Imaging apparatus detecting a pupil in moving and still images

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11849216-B2
Application number	US-202017625022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2020
Priority date	Jul 12, 2019
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes: a detection unit that detects a pupil in a captured image; an autofocus control unit that executes a pupil autofocus control to perform autofocus on the pupil detected by the detection unit according to a predetermined operation in a still image capturing mode, and executes a pupil autofocus control when the pupil is detected by the detection unit in a moving image capturing mode; and a display control unit that performs a control to display a pupil frame indicating the pupil that is in focus on the captured monitor image when focusing is achieved by the pupil autofocus control.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
detect a pupil in a captured image;
execute pupil autofocus control to perform autofocus on the detected pupil according to a predetermined operation in a still image capturing mode, and execute the pupil autofocus control when the pupil is detected in a moving image capturing mode; and
perform control to display a pupil frame indicating the pupil that is in focus, on the captured image, when focusing is achieved by the pupil autofocus control, the pupil frame being displayed differently depending on whether an imaging mode is the still image capturing mode or the moving image capturing mode.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
in the still image capturing mode, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display a pupil focus frame as the pupil frame when focusing is achieved by the pupil autofocus control, and
in the moving image capturing mode, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display a pupil detection frame, which is in a different display form from the pupil focus frame, as the pupil frame when focusing is achieved by the pupil autofocus control.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
in the still image capturing mode, when it is automatically set which one of left and right pupils is to be a target for the pupil autofocus control, and when the pupil autofocus control has been performed according to the predetermined operation, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display no pupil frame until focusing is achieved.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the pupil detection frame and the pupil focus frame are displayed in different colors.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined operation is a half-pressing operation of a shutter button.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a mode related to the pupil autofocus control is selectable between (1) an auto mode in which it is automatically set which one of left and right pupils is to be a target for the pupil autofocus control, and (2) a fixed mode in which a pupil designated by a user operation is set as a target for the pupil autofocus control, and
in the moving image capturing mode, when the pupil is not in focus during the pupil autofocus control, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display no pupil frame in the auto mode and display the pupil frame in the fixed mode.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
in the auto mode, a temporarily selected state is settable, so that the pupil autofocus control is performed with the target temporarily fixed to the pupil designated by the user operation, and
in the moving image capturing mode, when the pupil is not in focus during the pupil autofocus control, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display the pupil frame in the temporarily selected state.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
in the moving image capturing mode, when the pupil autofocus control has been performed, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display a pupil detection frame as the pupil frame until focusing is achieved, and display a pupil focus frame, which is in a different display form from the pupil detection frame, as the pupil frame when focusing is achieved.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
an on/off setting is selectable as to whether to display a face frame when a face is detected by the processing circuitry, and
in the moving image capturing mode, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control as to whether to display a face frame depending on whether the on setting or the off setting is selected.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
a mode related to the pupil autofocus control is selectable between (1) an auto mode in which it is automatically set which one of left and right pupils is to be a target for the pupil autofocus control, and (2) a fixed mode in which a pupil designated by a user operation is set as a target for the pupil autofocus control, and
when the off setting is selected as to whether to display a face frame, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display no face frame in the auto mode, and display the pupil frame while displaying no face frame when the pupil is detected, regardless of whether or not focusing is achieved, in the fixed mode.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
in the auto mode, a temporarily selected state is settable, so that the pupil autofocus control is performed with the target temporarily fixed to the pupil designated by the user operation, and
when the off setting is selected as to whether to display a face frame, in the temporarily selected state, when the pupil is detected, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display the pupil frame while displaying no face frame, regardless of whether or not focusing is achieved.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein when the off setting is selected as to whether to display a face frame, in the auto mode, when the pupil is in focus, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the control to display the pupil frame while displaying no face frame.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
as one mode related to the pupil autofocus control, an auto mode is selectable to automatically set which one of left and right pupils is to be a target for the pupil autofocus control,
in the auto mode, a temporarily selected state is settable, so that the pupil autofocus control is performed with the target temporarily fixed to a pupil designated by a user operation,
in the still image capturing mode, the temporarily selected state is released according to a release operation for giving an instruction to record a still image, and
in the moving image capturing mode, the temporarily selected state is released according to an operation different from the release operation.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
in the still image capturing mode, according to an operation for giving an instruction to operate autofocus on the pupil, the processing circuitry is further configured to initiate the pupil autofocus control based on the detection of the pupil in the entire captured image, and display a pupil focus frame as the pupil frame when focusing is achieved, and
in the moving image capturing mode, according to the operation, the processing circuitry is further configured to switch an autofocus control with a face as a target to the pupil autofocus control based on the detection of the pupil in the entire captured image, and display a pupil detection frame as the pupil frame when the pupil is detected.

15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a touch operation is detectable on a screen where the captured image is displayed,
in the still image capturing mode, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the pupil autofocus control by tracking the pupil according to the touch operation, and
in the moving image capturing mode, the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the pupil autofocus control with respect to the pupil selected after tracking a face according to the touch operation.

16. The imaging apparatus according to

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp

Inventors

• Nomura Kazunori
• Inomata Seiichi
• Yana Kanako

Classifications

• H04N23/667 Primary

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• H04N23/611

  where the recognised objects include parts of the human body · CPC title

• H04N23/635

  Region indicators; Field of view indicators · CPC title

• H04N23/67

  Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• H04N23/60 Primary

  Control of cameras or camera modules · CPC title