Imaging device, autofocus method and program of the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9729774-B2
Application number	US-201213664669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2012
Priority date	Dec 21, 2011
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

An imaging device includes a first imaging optical system; a first imaging unit that converts an optical image of a subject formed via the first imaging optical system into an electrical signal and produces an image signal of a first imaged image; a second imaging optical system; a second imaging unit that converts an optical image of the subject formed via a second imaging optical system into an electrical signal and produces an image signal of a second imaged image; and a control unit that independently control the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system and performs individually a focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
a first imaging optical system;
a second imaging optical system; and
circuitry configured to
convert an optical image of a subject formed via the first imaging optical system into an electrical signal and produce an image signal of a first imaged image,
convert an optical image of the subject formed via the second imaging optical system into an electrical signal and produce an image signal of a second imaged image, and
determine, whether to perform individually a focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image based on an angle of view calculated from a distance and zoom magnification, and independently control the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system, based on the determination that is based on the angle of view and the zoom magnification, wherein

the circuitry is configured to, after the determination whether to perform individually the focus adjustment and in response to the angle of view being lower than a predetermined value, individually perform the focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image by independently controlling the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein when distances to the subject between the first imaged image and the second imaged image are equal to or greater than the distance corresponding to an angle of view, the circuitry is configured to individually perform the focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein when the distances to the subject are not equal to or greater than the distance corresponding the angle of view, the circuitry is configured to allow a focal position of the second imaged image to follow a focal position of the first imaged image.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein when a switching is performed from one side to an other side between an operation that individually performs the focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image and an operation that allows the focal position of the second imaged image to follow the focal position of the first imaged image, the circuitry is configured to move the focal position of the second imaged image from the focal position of the operation of the one side to the focal position of the operation of the other side at a predetermined speed or less.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to perform subject recognition based on the image signal of the first imaged image, allow the focus to follow a predetermined subject recognized by the circuitry, and enable a focal position of the second imaged image to follow a focal position of the first imaged image.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to set a focus adjustment range of the second imaged image based on a focal position of the first imaged image.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to adjust any one position of at least a first detection area and a second detection area such that subject ranges are coincident in an image of the first detection area used in adjusting a focus in the first imaged image and an image of the second detection area used in adjusting a focus in the second imaged image.

8. An autofocus method comprising:
converting, using circuitry, an optical image of a subject formed via a first imaging optical system into an electrical signal and producing an image signal of a first imaged image;
converting, using the circuitry, an optical image of the subject formed via a second imaging optical system into an electrical signal and producing an image signal of a second imaged image;
determining whether to perform individually a focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image based on an angle of view calculated from a distance and zoom magnification;
independently controlling the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system, based on the determining that is based on the angle of view and the zoom magnification; and
after the determining whether to perform individually the focus adjustment and in response to the angle of view being lower than a predetermined value, individually performing the focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image by independently controlling the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
independently controlling a first imaging optical system and a second imaging optical system;
converting an optical image of a subject formed via the first imaging optical system into an electrical signal to obtain a first imaged image and an optical image of the subject formed via a second imaging optical system into an electrical signal to obtain a second imaged image;
determining whether to perform individually a focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image based on an angle of view calculated from a distance and zoom magnification; and
after the determining whether to perform individually the focus adjustment and in response to the angle of view being lower than a predetermined value, performing individually the focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second image, based on the determining that is based on the angle of view and the zoom magnification, the focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image being individually performed by independently controlling the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system.

10. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry determines whether to perform individually the focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image, at least based on the angle of view and distances to the subject.

11. The imaging device according to claim 10 , wherein in a case that distances to the subject between the first imaged image and the second imaged image are equal to or greater than the distance corresponding to the angle of view, the circuitry is configured to individually perform the focus adjustment of the first imaged image and the second imaged image.

12. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to, after the determination whether to perform individually the focus adjustment and in response to the angle of view being equal to or greater than the predetermined value, cause a focal position of the second imaged image to follow a focal position of the first imaged image.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Ueda Hitoshi

Classifications

• H04N23/673 Primary

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

• H04N13/0296

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/0239

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/23212 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G03B13/36

  Autofocus systems · CPC title