Imaging device that executes auto focus control by referring to distance image data regarding a depth of a region

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9274402-B2
Application number	US-201414225119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2014
Priority date	Mar 26, 2013
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

An imaging device includes: an imaging unit that images a subject image and generates image data; a receiving unit that receives a mode setting to either one of a full AF mode of executing auto focus control by referring to data corresponding to an entire region of an image to be indicated by the image data and a partial AF mode of executing the auto focus control by referring to data corresponding to a partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data; and a controller that, in response to whether the mode is the full AF mode or the partial AF mode, generates first distance image data regarding a depth of the entire region of the image to be indicated by the image data or second distance image data regarding a depth of the partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
an image sensor that images a subject image and generates image data;
a user input device that receives a mode setting to either one of a full AF (Auto Focus) mode of executing auto focus control by referring to data corresponding to an entire region of an image to be indicated by the image data and a partial AF mode of executing the auto focus control by referring to data corresponding to a partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data;
an image processor that, in response to whether the mode is the full AF mode or the partial AF mode, generates first distance image data regarding a depth of the entire region of the image to be indicated by the image data or second distance image data regarding a depth of the partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data; and
a controller that executes the auto focus control, wherein:
the image processor generates the first distance image data in a case where the imaging device is set in the full AF mode, and generates the second distance image data in a case where the imaging device is set in the partial AF mode,
the controller executes the auto focus control based on the first distance image data in a case where the first distance image data is generated by the image processor, and executes the auto focus control based on the second distance image data in a case where the second distance image data is generated by the image processor,
in the case where the imaging device is set in the partial AF mode, the image processor generates distance image data regarding a depth of a first partial region, and the controller executes the auto focus control by referring to distance image data regarding a depth of a second partial region that is included in the first partial region and is smaller than the first partial region.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein:
in a case where the imaging device is set at a variable portion AF mode, where a position of the data to be referred to in an event of the auto focus control is variable on the image to be indicated by the image data, during the execution of the partial AF mode, the image processor generates first distance image data regarding depth of a first partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data, and the controller executes the auto focus control by referring to distance image data regarding a depth of a second partial region that is included in the first partial region and is smaller than the first partial region, and
in a case where the imaging device is set at an invariable portion AF mode, where the position of the data to be referred to in the event of the auto focus control is invariable on the image to be indicated by the image data, during the execution of the partial AF mode, the image processor generates distance image data regarding depth of a third partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data, and the controller executes the auto focus control by referring to the distance image data regarding the depth of the third partial region.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a period of generating the second distance image data is shorter than a period of generating the first distance image data.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the image processor generates the first distance image data and the second distance image data by using a DFD (Depth From Defocus) algorism.

5. An imaging device comprising:
an image sensor that images a subject image and generates image data;
a user operation device that receives a mode setting to either one of a full AF (Auto Focus) mode of executing auto focus control by referring to data corresponding to an entire region of an image to be indicated by the image data and a partial AF mode of executing the auto focus control by referring to data corresponding to a partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data;
an image processor that, in response to whether the mode is the full AF mode or the partial AF mode, generates first distance image data regarding a depth of the entire region of the image to be indicated by the image data or second distance image data regarding a depth of the partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data; and
a controller that executes the auto focus control, wherein:
the image processor generates the first distance image data in a case where the imaging device is set in the full AF mode, and generates the second distance image data in a case where the imaging device is set in the partial AF mode,
the controller executes the auto focus control based on the first distance image data in a case where the first distance image data is generated by the image processor, and executes the auto focus control based on the second distance image data in a case where the second distance image data is generated by the image processor,
the imaging device is settable in a continuous shooting mode of continuously generating plural-image data by a single imaging instruction, and
in a case where the imaging device is set both in the continuous shooting mode and the partial AF mode, the image processor generates distance image data regarding a depth of a first partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data, and the controller executes the auto focus control by referring to distance image data regarding a depth of a second partial region that is included in the first partial region and is smaller than the first partial region.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein:
in a case where the imaging device is set at a variable portion AF mode, where a position of the data to be referred to in an event of the auto focus control is variable on the image to be indicated by the image data, during the execution of the partial AF mode, the image processor generates first distance image data regarding depth of a first partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data, and the controller executes the auto focus control by referring to distance image data regarding a depth of a second partial region that is included in the first partial region and is smaller than the first partial region, and
in a case where the imaging device is set at an invariable portion AF mode, where the position of the data to be referred to in the event of the auto focus control is invariable on the image to be indicated by the image data, during the execution of the partial AF mode, the image processor generates distance image data regarding depth of a third partial region of the image to be indicated by the image data, and the controller executes the auto focus control by referring to the distance image data regarding the depth of the third partial region.

7. The imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein a period of generating the second distance image data is shorter than a period of generating the first distance image data.

8. The imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein the image processor generates the first distance image data and the second distance image data by using a DFD (Depth From Defocus) algorism.

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okamoto Mitsuyoshi
• Okazaki Yoshinori

Classifications

• H04N23/675

  comprising setting of focusing regions · CPC title

• H04N23/61

  based on recognised objects · CPC title

• H04N23/635

  Region indicators; Field of view indicators · CPC title

• G03B13/36 Primary

  Autofocus systems · CPC title

• G03B17/18

  Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light (indicating depth of field G03B13/30) · CPC title