Imaging apparatus, its control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9300867-B2
Application number	US-201414463722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2014
Priority date	Aug 21, 2013
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

An imaging apparatus is arranged to perform a focus detection in each of focus detection areas set on an image pickup plane; select first area and second areas from among the focus detection areas on the basis of the focus detection result; pick up an optical image which is formed at each of a first focus position at which the selected first area is in focus and a second focus position at which the selected second area is in focus and generate image data; determine an area to be processed on the basis of the image data; execute a predetermined processing to the image data on the basis of a determination result. The second area is selected based on the number of focus detection areas satisfying a predetermined condition from among the focus detection areas each having a depth difference from the first area in a predetermined range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:
a focus detection unit configured to set a plurality of focus detection areas in an image pickup plane and perform a focus detection in each of the focus detection areas;
a selection unit configured to select a first area and a second area from among the plurality of focus detection areas based on a result of the focus detection;
an imaging unit configured to pick up a first optical image which is formed by a photographing optical system at a first focus position at which the selected first area is in focus to generate first image data and pick up a second optical image which is formed by the photographing optical system at a second focus position at which the selected second area is in focus to generate second image data;
a determination unit configured to determine an area to be processed based on the first image data and the second image data; and
a processing unit configured to execute a predetermined processing to at least the first image data based on a result of the determination,
wherein the selection unit selects the second area based on a number of focus detection areas in which the focus detection result satisfies a predetermined condition, from among the focus detection areas each having a depth difference from the first area in a predetermined range.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first area is an area serving as a candidate of a main object area and the second area is an area serving as a candidate of a background area or a foreground area.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an instruction unit configured to receive a first instruction and a second instruction for performing an image pickup of the object by the imaging unit, and
wherein the focus detection unit performs the focus detection in accordance with the first instruction, and the imaging unit generates the first image data and the second image data in accordance with the second instruction.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the selection unit selects the focus detection area in which the focus is adjusted onto an infinite side, as a first candidate of the second area in the case where the number of focus detection areas in a range of a first predetermined depth from a focus detection area in which a focus is adjusted onto the infinite side in the predetermined range of the depth difference among the focus detection areas each having the depth difference in the predetermined range is greater than a first predetermined number and is maximum and selects the focus detection area in which the focus is adjusted onto the infinite side, as a second candidate of the second area when the first candidate is not selected, in the case where a number of adjacent areas in which the result of the focus detection lies in a range of a second predetermined depth from the focus detection area in which the focus is adjusted onto the infinite side among the focus detection areas each having the depth difference in the predetermined range is equal to or greater than a second predetermined number.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first predetermined number is greater than the second predetermined number.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an object detection unit configured to detect an object,
wherein the selection unit sets, as the first area, a focus detection area in which a depth difference from the result of the focus detection of the focus detection area corresponding to the detected object lies in a range of a third predetermined depth.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an object detection unit configured to detect an object,
wherein the selection unit sets a focus detection area, as the first area, which overlaps with the detected object and is adjacent in a range of a fourth predetermined depth, as the first area among the plurality of focus detection areas.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the selection unit sets a focus detection area which is adjacent in a range of a fifth predetermined depth from a focus detection area on a nearest side located near a center of the image pickup plane, as the first area among the plurality of focus detection areas.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the area to be processed based on edge information in first image data and second image data, and
wherein the processing unit executes a shading processing as the predetermined processing to the determined area to be processed.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein among the plurality of focus detection areas, if the focus detection areas each having the depth difference in the predetermined range from the focus detection area selected as the first area do not exist, the processing unit does not execute the predetermined processing.

11. A control method of an imaging apparatus, comprising:
setting a plurality of focus detection areas into an image pickup plane and performing a focus detection in each of the focus detection areas;
selecting a first area and a second area from among the plurality of focus detection areas based on a result of the focus detection;
picking up a first optical image which is formed by a photographing optical system at a first focus position at which the selected first area is in focus to generate first image data and picking up a second optical image which is formed by the photographing optical system at a second focus position at which the selected second area is in focus to generate second image data;
determining an area to be processed based on the first image data and the second image data; and
executing a predetermined processing to at least the first image data based on a result of the determination,
wherein the second area is selected based on the number of focus detection areas in which the focus detection result satisfies a predetermined condition, from among the focus detection areas each having a depth difference from the first area in a predetermined range.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for causing a computer to execute a control method of an imaging apparatus, the control method comprising:
setting a plurality of focus detection areas into an image pickup plane and performing a focus detection in each of the focus detection areas;
selecting a first area and a second area from among the plurality of focus detection areas based on a result of the focus detection;
picking up a first optical image which is formed by a photographing optical system at a first focus position at which the selected first area is in focus to generate first image data and picking up a second optical image which is formed by the photographing optical system at a second focus position at which the selected second area is in focus to generate second image data;
determining an area to be processed based on the first image data and the second image data; and
executing a predetermined processing to at least the first image data based on a result of the determination,
wherein the second area is selected based on the number of focus detection areas in which the focus detection result satisfies a predetermined condition, from among the focus detection areas each having a depth difference from the first area in a predetermined range.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Shibagami Genjiro

Classifications

• G02B7/365 Primary

  by analysis of the spatial frequency components of the image · CPC title

• H04N23/673

  based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method · CPC title

• H04N23/61

  based on recognised objects · CPC title

• H04N23/959

  by adjusting depth of field during image capture, e.g. maximising or setting range based on scene characteristics · CPC title

• H04N23/80

  Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof · CPC title