Lens device, control method, and imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025203209-A1
Application number	US-202318849633-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 14, 2023
Priority date	Mar 31, 2022
Publication date	Jun 19, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present technology relates to a lens device, a control method, and an imaging system capable of improving the accuracy of zoom tracking.
A lens device according to one aspect of the present technology calculates an instruction locus, which is a locus of a position of the zoom lens at each time after a start timing of a control cycle of the zoom lens, on the basis of the target position indicated by an instruction value fetched before the start timing, and controls driving of a first actuator on the basis of the instruction locus when the start timing has come. A control unit performs calculation of zoom tracking after the start timing on the basis of a predicted position of the zoom lens obtained from the instruction locus. The present technology can be applied to a lens device of an interchangeable lens camera.

First claim

1 . A lens device comprising:
a control unit configured to calculate a target position of a zoom lens at each time, the zoom lens being controlled by a first actuator; and an arithmetic unit configured to calculate an instruction locus, which is a locus of a position of the zoom lens at each time after a start timing of a control cycle of the zoom lens, on a basis of the target position indicated by an instruction value fetched from the control unit before the start timing, and control driving of the first actuator on a basis of the instruction locus when the start timing has come, wherein the control unit performs calculation of zoom tracking after the start timing on a basis of a predicted position of the zoom lens obtained from the instruction locus.

2 . The lens device according to claim 1 , wherein
the arithmetic unit drives, on a basis of a calculation result of the zoom tracking, a second actuator configured to control a focus lens, and controls tracking of the focus lens with respect to the zoom lens.

3 . The lens device according to claim 2 , wherein
the arithmetic unit performs drive control of the first actuator in a first cycle, and performs drive control of the second actuator in a second cycle shorter than the first cycle.

4 . The lens device according to claim 3 , wherein
the arithmetic unit fetches the instruction value from the control unit at a timing before a period of the second cycle or more with reference to the start timing.

5 . The lens device according to claim 3 , wherein
the control unit performs calculation of the zoom tracking on a basis of the predicted position indicating the position of the zoom lens at the time of the zoom tracking in the next cycle.

6 . The lens device according to claim 1 , wherein
the arithmetic unit performs calculation including a same filter processing as filter processing at the time when the instruction value was latched at the start timing, and obtains the instruction locus.

7 . The lens device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
the zoom lens; the first actuator; the focus lens; and the second actuator.

8 . The lens device according to claim 7 , wherein
the first actuator is a linear actuator.

9 . The lens device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a microcomputer including the control unit and the arithmetic unit.

10 . A control method performed by a lens device, the control method comprising:
calculating, with a control unit, a target position of a zoom lens at each time, the zoom lens being controlled by a first actuator; calculating, with an arithmetic unit, an instruction locus, which is a locus of a position of the zoom lens at each time after a start timing of a control cycle of the zoom lens, on a basis of the target position indicated by an instruction value fetched from the control unit before the start timing; controlling, with the arithmetic unit, driving of the first actuator on a basis of the instruction locus when the start timing has come; and performing, with the control unit, calculation of zoom tracking after the start timing on a basis of a predicted position of the zoom lens obtained from the instruction locus.

11 . An imaging system including:
a lens device including a zoom lens, a first actuator configured to control the zoom lens, a focus lens, a second actuator configured to control the focus lens, a first control unit configured to calculate a target position of the zoom lens at each time, and an arithmetic unit configured to calculate an instruction locus, which is a locus of a position of the zoom lens at each time after a start timing of a control cycle of the zoom lens, on a basis of the target position indicated by an instruction value fetched from the first control unit before the start timing, and control driving of the first actuator on a basis of the instruction locus when the start timing has come, the first control unit performing calculation of zoom tracking after the start timing on a basis of a predicted position of the zoom lens obtained from the instruction locus; and an imaging device including a second control unit configured to communicate with the first control unit.

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp

Inventors

• Miyamoto Kohei
• Mizuno Yuki

Classifications

• H04N23/60

  Control of cameras or camera modules · CPC title

• H04N23/69 Primary

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N23/55 Primary

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• G02B7/08

  adapted to co-operate with a remote control mechanism · CPC title

• G03B13/36

  Autofocus systems · CPC title