction)" motion determination is "1" (step S32). If the previous "positive" motion determination is "1", the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a small dead zone width in the positive direction (step S33). On the other hand, if the previous "positive" motion determination is "0" (not "1"), the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a large dead zone width in the positive direction (step S34). Note that the positive direction indicates the direction in which the frame becomes larger, and the negative direction indicates the direction in which the frame becomes smaller.

[0102] Next, the dead zone determination unit 107 determines whether the previous "negative" motion determination is "1" (step S35). If the previous "negative (negative direction)" motion determination is "1", the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a small dead zone width in the negative direction (step S36). On the other hand, if the previous "negative" motion determination is "0" (not "1"), the dead zone determination unit 107 sets a large dead zone width in the negative direction (step S37).

[0103] Next, the dead zone determination unit 107 uses the dead zone width set by the above process to set the dead zone based on the size after the previous dead zone process (step S38).

[0104] 13, the dead zone determination unit 107 next determines whether the acquired face size this time exceeds the dead zone currently set (step S39). If the acquired face size this time exceeds the dead zone currently set, the dead zone determination unit 107 determines whether the size has exceeded in a positive direction (step S40). If the face size this time exceeds in a positive direction, the dead zone determination unit 107 sets the movement determination to "positive: 1" and "negative: 0" (step S41). On the other hand, if the face size this time exceeds in a negative direction, the object detection unit 103 sets the movement determination to "positive: 0" and "negative: 1" (step S42). Thereafter, the display control unit 109 displays a face frame using the size information detected this time for displaying the face frame (step S43).

[0105] On the other hand, if it is determined that the current face size does not exceed the dead zone, the current movement determination is set to "positive: 0" and "negative: 0" (step S44). Then, the current size information is overwritten with the previous size information (step S45). Thereafter, the display control unit 109 uses the previous size information for displaying the face frame (step S46).

[0106] As explained above, if the size of the object is within the range of the previous dead zone, the object frame displayed previously is displayed, so that the object frame can be stably displayed without changing the size information for displaying the object frame in the case of small fluctuations (variations in size). Also, if the size of the object is outside the range of the previous dead zone, the object frame corresponding to the object detected this time is displayed, so that an object frame with excellent tracking ability (size tracking ability) to the detected object can be displayed.

[0107] <Other> [Bad zone for position and size] In the above description, the first embodiment describes the dead zone relative to the position of the target frame, and the second embodiment describes the dead zone relative to the size of the target frame. In the present invention, the dead zone can also be determined relative to the position and size of the target frame. That is, the dead zone is set simultaneously relative to the position and size of the target frame. In this way, by setting the dead zone relative to the position and size of the target frame, the target frame can be displayed with more stable and better tracking of the target.

[0108] [Sequential images] In the above description, the object detection unit 103 detects an object in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 101, and the object frame determination unit 105 determines the object frame. However, the present invention is not limited to this aspect. For example, consecutive images acquired by the image acquisition unit 101 may contain information regarding the position of the detected object and the position of the object frame, which is the range of the object. Furthermore, for example, consecutive images acquired by the image acquisition unit 101 may contain information regarding the size of the detected object and the size of the object frame, which is the range of the object. In this case, the image display device 11 does not need to detect the object (object detection unit 103) from the acquired image and determine the object frame (object frame determination unit 105).

[0109] <Smartphone configuration> In the above description, a camera has been used as an example of the imaging device 10 in FIG. 1, but application of the present invention is not limited to this. Other embodiments to which the present invention can be applied include, for example, mobile phones and smartphones with camera functions, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and portable game consoles. An example of a smartphone to which the present invention can be applied will be described below. Note that in FIG. 4, the CPU 240 corresponds to the main control unit 501, the memory unit 260 corresponds to the memory unit 550, and the monitor 30 corresponds to the display panel 521.

[0110] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the appearance of a smartphone 500. The smartphone 500 shown in Fig. 14 has a flat housing 502, and is provided with a display input unit 520 in which a display panel 521 as a display unit and an operation panel 522 as an input unit are integrated on one surface of the housing 502. The housing 502 also has a speaker 531, a microphone 532, an operation unit 540, and a camera unit 541. Note that the configuration of the housing 502 is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration in which the display unit and the input unit are independent, or a configuration having a foldable structure or a sliding mechanism can also be used.

[0111] Fig. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of smartphone 500 shown in Fig. 14. As shown in Fig. 15, the smartphone includes, as main components, wireless communication unit 510 that performs mobile wireless communication via a base station and a mobile communication network, display input unit 520, call unit 530, operation unit 540, camera unit 541, storage unit 550, external input / output unit 560, GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 570, motion sensor unit 580, power supply unit 590, and main control unit 501.

[0112] The wireless communication unit 510 performs wireless communication with a base station accommodated in the mobile communication network in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 501. Using this wireless communication, various file data such as audio data and image data, e-mail data, etc. are sent and received, and web data, streaming data, etc. are received.

[0113] The display input unit 520 is a so-called touch panel that, under the control of the main control unit 501, displays images (still images and videos), text information, etc. to visually convey information to the user and detects user operations on the displayed information, and is equipped with a display panel 521 and an operation panel 522.

[0114] The display panel 521 uses an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OLED (Organic Electro-Luminescence Display), or the like as a display device. The operation panel 522 is placed so that an image displayed on the display surface of the display panel 521 can be seen, and is a device that detects one or more coordinates operated by a user's finger or a stylus. When such a device is operated by the user's finger or a stylus, a detection signal generated by the operation is output to the main control unit 501. Next, the main control unit 501 detects the operation position (coordinates) on the display panel 521 based on the received detection signal.

[0115] 14 , the display panel 521 and operation panel 522 of a smartphone 500 exemplified as an embodiment of the imaging device 10 of the present invention are integrated to form a display input unit 520, with the operation panel 522 being arranged so as to completely cover the display panel 521. When such an arrangement is adopted, the operation panel 522 may also have a function for detecting user operations in an area outside the display panel 521. In other words, the operation panel 522 may have a detection area for the overlapping portion that overlaps the display panel 521 (hereinafter referred to as the display area), and a detection area for the remaining outer edge portion that does not overlap the display panel 521 (hereinafter referred to as the non-display area).

[0116] The size of the display area and the size of the display panel 521 may be completely the same, but they do not necessarily have to be the same. Also, the operation panel 522 may have two sensitive areas, one on the outer edge and the other on the inner side. Furthermore, the width of the outer edge is designed appropriately depending on the size of the housing 502, etc. Also, the position detection method used in the operation panel 522 may be a matrix switch method, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, a capacitance method, etc., and any method can be used.

[0117] The call unit 530 includes a speaker 531 and a microphone 532, and converts the user's voice input through the microphone 532 into voice data that can be processed by the main control unit 501 and outputs the voice data to the main control unit 501, or decodes voice data received by the wireless communication unit 510 or the external input / output unit 560 and outputs the decoded voice data from the speaker 531. Also, as shown in Fig. 14, for example, the speaker 531 and the microphone 532 can be mounted on the same surface on which the display input unit 520 is provided.

[0118] The operation unit 540 is a hardware key using a key switch or the like, and receives instructions from the user. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, the operation unit 540 is a push-button switch mounted on the side of the housing 502 of the smartphone 500, which turns on when pressed with a finger or the like, and turns off when the finger is released by the restoring force of a spring or the like.

[0119] The storage unit 550 stores the control program of the main control unit 501, control data, application software, address data associated with names and telephone numbers of communication partners, data of emails sent and received, web data downloaded through web browsing, downloaded content data, and also temporarily stores streaming data. The storage unit 550 is composed of an internal storage unit 551 built into the smartphone and an external storage unit 552 having a removable external memory slot. The internal storage unit 551 and the external storage unit 552 constituting the storage unit 550 are realized using recording media such as flash memory type, hard disk type, multimedia card micro type, card-type memory (e.g., Micro SD (registered trademark) memory, etc.), RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0120] The external input / output unit 560 serves as an interface with all external devices connected to the smartphone 500, and is used to directly or indirectly connect to other external devices via communication (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE1394, etc.) or a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA) (registered trademark), UWB (Ultra Wideband) (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), etc.).

[0121] Examples of external devices connected to the smartphone 500 include wired / wireless headsets, wired / wireless external chargers, wired / wireless data ports, memory cards connected via card sockets, SIM (Subscriber Identity Module Card) / UIM (User Identity Module Card) cards, external audio / video devices connected via audio / video I / O (Input / Output) terminals, wirelessly connected external audio / video devices, wired / wirelessly connected smartphones, wired / wirelessly connected personal computers, wired / wirelessly connected PDAs, earphones, etc. The external input / output unit 560 can transfer data received from such external devices to various components within the smartphone 500, or transmit data within the smartphone 500 to external devices.

[0122] The GPS receiver 570 receives GPS signals transmitted from GPS satellites ST1 to STn in accordance with instructions from the main controller 501, executes positioning calculation processing based on the received GPS signals, and detects the position consisting of the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the smartphone 500. When the GPS receiver 570 can acquire position information from the wireless communication unit 510 or the external input / output unit 560 (for example, a wireless LAN), it can also detect the position using the position information.

[0123] The motion sensor unit 580 includes, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, and detects the physical movement of the smartphone 500 in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 501. By detecting the physical movement of the smartphone 500, the direction of movement and acceleration of the smartphone 500 are detected. The detection results are output to the main control unit 501.

[0124] The power supply unit 590 supplies power stored in a battery (not shown) to each unit of the smartphone 500 in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 501.

[0125] The main control unit 501 includes a microprocessor, operates according to a control program and control data stored in the storage unit 550, and controls all the units of the smartphone 500. The main control unit 501 also includes a mobile communication control function and an application processing function that control all the units of the communication system to perform voice communication and data communication via the wireless communication unit 510.

[0126] The application processing function is realized by the main control unit 501 operating in accordance with the application software stored in the storage unit 550. Examples of the application processing function include an infrared communication function that controls the external input / output unit 560 to perform data communication with a connected device, an email function that sends and receives emails, a web browsing function that views web pages, and an image processing function that performs compression processing according to the present invention.

[0127] The main control unit 501 also has an image processing function for displaying video on the display input unit 520 based on image data (still image or video data) such as received data or downloaded streaming data. The image processing function refers to a function in which the main control unit 501 decodes the image data, performs image processing on the decoding result, and displays the image on the display input unit 520.

[0128] Furthermore, the main control unit 501 executes display control for the display panel 521 and operation detection control for detecting user operations via the operation unit 540 and the operation panel 522 .

[0129] By executing display control, main control unit 501 displays software keys such as icons and scroll bars for launching application software, or displays a window for creating an e-mail. Note that a scroll bar is a software key that accepts an instruction to move the displayed portion of an image, such as a large image that cannot fit in the display area of ​​display panel 521.

[0130] In addition, by executing operation detection control, the main control unit 501 detects user operations through the operation unit 540, accepts operations on icons through the operation panel 522 and input of character strings into window input fields, or accepts requests to scroll the displayed image through the scroll bar.

[0131] Furthermore, by executing operation detection control, the main control unit 501 determines whether the operation position on the operation panel 522 is an overlapping portion (display area) that overlaps the display panel 521 or an outer edge portion (non-display area) that does not overlap the display panel 521, and is equipped with a touch panel control function that controls the sensitive area of ​​the operation panel 522 and the display position of the software keys.

[0132] The main control unit 501 can also detect gesture operations on the operation panel 522 and execute a preset function in accordance with the detected gesture operation. A gesture operation is not a conventional simple touch operation, but refers to an operation of drawing a path with a finger or the like, specifying multiple positions simultaneously, or combining these to draw a path for at least one of multiple positions.

[0133] The camera unit 541 is a digital camera that captures images electronically using an imaging element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device), and corresponds to the imaging device 10 shown in FIG. 1 . Furthermore, under the control of the main control unit 501, the camera unit 541 can compress image data of still images captured by the camera unit 541 using, for example, JPEG (Joint Photographic Coding Experts Group) or compress image data of moving images using, for example, H.264 / AVC, and record the compressed data in the storage unit 550 or output the compressed data via the external input / output unit 560 or the wireless communication unit 510. As shown in FIG. 14 , in the smartphone 500, the camera unit 541 is mounted on the same surface as the display input unit 520. However, the mounting position of the camera unit 541 is not limited thereto, and the camera unit 541 may be mounted on the back surface of the display input unit 520, or multiple camera units 541 may be mounted. When multiple camera units 541 are mounted, the camera unit 541 used for capturing images can be switched to capture an image individually, or multiple camera units 541 can be used simultaneously to capture an image.

[0134] Furthermore, the camera unit 541 can be used for various functions of the smartphone 500. For example, an image acquired by the camera unit 541 can be displayed on the display panel 521, or an image from the camera unit 541 can be used as one of the operation inputs to the operation panel 522. Furthermore, when the GPS receiver 570 detects a position, the position can be detected by referring to an image from the camera unit 541. Furthermore, by referring to the image from the camera unit 541, it is possible to determine the direction of the optical axis of the camera unit 541 of the smartphone 500 or the current usage environment without using a three-axis acceleration sensor or by using a three-axis acceleration sensor (gyro sensor) in combination. Of course, the image from the camera unit 541 can also be used in application software.

[0135] In addition, image data of still or video images can be added with location information acquired by the GPS receiving unit 570, audio information acquired by the microphone 532 (which may be converted to text information by the main control unit, etc.), posture information acquired by the motion sensor unit 580, etc., and recorded in the memory unit 550, or output via the external input / output unit 560 or wireless communication unit 510.

[0136] Although examples of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 1: Strobe 2: Shutter button 3: Power / Mode Switch 4: Mode dial 5: Zoom button 6: D-pad 7: MENU / OK button 8: Play button 9:BACK button 10: Imaging device 11: Image display device 12: Shooting lens 30: Monitor 101: Image acquisition unit 103: Object detection unit 105: Target quota determination department 107: Dead zone determination unit 109: Display control unit 110:Zoom lens 111: Information addition section 140: Lens drive unit 150: Focus lens 210: Image sensor 230: A / D converter 240 :CPU 250:Operation unit 260: Storage section

Claims

1. an image acquisition unit that accepts input of a plurality of images; an object detection unit that detects an object from a first image and a second image among the plurality of images; an object frame determination unit that determines a first object frame that is a range of the object in the first image and a second object frame that is a range of the object in the second image; a dead zone determining unit that determines a dead zone for the object extracted from the first image; The position of the object detected from the second image is If the second target frame is outside the range of the dead zone determined from the first image, If the first target frame is within the range of the dead zone determined from the first image, a display control unit that controls display; An image display device comprising: the object detection unit detects position information of the object; The dead zone determination unit determines the movement of the object based on the position information and the dead zone, and if the result of the movement determination indicates a first direction, reduces the dead zone in the first direction.

2. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the dead zone determination unit increases the dead zone in the first direction when the result of the motion determination does not indicate a first direction.

3. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the dead zone determining unit determines the dead zone from the position of the first object frame relative to the object.

4. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the second image and the first image are images of different frames that form a moving image.

5. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the second image is acquired more recently than the first image.

6. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the change of the dead zone is performed by changing a position or a size of the dead zone depending on the object detected by the object detection unit.

7. 7. The image display device according to claim 1, further comprising an information adding unit that records position information or size information of the first target frame and the second target frame displayed by the display control unit into the image.

8. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the dead zone is a dead zone width for the first target frame and the second target frame, and an initial value of the dead zone is constant.

9. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the object detected by the object detection unit is an object.

10. The image display device according to claim 9 , wherein the object is a face or an eye.

11. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the first target frame and the second target frame are rectangular.

12. The image display device according to claim 1 , wherein the first target frame and the second target frame are ellipses.

13. an image acquisition step of accepting input of a plurality of images; an object detection step of detecting an object from a first image and a second image among the plurality of images; an object frame determining step of determining a first object frame that is a range of the object in the first image and a second object frame that is a range of the object in the second image; a dead zone determining step of determining a dead zone for the object extracted from the first image; The position of the object detected from the second image is If the second target frame is outside the range of the dead zone determined from the first image, If the first target frame is within the range of the dead zone determined from the first image, a display control step for executing control to display; An image display method comprising: In the object detection step, position information of the object is detected, In the dead zone determination step, a motion of the object is determined based on the position information and the dead zone, and when a result of the motion determination indicates a first direction, the dead zone in the first direction is reduced. Image display method.

14. an image acquisition step of accepting input of a plurality of images; an object detection step of detecting an object from a first image and a second image among the plurality of images; an object frame determining step of determining a first object frame that is a range of the object in the first image and a second object frame that is a range of the object in the second image; a dead zone determining step of determining a dead zone for the object extracted from the first image; The position of the object detected from the second image is If the second target frame is outside the range of the dead zone determined from the first image, If the first target frame is within the range of the dead zone determined from the first image, a display control step for executing control to display; A program for causing a computer to execute an image display step including: In the object detection step, position information of the object is detected, In the dead zone determination step, a motion of the object is determined based on the position information and the dead zone, and when a result of the motion determination indicates a first direction, the dead zone in the first direction is reduced. A program that causes a computer to execute an image display process.

Images