Imaging device, control method of imaging device, and computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9423670-B2
Application number	US-201514638404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2015
Priority date	Jun 5, 2012
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

There is provided an imaging device including an imaging control unit that executes imaging control in first and second self-timer modes in which an automatic focusing process and an imaging process are executed in order after reception of an imaging start instruction. A first period from the reception of the imaging start instruction to execution of the automatic focusing process in the first self-timer mode is shorter than a second period from the reception of the imaging start instruction to execution of the automatic focusing process in the second self-timer mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:
a body;
a display part configured to rotate around a hinge on the body; and
a circuitry configured to:
execute an automatic focusing process after an imaging instruction, and
change an execution timing of the automatic focusing process between a first timing which is a time after a first period from the imaging instruction and a second timing which is a time after a second period from the imaging instruction based on a rotation position of the display part, wherein

the second period is longer than the first period.

2. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the execution timing of the automatic focusing process is set to the first timing when the display part faces a direction opposite to a lens.

3. The imaging apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the execution timing of the automatic focusing process is set to the second timing when the display part faces a same direction as the lens.

4. The imaging apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the rotation position is a position that the display part is facing the same direction as the lens.

5. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second timing is set when a self-timer mode is set.

6. The imaging apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a period between the execution timing of the automatic focusing process and an imaging process is changed based on the rotation position of the display part.

7. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the period between the imaging instruction and an imaging process is determined based on a pre-determined self-timer period.

8. The imaging apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the self-timer period is set by a user.

9. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an imaging operation is operated by a user.

10. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the display part is a touch panel display.

11. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to detect a smile of a subject.

12. An imaging method comprising:
executing an automatic focusing process after an imaging instruction, and
changing an execution timing of the automatic focusing process between a first timing which is a time after a first period from the imaging instruction and a second timing which is a time after a second period from the imaging instruction based on a rotation position of a display part, wherein
the second period is longer than the first period.

13. The imaging method of claim 12 , further comprising setting the execution timing of the automatic focusing process to the first timing when the display part faces a direction opposite to a lens.

14. The imaging method of claim 13 , further comprising setting the execution timing of the automatic focusing process to the second timing when the display part faces a same direction as the lens.

15. The imaging method of claim 13 , wherein the rotation position is a position that the display part is facing the same direction as the lens.

16. The imaging method of claim 12 , wherein the second timing is set when a self-timer mode is set.

17. The imaging method of claim 15 , further comprising changing a period between the execution timing of the automatic focusing process and an imaging process based on the rotation position of the display part.

18. The imaging method of claim 12 , wherein the period between the imaging instruction and an imaging process is determined based on a pre-determined self-timer period.

19. The imaging method of claim 16 , wherein the self-timer period is set by a user.

20. The imaging method of claim 12 , wherein an imaging operation is operated by a user.

21. An imaging apparatus comprising:
a display;
a circuitry configured to:
execute an automatic focusing process after an imaging instruction, and
change an execution timing of the automatic focusing process between a first timing which is a time after a first period from the imaging instruction and a second timing which is a time after a second period from the imaging instruction, based on a correspondence relation between the display and a camera capturing an image displayed on the display, the correspondence relation being whether the display and the camera are faced to a same direction,
wherein the second period is longer than the first period.

22. The imaging apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the execution timing of the automatic focusing process is set to the first timing when the display faces a direction opposite to the camera.

23. The imaging apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the execution timing of the automatic focusing process is set to the second timing when the display faces the same direction as the camera.

24. The imaging apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the second timing is set when a self-timer mode is set.

25. The imaging apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the period between the imaging instruction and an imaging process is determined based on a pre-determined self-timer period.

26. The imaging apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the self-timer period is set by a user.

27. The imaging apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the display is a touch panel display.

28. The imaging apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to detect a smile of a subject.

29. An imaging method comprising:
executing an automatic focusing process after an imaging instruction, and
changing an execution timing of the automatic focusing process between a first timing which is a time after a first period from the imaging instruction and a second timing which is a time after a second period from the imaging instruction, based on a correspondence relation between a display and a camera capturing an image displayed on the display, the correspondence relation being whether the display and the camera are faced to a same direction,
wherein the second period is longer than the first period.

30. The imaging method of claim 29 , wherein the execution timing of the automatic focusing process is set to the first timing when the display faces a direction opposite to the camera.

31. The imaging method of claim 30 , wherein the execution timing of the automatic focusing process is set to the second timing when the display faces the same direction as the camera.

32. The imaging method of claim 29 , wherein the second timing is set when a self-timer mode is set.

33. The imaging method of claim 29 , wherein the period between the imaging instruction and an imaging process is determined based on a pre-determined self-timer period.

34. The imaging method of claim 30 , wherein the self-timer period is set by a user.

35. The imaging method of claim 29 , wherein the display is a touch panel display.

36. The imaging method of claim 29 , further comprising detecting a smile of a subject.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Naito Masaki
• Kirisawa Tsukasa

Classifications

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/667 Primary

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• G03B9/64 Primary

  Mechanism for delaying opening of shutter (separate from shutter G03B17/38) · CPC title

• H04N23/673

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