JP2012113204A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve problems with phase difference AF control of an external ranging system which does not obtain enough accuracy for a long-distance subject and with a method to obtain a subject distance from a position and a direction of an imaging device as well as map information which produces a large relative error and takes a long time until focusing for a short-distance subject.SOLUTION: An imaging device can shorten the time required for focusing by imaging signal AF control and can perform high-speed focusing adjustment control as hybrid AF by having phase difference AF control and map reference AF control in addition to the imaging signal AF control. The imaging device also obtains a more accurate subject distance by performing the map reference AF control for a long-distance subject that the phase difference AF control of an external ranging system has difficulty to deal with. Additionally, the imaging device performs the map reference AF control in the phase difference AF control of the external ranging system when a subject is not in a short range.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for automatic focusing by calculating a distance to a subject.

  An imaging signal AF is generally used as autofocus (AF) mounted on an imaging apparatus such as a video camera. The imaging signal AF extracts a high-frequency component from a video signal obtained using an imaging device, generates an AF evaluation value indicating a focused state, and controls the position of the focus lens so that the AF evaluation value is maximized. To do.

  In addition, an imaging apparatus has been proposed that combines a phase difference AF with a fast focus in addition to an imaging signal AF with a high focus accuracy. In the phase difference AF, the distance to the subject is detected by a distance measuring sensor, and the position of the focus lens is controlled based on the detected distance.

  Among the phase difference AFs, the external distance measurement method in which the optical system of the distance measurement sensor is provided independently of the imaging optical system has a simpler configuration than the TTL method. There was a problem that the accuracy of the distance was lowered.

  As a method of acquiring the distance to the subject, in addition to the ranging method such as phase difference AF, the GPS is attached to the imaging device, and information such as the subject distance is acquired from the position, orientation and map information of the imaging device, A technique presented to an operator is disclosed. (Patent Document 1)

JP 2009-060339 A

  In the phase difference AF control of the external distance measurement method, the accuracy of distance measurement is low when the subject is at a long distance, and in the hybrid AF control that combines the imaging signal AF control and the phase difference AF control for a long distance subject. But it took time to focus.

  On the other hand, the method of acquiring the subject distance from the position, orientation, and map information of the imaging device using GPS or the like can acquire the subject distance with a certain accuracy regardless of whether the subject is a short distance or a long distance. Although possible, the error is relatively large for a short-distance subject. Further, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, a method for calculating the subject distance from the position and orientation of the imaging device and map information is mentioned, but a method for performing focus adjustment control using the obtained subject distance is mentioned. It has not been.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to perform focus adjustment while acquiring a subject distance with high accuracy for a subject at a long distance in an imaging apparatus equipped with phase difference AF control.

The present invention provides an imaging optical system, an optical system provided outside the imaging optical system, a detection unit that photoelectrically converts an image from the optical system, and a subject distance that is calculated based on an output of the detection unit. A distance measuring means;
An imaging device comprising a second distance measuring means for calculating a subject distance by communication with an information processing device,
An imaging apparatus that performs focus control based on a subject distance obtained by performing the second distance measuring means when the first distance measuring means is a predetermined distance or more.

According to the present invention,
For a long-distance subject, the accuracy of subject distance detection can be improved, and automatic focus adjustment can be performed based on the detected subject distance.

The figure which shows the structure of the system in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a camera and a server in Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the structure of the ranging sensor in an Example. The figure which shows the image signal in phase difference AF Flowchart of the camera in the embodiment Flowchart of camera communication processing in Embodiment 1 Flowchart of server in embodiment 1 The figure which shows the calculation method of the object distance in an Example Flowchart of camera focus adjustment control in embodiment The figure which shows the ranging area in an Example Block diagram showing a configuration of a camera in Embodiment 2 Flowchart of camera map reference processing in Embodiment 2

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Example 1
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. The camera 100 and the server 200 communicate with each other. The camera 100 referred to here is a generic name of a so-called digital video camera, digital still camera, or the like that captures moving images and still images and records them on a medium. The camera 100 performs automatic focus adjustment based on the subject distance calculated from the image acquired by the camera 100 itself and the subject distance calculated by the server.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the camera 100 and the server 200. Each unit in the camera 100 is connected via a bus 170, and each unit is controlled by the CPU 151.

  The imaging optical system 101 includes a fixed first group lens 102, a zoom lens 111, a diaphragm 103, a fixed third group lens 121, and a focus lens 131, and makes subject light incident on the imaging element 141. The image sensor 141 captures an image by receiving subject light and outputs an image signal. The zoom control unit 113 changes the focal length by driving the zoom lens 111 via the zoom motor 112 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 151.

  The subject image incident on the image sensor 141 is photoelectrically converted by the image sensor 141 and is adjusted as an image signal by the image signal processor 142. Further, the imaging signal is input to the AF signal processing unit 134. The AF signal processing unit 134 extracts only a part of the image signal from the imaging signal, creates an AF evaluation value for imaging signal AF control by the band pass filter and the detection unit, and inputs the AF evaluation value to the focus control unit 133. .

  On the other hand, the distance measuring sensor 130 provided outside the imaging optical system 101 includes a divided optical system 138 for the distance measuring sensor and a phase difference detecting unit 139, and calculates a distance L1 to the subject to calculate a focus control unit. Input to 133. The focus control unit 133 delivers the result of the AF evaluation value and the subject distance L1 described above to the CPU 151, and moves the focus lens 131 via the focus motor 132 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 151.

  The image signal prepared by the imaging signal processing unit 142 is temporarily stored in the RAM 154. The image signal stored in the RAM 154 is compressed by the image compression / decompression unit 153 and recorded on the image recording medium 157. In parallel with this, the image signal stored in the RAM 154 is reduced / enlarged to an optimum size by the image processing unit 152. The image signal processed to the optimum size is displayed on the monitor display 150, so that the photographed image is fed back to the photographer in real time. In addition, immediately after shooting, it is possible to check the shot image by displaying the shot image on the monitor display for a predetermined time.

  The operation switch 156 is for performing an operation for the user to give an instruction. Reference numeral 159 denotes a power battery, which is subjected to appropriate power management by the power management 158 and supplies a stable power to the entire camera.

  The positioning unit 160 can detect the geographical current position of the camera 100. Specifically, the unit is based on technology such as GPS. The azimuth detecting unit 161 includes an electronic compass or the like, and can detect which direction the optical axis of the camera 100 is facing. The communication unit 162 is for performing wireless communication with the server 200.

  Prior to these operations, when the camera is activated from the OFF state, the program stored in the flash memory 155 is loaded into a part of the RAM 154, and the CPU 151 operates according to the program loaded in the RAM 154.

  Each unit in the server 200 is connected via a bus 205, and each unit is controlled by the CPU 201. The RAM 203 is used as an area for expanding a program executed by the CPU 201 and an area for temporarily storing data. The communication unit 202 is for communicating with the camera 100. The secondary storage device 204 is composed of a hard disk or the like. The secondary storage device 204 holds an operation program for the entire server and is also used as an area for storing data to be stored for a long period of time calculated by the server processing. In the present embodiment, map information described later is stored in the secondary storage device 204.

  Hereinafter, the phase difference AF control of the external distance measurement method will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the distance measuring sensor 130 of the camera 100. Reference numerals 302 and 304 denote first and second imaging lenses, which correspond to the split optical system 138, respectively. Reference numerals 303 and 305 denote first and second line sensors, which correspond to the phase difference detection unit 139, respectively. The first and second line sensors 303 and 305 are installed apart from each other by the base line length B. Of the light from the subject 301, the light passing through the first imaging lens 302 forms an image on the first line sensor 303, and the light passing through the second imaging lens 304 is the second line sensor 305. Image on top.

  The line sensor 303 includes 30 pixels, and the line sensor 305 has the same configuration. The line sensors 303 and 305 have an AGC circuit (not shown), and the AGC circuit samples the outputs of the line sensors 303 and 305 and performs gain adjustment.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of output signals from the line sensors 303 and 305 (hereinafter referred to as image signals). Since the line sensors 303 and 305 are separated by the base line length B, the image signal P1 from the line sensor 303 and the image signal P2 from the line sensor 305 are signals that are shifted by the number of pixels X. Therefore, correlation calculation is performed on the two image signals. In the correlation calculation, a correlation value between two image signals is calculated while shifting pixels, and a position where the correlation is maximum is calculated as an image shift amount X. This correlation calculation is performed by the CPU 151 unless otherwise specified.

  From the image shift amount X, the base line length B, and the focal length f of the imaging lenses 302 and 304, the distance L1 to the subject is obtained by the relationship of L1 = B · f / X based on the principle of triangulation. Based on the subject distance L1, the CPU 151 calculates a focus lens position for obtaining focus on the subject. This calculation includes not only calculation using a calculation formula, but also reading out data on the in-focus position with respect to the subject distance stored in advance in a memory (not shown).

  When the image shift amount X is large, the calculation error that occurs when calculating the image shift amount X has a small effect on the calculation of the subject distance L1. On the other hand, when the image shift amount X is small, the calculation error greatly affects the subject distance L1. For this reason, in the phase difference AF control of the external distance measurement method, when the subject is at a long distance, the distance measurement accuracy is low and the focus adjustment takes time.

  In addition to the phase difference AF control described above, the camera 100 has an imaging signal AF control. In the imaging signal AF control, the focus lens 131 is finely driven, and the AF evaluation value, which is the output of the AF signal processing unit 134, is compared between the state before the fine driving and the state after the fine driving. If the AF evaluation value increases, the focus control unit 133 moves the focus lens 131 in the same direction. If the evaluation value is decreasing, move it in the opposite direction. By repeating this, the focus lens 131 is gradually moved to the in-focus point, thereby realizing automatic focus adjustment control.

  The camera 100 also has map reference AF control based on the subject distance L2 calculated by the server 200. From the positioning unit 160 and the direction detection unit 161, the camera 100 detects the current geographical position information and the direction information about to be photographed. The communication unit 162 transmits the detected position information and direction information to the server 200. The server 200 receives position information and azimuth information from the camera 100, calculates a distance L2 to the subject, and transmits it to the camera 100. The camera 100 receives the subject distance L2 from the server 200 and moves the focus lens 131 based on the received subject distance L2, thereby realizing automatic focus adjustment control.

  Each AF control described above is realized by the CPU 151 performing calculations, and the focus control unit 133 moving the focus lens 131 via the focus motor 132 based on the calculation results of the CPU 151.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the camera 100 in the present embodiment. In S501, when the power of the camera 100 is turned on, the CPU 151 starts calculation. The following processing is realized by the CPU 151 performing calculations.

  In S502, the flags and control variables of the camera 100 are initialized. At this time, the value of AFMODE is set to 1. In step S503, the imaging optical member such as the focus lens 131 is moved to the initial position. In S504, the user's power-off operation is detected. If a power-off operation is detected, in step S505, in order to turn off the camera 100, the imaging optical member is moved to the initial position, and post-processing such as clearing various flags and control variables is performed. In step S506, the process of the camera 100 ends. If the power-off operation is not detected, in S507, communication processing with the server 200 is performed in order to perform map reference processing.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the camera 100 in the communication process. When the communication process is started from S601, the CPU 151 performs calculation, and the communication unit 162 communicates with the server 200.

  In step S <b> 602, the camera 100 acquires current position information of the camera 100 itself from the positioning unit 160. In addition, the azimuth information that is the direction in which the optical axis of the camera 100 is facing is acquired from the azimuth detection unit 161. In S603, the position information and azimuth information acquired in S602 are transmitted to the server. In step S <b> 604, the camera 100 requests the server 200 to transmit the subject distance Ls calculated by the server 200, and receives the subject distance Ls from the server 200. In step S <b> 605, it is confirmed whether the subject distance Ls calculated by the server 200 can be received from the server 200. If the camera 100 has received the subject distance Ls, in S606, Ls is stored in the subject distance L2 used for map reference AF control. If the subject distance Ls cannot be received, an error is stored in the subject distance L2 in S607. In step S608, the communication process ends.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the server 200 in the communication process. When the communication process is started from S701, the CPU 201 performs an operation, and the communication unit 202 communicates with the camera 100.

  In step S <b> 702, the server 200 requests the camera 100 to transmit position information and direction information, and confirms whether the position information and direction information have been received from the camera 100. If there is no position information or azimuth information, the process of S702 is repeated until the position information and azimuth information are transmitted from the camera 100. If there is position information and azimuth information, these are received and stored in the RAM 203 in S703. In S704, the subject distance Ls is calculated from the map information stored in the secondary storage device 204 and the position information and azimuth information acquired in S703 using a method described later. In step S <b> 705, the subject distance Ls is transmitted to the camera 100. In step S706, the process of the server 200 ends.

  A method for calculating the subject distance Ls from the map information and the received position information and direction information will be described with reference to FIG. The CPU 201 associates the position information and the direction information 801 received from the camera 100 with the map information that the server 200 has. Next, the CPU 201 refers to the map information, extracts the shooting target candidates 802 and 803 on the map existing in the shooting direction from the shooting position, and sets the closest shooting target candidate 802 as the subject. After the subject is determined, the distance from the shooting position to the subject is calculated on the map and set as the subject distance Ls.

  Due to the influence of the accuracy of the positioning unit 160, an error of about 2 m occurs in calculating the subject distance Ls. This error does not change even when the subject is at a short distance or at a long distance. The distance can be accurately calculated for a long-distance subject.

  Note that the method of determining one subject from a plurality of shooting target candidates is not a method in which the closest shooting target candidate is a subject, but the distance between the shooting target candidate and the shooting position, the shooting direction, and the direction in which the shooting target candidate exists. Alternatively, the subject may be determined by weighting and summing the deviation amounts. Further, the server 200 stores the frequency at which the candidate for photographing is a subject, and a method of selecting the subject with the highest frequency of photographing among the candidates for photographing may be used.

  After the map reference process in S507 is completed, a focus adjustment control process is performed in S508.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the camera 100 in the focus adjustment control process. When the focus adjustment control process is started from S901, the CPU 151 performs calculation, and the focus control unit 133 controls the focus motor 132 based on an instruction from the CPU 151.

  In S902, accumulation of pixels of the distance measuring sensor 130 is started, and an image signal in the AGC area is monitored. In S903, it is confirmed whether or not the image signal has reached a certain level, and it is determined whether or not the accumulation has ended. When the accumulation is completed, the process proceeds to S904. If the accumulation has not ended, the process returns to S902 and the accumulation process is repeated. In S904, the image signal of the distance measuring sensor 130 is acquired, correlation is calculated, and the reliability of the subject distance L1 and the subject distance L1 is calculated. This reliability is calculated from the contrast of the image signal and the degree of coincidence of the images when the correlation calculation is performed. In step S905, the AF signal processing unit 134 calculates an AF evaluation value. In step S906, the subject distance L2 received by the communication unit 162 is acquired.

  Steps S907 to S911 are for determining whether to perform focus adjustment using the result of phase difference AF control or map reference AF control in the external distance measurement method. As shown in FIG. 10A, when the distance measuring frame 1001 of the distance measuring sensor 130 captures a person 1002 as a subject, a highly reliable result is calculated at a close distance. In this case, by performing focus adjustment using the subject distance L1 calculated by the distance measuring sensor 130, it is possible to focus on the person 1002 that is the subject, and for subjects that are not on the map. Can also be focused. As shown in FIG. 10B, when there is no subject that can be captured by the distance measuring frame 1001 of the distance measuring sensor 130, the subject distance L1 is far and the reliability is low. In this case, since there is no subject at a short distance, the server 200 calculates the subject distance L2 from the map information, and adjusts the focus using the subject distance L2, thereby matching the object 1003 at a long distance. It becomes possible to burn.

  In step S907, it is confirmed whether the subject distance L1 calculated in step S904 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. This is because the accuracy of the distance measurement result from the distance measurement sensor 130 decreases as the distance from the distance measurement sensor 130 increases. Therefore, it is confirmed whether or not the subject distance L1 as the result of distance measurement by the distance measurement sensor 130 is within a range where accuracy can be ensured. Is for. If the subject distance L1 is shorter than 20 m, focus adjustment control is performed using the subject distance L1, and if the subject distance L1 is longer than 20 m, focus adjustment control is performed without using the subject distance L1. At this time, the reliability of the subject distance L1 may be acquired, and if the reliability is lower than a predetermined value, it may be determined that the subject distance L1 is not used for the focus adjustment control. If the subject distance L1 is equal to or less than the predetermined distance and the reliability is higher than the predetermined value, the value of L1 is stored in the subject distance L used for focus adjustment control in S908.

  If the subject distance L1 is longer than the predetermined distance or the reliability of the subject distance L1 is lower than a predetermined value, it is checked in step S909 whether the subject distance L2 is not an error. If it is not an error, in S910, the value of L2 is stored in the subject distance L used for focus adjustment control. If there is an error, the subject distance could not be calculated by either the phase difference AF control of the external distance measurement method or the map reference AF control, so AFMODE is set to 2 and the step proceeds.

  In S912, three branches are performed according to the value of AFMODE. Each branch is mainly processed as follows. AFMODE 1 is focus control using phase difference AF control or map reference AF control of an external distance measurement method. AFMODE2 is focus control using the imaging signal AF. The AFMODE 3 monitors whether there is a change from the state where the focusing is completed. If there is a change, the AFMODE 3 is set to 1 or 2, and the process shifts to the focus adjustment control.

  In S913, the target lens position is calculated based on the subject distance L and the current focus lens position. The calculation of the target lens position includes calculation of the lens driving direction and speed. In S914, it is determined whether or not the target lens position has been reached. If it is determined that it has been reached, the process proceeds to step S915. If it is determined that it has not been reached, the process proceeds to step S916. In S915, after performing the focusing operation to the subject distance L calculated by the phase difference AF control or the map reference AF control of the external distance measuring method, the imaging signal AF is performed in the vicinity of the focusing. Set.

  In S917 to S920, imaging signal AF control is performed. In step S917, a minute driving operation is performed to check whether the AF evaluation value has increased. If the AF evaluation value has increased, the process proceeds to S916. If the AF evaluation value has not increased, the driving direction of the minute driving operation is reversed in S918. In S919, it is confirmed whether the AF evaluation value has passed the peak. If the AF evaluation value has not passed the peak, the process proceeds to S916. If the peak is passed, it is determined in S920 that the in-focus position has been found, and AFMODE is set to 3.

  In S921, the lens is returned to the peak position of the AF evaluation value and stopped. In S922, it is confirmed whether or not the AF evaluation value has changed by a predetermined value or more. If not changed, the process proceeds to S916. If it has changed, it is checked in S923 whether or not the subject distance L has changed from the in-focus position. If it has changed, since both the subject distance L and the AF evaluation value have changed, it is determined that the subject is out of focus. In S924, AFMODE is set to 1 and the process proceeds to S916. If it has not changed, the AF evaluation value has changed, but the subject distance has not changed, so it is determined that there is a small blur, and in S925, AFMODE is set to 2 and the process proceeds to S916.

  In step S916, the focus adjustment control is terminated.

  After the focus adjustment control process in S508 is completed, in S509, the focus control unit 133 drives the motor with the driving direction, speed, and position determined in S508, and moves the focus lens 131 to a desired position.

  In S510, the image sensor 141 photoelectrically converts the subject image and arranges the subject image captured by the imaging signal processing unit 142 as an image signal. In step S511, the user's recording button press is detected, and it is confirmed whether recording is in progress. If the recording is not in progress, the process returns to S504. If the recording is in progress, the image compression / decompression unit 153 compresses the image signal prepared by the imaging signal processing unit 142 and records it on the image recording medium 157, and then the process proceeds to S504. Return.

As described above, the phase difference AF control and the map reference AF control in addition to the imaging signal AF control can shorten the time required for focusing the imaging signal AF, and high-speed focusing control can be performed as a hybrid AF. It becomes possible. Further, by performing map reference AF control on a long-distance subject that is not good at phase difference AF control of the external distance measurement method, it becomes possible to acquire a more accurate subject distance at a long distance. Further, in the phase difference AF control of the external distance measuring method, when the subject is not in a short distance, the map reference AF control is performed, so that it is possible to prevent the image from being unnecessarily blurred.
(Example 2)
The other Example in this invention is shown. In the first embodiment, the server performs a process of calculating the subject distance by referring to the map information from the position information and the direction information, and the camera performs the focus adjustment control based on the received data from the server. Explained. In the second embodiment, a case where all these processes are performed by the camera itself will be described. In this embodiment, it is not necessary to communicate with the server, and the configuration is possible even with a camera that does not have a communication unit.

  For the sake of explanation, the same reference numerals are used for the same contents as in the first embodiment, and the explanation is omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the camera 100 according to the present embodiment. The flash memory 155 stores map information in addition to a program for operating the CPU 151. Moreover, it has the structure which does not have a communication part. Other components 101 to 170 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a processing flow related to the present invention in the camera configuration shown in FIG. 11 will be described with reference to FIG. Since the process from the first step S501 to S506 is the same as that in the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted. In S507, a map reference process is performed.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the camera 100 in the map reference process. When communication processing is started from S1201, the CPU 151 performs calculation.

  In step S <b> 1202, the camera 100 acquires current position information of the camera 100 itself from the positioning unit 160. In addition, the azimuth information that is the direction in which the optical axis of the camera 100 is facing is acquired from the azimuth detection unit 161. In S1204, the subject distance L2 is calculated from the map information stored in the flash memory 155 and the position information and azimuth information acquired in S1202.

  A method for calculating the subject distance L2 from the map information and the received position information and direction information will be described. The CPU 151 associates the acquired position information and orientation information with map information. Next, the CPU 151 refers to the map information, extracts shooting target candidates on the map existing in the shooting direction from the shooting position, and sets the closest shooting target candidate as the subject. After the subject is determined, the distance from the shooting position to the subject is calculated on the map and set as the subject distance L2.

  Note that the method of determining one subject from a plurality of shooting target candidates is not a method in which the closest shooting target candidate is a subject, but the distance between the shooting target candidate and the shooting position, the shooting direction, and the direction in which the shooting target candidate exists. Alternatively, the subject may be determined by weighting and summing the deviation amounts.

  In step S1204, it is confirmed whether the subject distance L2 has been calculated. If the subject distance L2 can be calculated, the process proceeds to S1206. If the subject distance L2 cannot be received, an error is stored in the subject distance L2 in S1205, and the process proceeds to S1206. In step S1206, the map reference process ends.

  After the map reference process in S507 is completed, a focus adjustment control process is performed in S508. Since the processing after S508 is the same as that in the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, the phase difference AF control and the map reference AF control in addition to the imaging signal AF control can shorten the time required for focusing the imaging signal AF, and high-speed focusing control can be performed as a hybrid AF. It becomes possible. Further, by performing map reference AF control on a long-distance subject that is not good at phase difference AF control of the external distance measurement method, it becomes possible to acquire a more accurate subject distance at a long distance. Further, in the phase difference AF control of the external distance measuring method, when the subject is not in a short distance, the map reference AF control is performed, so that it is possible to prevent the image from being unnecessarily blurred.
(Other variations)
In this embodiment, the focus adjustment process is performed after the map reference process. However, the map reference process and the focus adjustment process may be performed in parallel.

  In the present embodiment, the phase difference AF control and the map reference AF control of the external ranging method are selected from S907 to S911, and then the AF control mode transition is performed in S912. However, AFMODE is determined to be 1 in S912. Then, the phase difference AF control and the map reference AF control of the external distance measurement method may be selected.

  In this embodiment, the operation of the camera 100 has been described with reference to map reference, focus adjustment, imaging, image processing, and recording from S501 to S512. In addition to the above, other functions such as AE and flash are installed. May be.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Camera 101 Lens unit 130 Distance sensor 133 Focus control part 138 Imaging lens 139 Detection part 155 Flash memory 160 Positioning part 161 Orientation detection part 162 Communication part 200 Server 202 Communication part 204 Secondary storage device

Claims (13)

First distance measuring means for receiving information on a subject and calculating information related to a distance to the subject based on photoelectrically converted output;
An imaging device comprising a second distance measuring means for calculating information related to distance by communication with an information processing device,
An image pickup apparatus that performs focus control based on information about a distance obtained by performing the second distance measuring means when the first distance measuring means is a predetermined distance or more. The first distance measuring means includes
The object distance is calculated based on an optical system provided outside an imaging optical system, a detection unit that photoelectrically converts an image from the optical system, and an output of the detection unit. Imaging device. The second distance measuring means includes
Position acquisition means for acquiring position information of the imaging device, orientation acquisition means for acquiring orientation information facing the imaging device, transmission means for transmitting the position information and the orientation information to an information processing device,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a receiving unit that receives the subject distance calculated by the information processing apparatus based on the transmitted position information and the orientation information. In the first distance measuring means, there is an evaluation means for evaluating reliability simultaneously with distance measurement,
The focus control is performed based on a subject distance obtained by performing the second distance measuring means when the first distance measuring means is a predetermined distance or more or reliability is less than a predetermined value. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The information processing apparatus includes:
Receiving means for receiving position information and orientation information obtained by the imaging device;
Distance calculating means for calculating a distance to the subject from the position information, the azimuth information, and the map information stored in the information processing device;
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit that transmits a result of the distance calculation unit to the imaging apparatus. The distance calculating means includes
Among the objects on the map information existing in the direction of the azimuth information from the position information, the closest object is the subject,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a distance between the position information and a subject position is calculated. The distance calculating means includes
The object on the map information existing in the direction of the direction information is searched from the position information, and the distance between the position of the searched object and the position information and the difference between the direction of the searched object and the direction information. Based on the subject,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a distance between the position information and a subject position is calculated. The information processing apparatus includes a frequency storage unit that stores a frequency at which an object in the map information is captured in the past,
The distance calculation means uses the object having the highest frequency stored in the frequency storage means among the objects on the map information existing in the direction of the azimuth information as compared to the position information,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a distance between the position information and a subject position is calculated. First distance measuring means for receiving information on a subject and calculating information related to a distance to the subject based on photoelectrically converted output;
Position acquisition means for acquiring position information of the imaging device;
Orientation acquisition means for acquiring orientation information of the imaging device,
An image pickup apparatus comprising the second distance measuring means for calculating information related to a distance from the map information stored in the image pickup apparatus and the position information and the orientation information,
An image pickup apparatus that performs focus control based on information about a distance obtained by performing the second distance measuring means when the first distance measuring means is a predetermined distance or more. The first distance measuring means includes
The object distance is calculated based on an optical system provided outside the imaging optical system, a detection unit that photoelectrically converts an image from the optical system, and an output of the detection unit. Imaging device. In the first distance measuring means, there is an evaluation means for evaluating reliability simultaneously with distance measurement,
The focus control is performed based on a subject distance obtained by performing the second distance measuring means when the first distance measuring means is a predetermined distance or more or reliability is less than a predetermined value. The imaging device according to Item 9 or 10. The second distance measuring means uses the closest object among the objects on the map information existing in the direction of the azimuth information from the position information,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a distance between the position information and a subject position is calculated. The second distance measuring means searches for an object on the map information existing in the direction of the azimuth information from the position information, and determines the distance between the position of the searched object and the position information and the searched object. Determine the subject based on the difference between the direction and the direction information,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a distance between the position information and a subject position is calculated.