Imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8976289-B2
Application number	US-201213661936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2012
Priority date	Apr 28, 2010
Publication date	Mar 10, 2015
Grant date	Mar 10, 2015

Abstract

An imaging device of an aspect of the invention, when reading, as voltage signals, signal charges output from a first pixel receiving a light on a partial area biased to a predetermined direction from a light axis of a light flux passing an exit pupil of an imaging optical system and a second pixel arranged so as to be adjacent to the first pixel and receiving a light on a partial area biased to an opposite direction to the predetermined direction from the light axis, combines and reads the signal charges of adjacent first-number pixels with respect to the first pixel and the second pixel, and calculates an arithmetic mean of adjacent second-number voltage signals with respect to the combined and read voltage signals of the first pixel and the second pixel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
an imaging optical system;
an imaging element in which a plurality of pixels including a first pixel and a second pixel are arranged in a two-dimensional manner, the first pixel receiving a light on a partial area biased to a predetermined direction from a light axis of a light flux passing an exit pupil of the imaging optical system, the first pixel arranged at interval of a predetermined number of pixels, and the second pixel arranged so as to be adjacent to the first pixel and receiving a light on a partial area biased to an opposite direction to the predetermined direction from the light axis of the light flux passing the exit pupil of the imaging optical system;
a brightness acquisition unit configured to acquire a brightness of a subject;
an imaging element drive unit configured to read signal charges from the plurality of pixels as a voltage signal, the imaging element drive unit configured to read and combine signal charges of a first number of adjacent first pixels and to read and combine signal charges of the first number of adjacent second pixels when reading signal charges from the first pixel and the second pixel;
an arithmetic mean calculation unit configured to calculate an arithmetic mean of voltage signals, combined and read by the imaging element drive unit, of a second number of adjacent first pixels and to calculate an arithmetic mean of voltage signals, combined and read by the imaging element drive unit, of the second number of adjacent second pixels;
an automatic focus adjustment unit configured to detect a phase difference between the arithmetic mean of the voltage signals of the second number of the adjacent first pixels and the arithmetic mean of the voltage signals of the second number of the adjacent second pixels, and to automatically perform a focus adjustment of the imaging optical system based on the phase difference; and
a processing unit configured to increase the first number and decrease the second number as the brightness of the subject acquired by the brightness acquisition unit becomes lower.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing unit determines the first number and the second number such that a product of the first number and the second number is constant.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the imaging element drive unit combines the first number of signal charges adjacent in a vertical direction; and
the arithmetic mean calculation unit calculates an arithmetic mean of the second number of voltage signals adjacent in a vertical direction.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing unit sets the first number to 1 when the acquired brightness of the subject is equal to or greater than a predetermined brightness.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising
an area division unit configured to divide the imaging element into a plurality of areas when the acquired brightness of the subject is higher than a predetermined threshold, wherein:
the arithmetic mean calculation unit calculates an arithmetic mean of the voltage signals for each of the divided areas; and
the automatic focus adjustment unit detects a phase difference between the first-pixel voltage signal and the second-pixel voltage signal for each of the areas based on the calculated arithmetic mean of the voltage signals for each of the areas, and automatically performs a focus adjustment of the imaging optical system based on a most reliable phase difference among the phase differences detected in the areas.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first pixel and second pixel are only arranged on a pixel having a green color filter.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first pixel and second pixel are only arranged in a focus area on the light receiving surface.

8. An imaging device comprising:
an imaging optical system;
an imaging element in which a plurality of pixels including a first pixel and a second pixel are arranged in a two-dimensional manner, the first pixel receiving a light on a partial area biased to a predetermined direction from a light axis of a light flux passing an exit pupil of the imaging optical system, the second pixel arranged so as to be adjacent to the first pixel and receiving a light on a partial area biased to an opposite direction to the predetermined direction from the light axis of the light flux passing the exit pupil of the imaging optical system;
a brightness acquisition unit configured to acquire a brightness of a subject;
an imaging element drive unit configured to read pixel signals from the plurality of pixels, the imaging element drive unit configured to combine pixel signals of a first number of adjacent first pixels to read a first pixel signal and combine pixel signals of the first number of adjacent second pixels to read a second pixel signal when reading pixel signals from the first pixel and the second pixel;
an arithmetic mean calculation unit configured to calculate an arithmetic mean of first pixel signals, combined and read by the imaging element drive unit, of a second number of adjacent first pixel signals and to calculate an arithmetic mean of second pixel signals, combined and read by the imaging element drive unit, of the second number of adjacent second pixel signals;
an automatic focus adjustment unit configured to detect a phase difference between the arithmetic mean of the first pixel signals of the second number of the adjacent first pixel signals and the arithmetic mean of the second pixel signals of the second number of the adjacent second pixel signals, and to automatically perform a focus adjustment of the imaging optical system based on the phase difference; and
a processing unit configured to increase the first number and decrease the second number as the brightness of the subject acquired by the brightness acquisition unit becomes lower.

9. The imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein
the processing unit determines the first number and the second number such that a product of the first number and the second number is constant.

10. The imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein:
the imaging element drive unit combines the first number of pixel signals adjacent in a vertical direction; and
the arithmetic mean calculation unit calculates an arithmetic mean of the second number of pixel signals adjacent in a vertical direction.

11. The imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein
the processing unit sets the first number to 1 when the acquired brightness of the subject is equal to or greater than a predetermined brightness.

12. The imaging device according to claim 8 , further comprising
an area division unit configured to divide the imaging element into a plurality of areas when the acquired brightness of the subject is higher than a predetermined threshold, wherein:
the arithmetic mean calculation unit calculates an arithmetic mean of the pixel signals for each of the divided areas; and
the automatic focus adjustment unit detects a phase difference between the first pixel signal and the second pixel signal for each of the areas based on the calculated arithmetic mean of the pixel signals for each of the areas, and automatically performs a focus adjustment of the imaging optical system based on a most reliable phase difference among the phase differences detected in the areas.

13. The imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein
the first pixel and second pixel are only arranged on a pixel having a green color filter.

14. The imaging device accord

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Iwasaki Yoichi

Classifications

• H04N25/134

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/672 Primary

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• G03B13/36

  Autofocus systems · CPC title

• H04N5/23212 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic