Imaging apparatus, control method of imaging apparatus, and non-transitory storage medium storing control program of imaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832363-B2
Application number	US-201615153622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2016
Priority date	May 14, 2015
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes a reading unit, a display unit, and a control unit. The reading unit reads pixel signals from imaging pixels and focus detection pixels. The display unit displays an image. When both exposure/reading of the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels are achievable within time corresponding to a display frame rate of the display unit, the control unit controls to alternate the exposure/reading of the imaging pixels and the exposure/reading of the focus detection pixels. When both the exposure/reading of imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels are not achievable within the time, the control unit controls to perform the exposure of the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels at the same time and read the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels after the end of the exposure of the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging apparatus which comprises an image pickup device, the image pickup device comprising imaging pixels including light receiving portions and focus detection pixels in which opening positions of light receiving portions are different from opening positions of the imaging pixels, the imaging apparatus comprising:
a reading unit which reads pixel signals from the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels;
a display unit which displays an image based on the pixel signals read from the imaging pixels; and
a control unit which controls to perform the display of the image on the display unit and a read operation of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels within a time corresponding to a display frame rate of the display unit,
wherein when both exposure of the imaging pixels and reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and exposure of the focus detection pixels and reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels are achievable within the time corresponding to the display frame rate of the display unit, the control unit controls to alternate the exposure of the imaging pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the exposure of the focus detection pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels, and
when both the exposure of the imaging pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the exposure of the focus detection pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels are not achievable within the time corresponding to the display frame rate of the display unit, the control unit controls to perform the exposure of the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels at the same time and read the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels after the end of the exposure of the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit decides an exposure time of the focus detection pixels in accordance with a contrast value which is calculated on the basis of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels, and determines in accordance with the decided exposure time whether both the exposure of the imaging pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the exposure of the focus detection pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels are achievable within the time corresponding to the display frame rate of the display unit.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit sets an exposure time shorter than the decided exposure time for the image pickup device, and sets a gain of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels in accordance with the shorter exposure time.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the reading unit adds and reads the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels, and
the control unit sets an exposure time shorter than the decided exposure time for the image pickup device, and sets the number of additional pixels of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels in accordance with the shorter exposure time.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit sets an exposure time shorter than the decided exposure time for the image pickup device, and sets a gain of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels in accordance with the shorter exposure time.

6. A control method of an imaging apparatus which comprises an image pickup device, the image pickup device comprising imaging pixels including light receiving portions and focus detection pixels in which opening positions of light receiving portions are different from opening positions of the imaging pixels, the control method comprising:
when both exposure of the imaging pixels and reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and exposure of the focus detection pixels and reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels are achievable within a time corresponding to a display frame rate of a display unit, setting to alternate the exposure of the imaging pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the exposure of the focus detection pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels, and when both the exposure of the imaging pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the exposure of the focus detection pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels are not achievable within the time corresponding to the display frame rate of the display unit, setting to perform the exposure of the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels at the same time and read the pixel signals from the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels so that the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels are read after the end of the exposure of the imaging pixels and the focus detection pixels;
performing the exposure of the imaging pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the exposure and reading of the focus detection pixels in accordance with the setting; and
displaying an image based on the pixel signals read from the imaging pixels.

7. The control method of the imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the setting comprises deciding an exposure time of the focus detection pixels in accordance with a contrast value which is calculated on the basis of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels, and determining in accordance with the decided exposure time whether both the exposure of the imaging pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and the exposure of the focus detection pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels are achievable within the time corresponding to the display frame rate of the display unit.

8. The control method of the imaging apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the setting comprises setting an exposure time shorter than the decided exposure time for the image pickup device, and setting a gain of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels in accordance with the shorter exposure time.

9. The control method of the imaging apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the setting comprises setting an exposure time shorter than the decided exposure time for the image pickup device, and setting the number of additional pixels of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels in accordance with the shorter exposure time.

10. The control method of the imaging apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the setting comprises setting an exposure time shorter than the decided exposure time for the image pickup device, and setting a gain of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels in accordance with the shorter exposure time.

11. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a control program of an imaging apparatus which comprises an image pickup device, the image pickup device comprising imaging pixels including light receiving portions and focus detection pixels in which opening positions of light receiving portions are different from opening positions of the imaging pixels, the control program causes a computer to:
when both exposure of the imaging pixels and reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels and exposure of the focus detection pixels and reading of the pixel signals of the focus detection pixels are achievable within a time corresponding to a display frame rate of a display unit, set to alternate the exposure of the imaging pixels and the reading of the pixel signals of the imaging pixels an

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Kikuchi Tetsuo

Classifications

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• H04N25/46

  by combining or binning pixels · CPC title

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N23/673

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

• H04N25/134

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title