Image capturing apparatus and control method for image capturing apparatus with particle filter for main object detection and selecting focus detection area based on priority

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9615019-B2
Application number	US-201514843868-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2015
Priority date	Sep 8, 2014
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

Focus detection can be performed preferentially in an area that is likely to include a main object. An image capturing apparatus is configured to detect a main object in an image with a particle filter, divide the image into divided areas respectively corresponding to a plurality of focus detection areas, set a priority to each of the focus detection areas based on a distributed state of particles distributed in each of the divided areas, and select the focus detection area based on the set priority.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image capturing apparatus comprising:
an image capturing unit configured to capture an image formed by an imaging optical system;
an object detection unit having a particle filter and configured to detect a main object in the image with the particle filter;
a focus detection unit configured to detect a focus state of an object with a plurality of focus detection areas;
a selection unit configured to select a focus detection area where a focal point is detected from the plurality of the focus detection areas; and
a focus calculation unit configured to calculate a focal position of the imaging optical system based on a signal output from the focus detection area selected by the selection unit,
wherein the selection unit is configured to divide the image into divided areas corresponding to each of the plurality of focus detection areas, set a priority to each of the focus detection areas based on a distributed state of particles distributed in each of the divided areas, and detected by the object detection unit, and select the focus detection area based on the priority.

2. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the object detection unit is configured to classify the particles into at least one particle group, and set a priority order to each particle group based on a sum of likelihoods of the classified particles, and
wherein the selection unit sets the priority to each of the focus detection areas based on the priority order of the particle group to which the particles distributed in each of the divided areas belong.

3. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the selection unit is configured to set the priority to each of the focus detection areas based on a distribution density of the particles, the distribution density being calculated from an area of each of the divided areas and the number of the particles detected by the object detection unit and distributed in each of the divided areas.

4. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the object detection unit is configured to classify each of the particles into at least one particle group, and the selection unit is configured to set the priority to the focus detection area based on a sum of likelihoods of the classified particles and a distribution density of the particles distributed in each of the divided areas.

5. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing unit and the focus detection unit operate based on an image signal output from an identical imaging element.

6. A control method for an image capturing apparatus, the control method comprising:
capturing and generating an image from an object image formed by an imaging optical system;
detecting a main object in the image with a particle filter;
detecting a focus state of an object with a plurality of focus detection areas;
selecting an area with which a focal point is detected from the plurality of the focus detection areas; and
performing focus calculation to calculate a focal position of the imaging optical system based on a signal output from the selected focus detection area,
wherein the selecting includes dividing the image into divided areas corresponding to each of the plurality of focus detection areas, setting a priority to each of the focus detection areas based on a distributed state of particles distributed in each of the divided areas and detected in the detecting of the object, and selecting the focus detection area based on the priority.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 6 .

8. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a case where a focus state of the object with the selected focus detection area does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the selection unit selects another focus detection area based on the priority.

9. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the selection unit sets the priority to each of the focus detection areas based on a distribution density of the particles.

10. An image capturing apparatus comprising:
a light metering sensor that captures an image formed by an imaging optical system;
a ranging sensor that detects a focus state of an object with a plurality of focus detection areas; and
a system control circuit that detects an object in the image with a particle filter, sets a priority to each of the focus detection areas based on a distributed state of particles of the particle filter distributed in each of areas corresponding to the plurality of focus detection areas, and calculates a focal position of the imaging optical system based on a signal output from the focus detection area selected based on the priority.

11. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein, in a case where a focus state of the object with the selected focus detection area does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the system control circuit selects another focus detection area based on the priority.

12. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the system control circuit sets the priority to each of the focus detection areas based on a distribution density of the particles.

13. An image capturing apparatus comprising:
an image sensor that captures an image formed by an imaging optical system; and
a system control circuit that detects an object in the image with a particle filter, sets a priority to each of focus detection areas in the image based on a distributed state of particles of the particle filter distributed in each of areas corresponding to the plurality of focus detection areas, and calculates a focal position of the imaging optical system based on a signal output from the focus detection area selected based on the priority.

14. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein, in a case where a focus state of the object with the selected focus detection area does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the system control circuit selects another focus detection area based on the priority.

15. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the system control circuit sets the priority to each of the focus detection areas based on a distribution density of the particles.

16. An image capturing apparatus comprising:
a light metering sensor that captures an image formed by an imaging optical system;
a ranging sensor that detects a focus state of each of a plurality of focus detection areas; and
a system control circuit that detects an object in the image with a particle filter, selects a focus detection area based on a distributed state of particles of the particle filter distributed in each of areas corresponding to the plurality of focus detection areas, and calculates a focal position of the imaging optical system based on a signal output from the selected focus detection area,
wherein, in a case where a focus state of the selected focus detection area does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the system control circuit selects another focus detection area based on a distributed state of particles of particle filter.

17. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein, in a case where a focus state of the another focus detection area satisfies the predetermined condition, the system control circuit calculates the focal position of the imaging optical system based on a signal output from the another focus detection area.

18. The image

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• FUNAMOTO Shohei

Classifications

• H04N23/672

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N23/675 Primary

  comprising setting of focusing regions · CPC title

• G06K9/00771

  Physics · mapped topic

• G03B13/36

  Autofocus systems · CPC title

• G02B7/285 Primary

  including two or more different focus detection devices, e.g. both an active and a passive focus detecting device · CPC title