Control device, control method and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10681265-B2
Application number	US-201615745563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2016
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

[Object] To provide a control device capable of effectively determining a lens position even in a case where a subject close to an image capturing device and a subject far from the image capturing device simultaneously exist in a region for detecting a phase difference between subject images. [Solution] Provided is the control device including: a calculation unit configured to calculate, on a basis of a result of capturing a subject image passed through a focus lens by using an imaging element including a plurality of phase difference detection regions, a focus position of each of the phase difference detection regions; and a determination unit configured to determine a position of the focus lens on a basis of an average value of the focus positions of the phase difference detection regions calculated by the calculation unit and falling within a predetermined range from the focus position on an infinity side or macro side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
calculate a focus position of each of a plurality of phase difference detection regions of an image of a subject, wherein the image is captured by an imaging element via a focus lens;
determine the subject is on one of an infinity side or a macro side based on the calculated focus position of each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions;
calculate an average value of focus positions of a set of phase difference detection regions of the plurality of phase difference detection regions, wherein
the focus positions of the set of phase difference detection regions are in a specific range, and
the focus positions of the set of phase difference detection regions are on the one of the infinity side or the macro side; and

determine a position of the focus lens based on the calculated average value and the determination the subject is on the one of the infinity side or the macro side.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to determine the subject is on the one of the infinity side or the macro side based on a count of phase difference detection regions in the set of phase difference detection regions, and
the count is more than or equal to a specific threshold.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions includes a first region and a plurality of second regions, and
at least a part of each of the plurality of second regions overlaps with the first region.

4. A control device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
calculate a focus position of each of a plurality of phase difference detection regions of an image of a subject, wherein the image is captured by an imaging element via a focus lens;
determine the subject is on one of an infinity side or a macro side based on a count of phase difference detection regions in a set of phase difference detection regions of the plurality of phase difference detection regions, wherein
the count is more than or equal to a specific value, and
the focus position of each phase difference detection region of the set of phase difference detection regions is outside a specific range from the focus position of a reference phase difference detection region of the plurality of phase difference detection regions; and

determine a position of the focus lens based on the determination the subject is on the one of the infinity side or the macro side.

5. A control device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
calculate a focus position of each of a plurality of phase difference detection regions of a subject image, wherein the subject image is captured by an imaging element via a focus lens;
convert the calculated focus position of each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions into a histogram; and
determine a position of the focus lens based on
the focus position on one of an infinity side or a macro side, and
the converted focus position of each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions that satisfies a first specific condition.

6. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein
the first specific condition is based on a plurality of groups of adjacent unit elements in the histogram, and
a count of adjacent unit elements of each of the plurality of groups of adjacent unit elements is more than or equal to a specific value.

7. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein
the first specific condition is based on
a plurality of groups of unit elements in the histogram, wherein
a count of adjacent unit elements of each of the plurality of groups is more than or equal to a specific value, and
a count of unit elements of each of the plurality of groups of unit elements satisfies a second specific condition.

8. The control device according to claim 7 , wherein
in the second specific condition, a percentage of each of a first result and a second result is more than or equal to a specific value,
the first result is a sum of a count of unit elements in a first group of the plurality of groups and a count of unit elements in a second group of the plurality of groups,
the first group has a largest count of unit elements among the plurality of groups of the histogram,
the second group has a second largest count of unit elements among the plurality of groups of the histogram, and
the second result is a count of all unit elements in the histogram.

9. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to smoothen the histogram of the focus position of each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions,
the first specific condition is based on a plurality of peaks in the smoothened histogram, and
a count of the plurality of peaks exceeds a specific threshold.

10. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to:
add a specific time to the converted focus position of each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions in the histogram; and
smoothen the histogram of the focus position of each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions,

the first specific condition is based on a plurality of peaks in the smoothened histogram, and
a count of the plurality of peaks exceeds a specific threshold.

11. A control method, comprising:
calculating a focus position of each of a plurality of phase difference detection regions of an image of a subject, wherein the image is captured by an imaging element via a focus lens;
determining the subject is on one of an infinity side or a macro side based on the calculated focus position of each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions;
calculating an average value of focus positions of a set of phase difference detection regions of the plurality of phase difference detection regions, wherein
the focus positions of the set of phase difference detection regions are in a specific range, and
the focus positions of the set of phase difference detection regions are on the one of the infinity side or the macro side; and

determining a position of the focus lens based on the calculated average value and the determination the subject is on the one of the infinity side or the macro side.

12. A control method, comprising:
calculating a focus position of each of a plurality of phase difference detection regions of an image of a subject, wherein the image is captured by an imaging element via a focus lens;
determining the subject is on one of an infinity side or a macro side based on a count of phase difference detection regions in a set of phase difference detection regions of the plurality of phase difference detection regions, wherein
the count is more than or equal to a specific value, and
the focus position of each phase difference detection region of the set of phase difference detection regions is outside a specific range from the focus position of a reference phase difference detection region of the plurality of phase difference detection regions; and

determining a position of the focus lens based on the determination the subject is on the one of the infinity side or the macro side.

13. A control method, comprising:
calculating a focus position of each of a plurality of phase difference detection regions of a subject image, wherein the subject image is captured by an imaging element via a focus lens;
converting the calculated focus position of each of the plurality of phase difference detection regions into a histogram; and
determining a position of the focus lens based on
the foc

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Ohtsubo Shinichi
• Akabane Takeshi

Classifications

• G02B7/36

  using image sharpness techniques {, e.g. image processing techniques for generating autofocus signals (image data processing per se G06T; in cameras having a solid state image sensor H04N23/67)} · CPC title

• G02B7/34 Primary

  using different areas in a pupil plane · CPC title

• H04N5/36961

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/238

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/2254

  Electricity · mapped topic