Control apparatus, image pickup system, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9405092-B2
Application number	US-201414283951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2014
Priority date	May 27, 2013
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A control apparatus includes a first focus detection unit that performs focus detection by a phase difference method based on an image signal obtained from an image pickup element, a second focus detection unit that performs focus detection by a contrast method, and a control unit that performs focusing, the control unit performs the focusing, in a first mode, by using a detection result of the first focus detection unit, and performs the focusing, in a second mode, by selectively using one of the detection result of the first focus detection unit and a detection result of the second focus detection unit according to lens information, and the first mode is a mode in which the focusing is repeated, and the second mode is a mode in which a lens is stopped after the focusing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control apparatus comprising:
a first focus detection processor configured to perform focus detection by a phase difference method based on an image signal obtained from an image pickup element;
a second focus detection processor configured to perform focus detection by a contrast method; and
a control processor configured to perform focusing,
wherein the control processor is configured to:
perform the focusing, in a first mode, by using a detection result of the first focus detection processor, and
perform the focusing, in a second mode, by selectively using one of the detection result of the first focus detection processor and a detection result of the second focus detection processor according to lens information,
wherein the first mode is a mode in which the focusing is repeated, and the second mode is a mode in which a lens is stopped after the focusing,
wherein the control processor, in the second mode, is configured to:
perform the focusing by using the first focus detection processor when the lens information is first information, and
perform the focusing by using the second focus detection processor when the lens information is second information,
wherein the first information is information indicating that a lens apparatus has a predetermined in-focus accuracy for the focus detection by the phase difference method, and
wherein the second information is information indicating that the lens apparatus does not have the predetermined in-focus accuracy for the focus detection by the phase difference method.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the lens information is information stored in a memory of a lens apparatus.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the lens apparatus is configured to be detachable from an image pickup apparatus including the control apparatus.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control processor, in the first mode, is configured to perform the focusing by using the detection result of the first focus detection processor regardless of the lens information.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first information is information indicating that the lens apparatus is compatible with the focus detection by the phase difference method.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second information is information indicating that a lens apparatus is not compatible with the focus detection by the phase difference method.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control processor is configured to select one of the first focus detection processor and the second focus detection processor according to an image height of a focus detection region.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the lens information is the first information, the control processor is configured to:
select the first focus detection processor for a focus detection region within a predetermined region, and
select the second focus detection processor for the focus detection region not within the predetermined region.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the lens information is the first information, the control processor is configured to select one of the first focus detection processor and the second focus detection processor according to an image shooting scene.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which a lens of a lens apparatus is stopped at an in-focus position after the focusing.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the lens information is the first information, the control processor is configured to:
select the first focus detection processor in a case where an image shooting scene is a scene allowing a predetermined reliability to be obtained in the focus detection by the phase difference method, and
select the second focus detection processor in a case where the image shooting scene is not a scene allowing the predetermined reliability to be obtained.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the predetermined reliability is based on at least one of a degree of coincidence between a pair of the image signals, sharpness, a contrast ratio, an amount of correlated change, and accumulation time.

13. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second focus detection processor is configured to perform the focus detection by the contrast method based on an output from the image pickup element.

14. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image pickup element is configured to output a signal for a recorded image.

15. The control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control processor is configured to change the first mode to the second mode when a release switch becomes a half-pressed state.

16. A control apparatus comprising:
a first focus detection processor configured to perform focus detection by a phase difference method based on an image signal obtained from an image pickup element;
a second focus detection processor configured to perform focus detection by a contrast method; and
a control processor configured to perform focusing,
wherein the control processor is configured to:
perform the focusing, in a first mode, by using a detection result of the first focus detection processor, and
perform the focusing, in a second mode, by selectively using one of the detection result of the first focus detection processor and a detection result of the second focus detection processor according to lens information,
wherein the first mode is a mode in which the focusing is repeated, and the second mode is a mode in which a lens is stopped after the focusing,

wherein the control processor, in the second mode, is configured to:
perform the focusing by using the first focus detection processor when the lens information is first information, and
perform the focusing by using the second focus detection processor when the lens information is second information,
wherein when the lens information is the first information, the control processor is configured to:
select the first focus detection processor in a case where an image shooting scene is a scene allowing a predetermined reliability to be obtained in the focus detection by the phase difference method, and
select the second focus detection processor in a case where the image shooting scene is not a scene allowing the predetermined reliability to be obtained, and
wherein the control apparatus comprises a processor executing a program stored in a memory to implement at least a part of a function of at least one of the processors.

17. The control apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein the lens information is information stored in a memory of a lens apparatus.

18. The control apparatus according to claim 17 ,
wherein the lens apparatus is configured to be detachable from an image pickup apparatus including the control apparatus.

19. The control apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein the control processor, in the first mode, is configured to perform the focusing by using the detection result of the first focus detection processor regardless of the lens information.

20. The control apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein the first information is information indicating that the lens apparatus is compatible with the focus detection by the phase difference method.

21. T

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Nakamoto Miyako
• Hirota Satoshi
• Ishii Takayuki

Classifications

• G02B7/36 Primary

  using image sharpness techniques {, e.g. image processing techniques for generating autofocus signals (image data processing per se G06T; in cameras having a solid state image sensor H04N23/67)} · CPC title