JP2021044707A - Imaging apparatus, control method of the same, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve operability when a user selects an image out of image data obtained by consecutive imaging.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus comprises: an imaging unit for capturing a subject image formed with a lens; an adjustment unit which adjusts the focal point of the lens; and a recording unit which, when the adjustment unit drives the lens while the imaging unit performs consecutive imaging, associates information that the lens is driven halfway with image data of an image captured by the imaging unit while the lens is driven, and records them.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a focus adjustment technique in an imaging device.

Conventionally, when high-speed continuous shooting is performed by an imaging device, it takes more time to transfer image data to an external recording medium than to process the captured image. Therefore, if continuous shooting is continued, the data transfer to the external recording medium cannot catch up, and the buffer that temporarily holds the data in the image pickup apparatus becomes full of image data, and it is necessary to stop continuous shooting. ..

However, in recent years, an external recording medium capable of high-speed transfer has been developed, and by using such a recording medium, waiting for transfer of image data is less likely to occur even during high-speed continuous shooting. Further, in recent years, an imaging device capable of high-speed continuous shooting of 20 frames or more per second using an electronic shutter has also appeared.

By using such an imaging device capable of high-speed continuous shooting and an external recording medium capable of high-speed transfer, high-speed continuous shooting for a long time becomes possible, and shooting that follows the movement of the subject in more detail becomes possible. In the case of such long-time high-speed continuous shooting, it is conceivable that the AF target may be changed during continuous shooting.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-176386

However, if the AF target is changed during high-speed continuous shooting, the image pickup operation is performed while the lens is driven by AF, so that an image unintended by the user may be shot. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the focus is changed to another subject during continuous shooting from the state of being in focus on the subject 601, the lens is being driven as shown in FIG. 6 (b). Imaging may occur at the moment when no subject is in focus.

By the way, when high-speed continuous shooting is performed, the user generally selects a preferable image later from the obtained image data. In this case, for example, in Patent Document 1, it is based on evaluation values such as presence / absence of face, face position, face orientation, smile, eye opening degree, personal authentication match, camera shake, subject blur, focus position, and focus evaluation value. Therefore, a technique for selecting the best image from a large amount of image data is disclosed.

However, even if the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, it is not easy to select preferable image data from the image data obtained by high-speed continuous shooting for a long time.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve workability when a user selects an image from image data obtained by continuous shooting.

The imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging means for capturing an image of a subject imaged by a lens, an adjusting means for adjusting the focus of the lens, and the imaging means during a period of continuous imaging. When the lens is driven by the adjusting means, the image data of the image captured by the imaging means while the lens is being driven is associated with information indicating that the lens is being driven. It is characterized in that it is provided with a recording means for recording.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve workability when a user selects an image from image data obtained by continuous shooting.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the digital camera which is 1st Embodiment of the image pickup apparatus of this invention. The flowchart which shows the operation which associates the operation period of the lens drive by AF during continuous shooting with image data. The figure for demonstrating the operation of changing the AF target with a plurality of subjects. The flowchart explaining the operation of adding the switching information of the AF target based on the depth information of an image sensor. The figure for demonstrating the operation of changing the AF target with a plurality of subjects. The figure which shows the example of the image when the lens drive occurs during continuous shooting.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiment, not all of the plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are designated by the same reference numbers, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera 100 according to a first embodiment of the image pickup apparatus of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the digital camera 100 of the present embodiment is configured by attaching a detachable interchangeable lens 120 to a digital camera main body 130. Although the digital camera 100 is shown as an interchangeable lens camera in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a camera with an integrated lens.

In FIG. 1, the digital camera body 130 includes a control unit 101, an image sensor 102, an image signal processing unit 103, a finder unit 104, a user operation unit 105, a display unit 106, and an external interface (hereinafter, external I / F) unit 107. Have. Further, the digital camera main body 130 includes a memory unit 108, a recording medium interface (hereinafter, recording medium I / F) unit 109, a recording medium 110, a bus 111, a microphone 112, and an audio processing unit 113.

The control unit 101 performs various arithmetic processes and comprehensively controls the entire digital camera body 130 and the interchangeable lens 120. The image sensor 102 is composed of a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or the like, and outputs an analog signal for each pixel according to a timing signal supplied by a timing generator.

The image signal processing unit 103 performs amplification processing of the image signal obtained by the image sensor 102, A / D conversion processing, various correction processing for the image data after A / D conversion, compression processing for compressing the image data, and the like. Do. When the user uses the finder 104, the finder 104 displays the live view image data processed by the image signal processing unit 103.

The user operation unit 105 has operation members such as a shutter button, a touch panel, and an operation button for reflecting the operation intended by the user on each block through the control unit 101. The display unit 106 displays a captured still image, a moving image, or the like. Further, it has a touch panel on the surface, and for example, the focus detection area can be changed by touch and drag, and other shooting settings can be changed.

The external I / F unit 107 can be connected to an external video device via an HDMI terminal or the like to transmit video data in order to display a captured still image, a moving image, or the like. The memory unit 108 temporarily stores image data and the like processed by the image signal processing unit 103, and also stores various adjustment values and programs for executing various controls by the control unit 101.

The recording medium I / F unit 109 is an interface that performs recording processing / reading processing of image data and audio data on the recording medium 110. The bus 111 transmits commands from the control unit 101 to each control block, image data, AF evaluation values, lens drive information, and the like.

The microphone 112 collects external sounds such as voices emitted by a subject and environmental sounds and converts them into electrical signals when shooting a moving image or recording voices. The voice processing unit 113 performs amplification processing and A / D conversion processing on the voice signal obtained by the microphone unit 112. Furthermore, it performs level adjustment of digital audio data, various noise reduction processing, compression processing, and the like.

The interchangeable lens 120 includes a lens unit 121, an aperture unit 122, a lens driving device 123, a lens microcomputer 124, and the like.

The lens unit 121 forms an optical image (subject image) of the subject on the image sensor 102. The diaphragm 122 is a diaphragm mechanism that controls the amount of light of the optical image of the subject. The lens driving device 123 controls the operation of the lens unit 121 during autofocus (autofocus adjustment: hereinafter, AF) and the operation during image blur correction (image stabilization: hereinafter, IS), and also has the number of aperture stages of the aperture 122. Etc. are controlled. Further, the control signal is received from the control unit 101 of the digital camera main body 130 via the lens microcomputer 124 to operate the lens mechanism.

The lens microcomputer 124 receives the timing for driving the lens from the control unit 101 of the digital camera main body 130, and controls the lens driving device 123. In addition, information for each interchangeable lens is transmitted to the digital camera body 130 so that distortion and chromatic aberration peculiar to each interchangeable lens can be corrected in the digital camera body 130.

Next, the operation of the digital camera 100 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of associating the operation period of the lens drive by AF during continuous shooting with the image data. Further, FIG. 3A is a diagram showing how the AF target is changed during continuous shooting. FIG. 3B is a timing chart showing the continuous shooting timing of the digital camera 100 and the lens driving timing due to the change of the AF target.

Before the operation of the flowchart of FIG. 2 is started, the user focuses AF on the face of the subject 301 of FIG. 3 (a) as a pre-stage of starting continuous shooting (continuous shooting). The settings shall be made.

First, in step S201, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the user has instructed continuous shooting. It is determined that the user has switched to the continuous shooting mode by the user operation unit 105 and then pressed the shutter button to instruct continuous shooting. In step S201, if continuous shooting is instructed, the process proceeds to step S202, and if not instructed, the process waits until instructed.

In step S202, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an instruction has been given to switch the AF target by driving the lens during continuous shooting. If an instruction to switch the AF target is given, the process proceeds to step S203, and if there is no switching instruction, continuous shooting is performed as it is.

In step S203, the control unit 101 instructs the lens microcomputer 124 to drive the lens and starts the operation of switching the AF target. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the AF target is switched from the subject 301 to the subject 302. At this time, continuous shooting is continued and does not stop. In the timing chart of FIG. 3B, 311 indicates the continuous shooting timing, and 312 indicates the lens driving timing. Then, in step S203, the lens is driven in the photographing section 314.

In step S204, when the lens drive is started by changing the AF target during continuous shooting, the lens microcomputer 124 notifies the control unit 101 of the lens drive start timing.

In step S205, the control unit 101 associates the lens drive start timing notified from the lens microcomputer 124 with the header area of the image data 311a captured immediately after the lens drive is started as the AF change timing during continuous shooting. Instruct the image signal processing unit 103.

In step S206, the lens microcomputer 124 determines whether or not the lens drive is completed. If the lens drive is completed due to the change of the AF target, the process proceeds to step S207, and if the lens drive is not completed, the process returns to step S205.

In step S207, the lens microcomputer 124 transmits to the control unit 101 that the lens drive has been completed. As a result, the shooting section 314 in which the lens is driven in FIG. 3B is switched to the shooting section 315 in which the lens is not driven. Further, the focusing position of the lens is switched to the subject 302 of FIG. 3A, and continuous shooting is continued.

In step S208, the control unit 101 processes the image signal so as to record the lens drive end timing as the AF target switching end timing in association with the header area of the image data 311b captured immediately after the lens drive ends. Instruct unit 103.

When the information that the lens is driven by changing the AF target is associated with the image data during continuous shooting in this way, it is possible to notify the user by displaying a dedicated icon on the screen of the playback mode of the digital camera, for example. Become. Further, even when editing with a personal computer or the like, by using a dedicated application, it is possible to clearly notify the image taken while driving the lens by changing the AF target during continuous shooting.

As described above, in the present embodiment, information indicating that the AF target is being changed is associated and recorded in the header area of the image data captured while the lens is being driven by switching the AF target during continuous shooting. This makes it possible to inform the user that the image may be unintended. Further, by processing in real time in the digital camera, it is possible to shorten the work time for detecting an image not intended by the user by using an application or the like later.

In the present embodiment, the description is made on the premise that the AF target is changed during continuous shooting, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the lens is manually operated by AF or the user during or during continuous exposure. The present invention can be applied even when there is a drive.

(Second embodiment)
In this second embodiment, the configuration of the digital camera is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Therefore, the description of the parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

In the image pickup device 102 of the present embodiment, each pixel of the effective pixel portion has a plurality of photodiodes, and is configured to receive light fluxes in a plurality of different pupil regions of the image pickup optical system. The image data corresponding to the luminous fluxes of different pupil regions are image data having parallax with each other, and the data in the depth direction (subject distance) can be acquired from a pair of image signals corresponding to different pupil regions.

Next, the operation of the digital camera 100 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of associating the operation period of the lens drive by AF during continuous shooting with the image data. Further, FIG. 5A is a diagram showing how the AF target is changed during continuous shooting. FIG. 5B is a timing chart showing the continuous shooting timing of the digital camera 100 and the lens driving timing due to the change of the AF target.

Before the operation of the flowchart of FIG. 4 is started, the user shall set the AF to focus on the face of the subject 502 of FIG. 5A as a step before starting the continuous shooting. ..

First, in step S401, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the user has instructed continuous shooting. It is determined that the user has switched to the continuous shooting mode by the user operation unit 105 and then pressed the shutter button to instruct continuous shooting. In step S401, if continuous shooting is instructed, the process proceeds to step S402, and if not instructed, the process waits until instructed.

In step S402, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an instruction has been given to switch the AF target by driving the lens during continuous shooting. If an instruction to switch the AF target is given, the process proceeds to step S403, and if there is no switching instruction, continuous shooting is performed as it is.

In step S403, the control unit 101 acquires depth information of the subject currently in focus. The image sensor 102 acquires data in the depth direction.

In step S404, the control unit 101 instructs the lens microcomputer 124 to drive the lens and starts the operation of switching the AF target. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the AF target is switched from the subject 502 to the subject 504. At this time, continuous shooting is continued and does not stop. In the timing chart of FIG. 5B, 511 indicates the continuous shooting timing, and 512 indicates the lens driving timing. Then, in step S404, the lens is driven in the photographing section 514.

In step S405, when the lens drive is started by changing the AF target during continuous shooting, the lens microcomputer 124 notifies the control unit 101 of the lens drive start timing.

In step S406, the lens microcomputer 124 determines whether or not the lens drive is completed. If the lens drive is completed due to the change of the AF target, the process proceeds to step S407, and if the lens drive is not completed, the process waits until the lens drive is completed.

In step S407, the lens microcomputer 124 transmits to the control unit 101 that the lens drive has been completed. As a result, the shooting section 514 in which the lens is driven in FIG. 5B is switched to the shooting section 515 in which the lens is not driven. Further, the focusing position of the lens is switched to the subject 504 of FIG. 5A, and continuous shooting is continued.

In step S408, the depth information of the in-focus subject after changing the AF target is acquired. The image sensor 102 acquires data in the depth direction.

In step S409, when the AF target is changed during continuous shooting and the depth difference between the subjects is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the process ends as it is. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the depth difference between the subject 502 and the subject 504 is small, the focusing value is almost the same, so that the image is unlikely to be an image not intended by the user. On the other hand, if the depth difference between the subjects is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the process proceeds to step S410.

In step S410, the control unit 101 associates the lens drive start timing notified from the lens microcomputer 124 with the header area of the image data 511a captured immediately after the lens drive is started as the AF change timing during continuous shooting. It decides to record and instructs the image signal processing unit 103.

In step S411, the control unit 101 sends the image signal processing unit 103 to the image signal processing unit 103 so that the lens drive end timing is associated with the header area of the image data 511b captured immediately after the lens drive is completed as the AF target switching end timing. Instruct.

As described above, in the present embodiment, based on the depth information of the subject before and after the change of the AF target, whether or not the AF target change process during continuous shooting is performed is recorded in association with the image data. Judge whether or not. As a result, when the depth difference of the subject is small before and after the lens drive, it is possible to omit the process of associating the AF target change with the header area.

In the present embodiment, the description is made on the premise that the AF target is changed during continuous shooting, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the lens is manually operated by AF or the user during or during continuous exposure. The present invention can be applied even when there is a drive.

In the first and second embodiments, the AF target may be switched during continuous shooting with, for example, the cross-shaped arrow keys or the touch panel on the user operation unit 105. Alternatively, a method such as subject selection by line-of-sight input (line-of-sight detection) while looking into the EVF, switching instruction by voice recognition (voice detection), or the like may be used. Various other methods can be considered, and the switching method is not limited to the above as long as the camera can switch the AF target.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention also supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be executed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, a claim is attached to make the scope of the invention public.

100: Digital camera, 101: Control unit, 102: Image sensor, 103: Image processing unit, 120: Interchangeable lens, 124: Lens microcomputer, 130: Digital camera body

Claims (14)

An imaging means that captures the subject image imaged by the lens,
An adjustment means for adjusting the focus of the lens and
When the lens is driven by the adjusting means during the period during which the imaging means is continuously imaging, the image captured by the imaging means while the lens is being driven. A recording means for recording image data in association with information indicating that the lens is being driven,
An imaging device characterized by comprising. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic focus adjusting means for automatically adjusting the focus of the adjusting means, and driving the lens is for automatic focus adjustment. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the lens is driven by a manual operation by a user. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the driving of the lens is a driving for changing a subject to be focused on. The recording means is based on the first position, which is the position in the depth direction of the subject before changing the subject to be focused, and the second position, which is the position in the depth direction of the subject after changing the subject. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein it is determined whether or not to record the information. The imaging device according to claim 5, wherein the recording means does not record the information when the difference between the first position and the second position is smaller than a predetermined value. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising an instruction means for giving an instruction to change a subject to be focused. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the instruction means has a cross direction key for selecting a subject. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the instruction means has a touch panel for selecting a subject. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the instruction means includes a line-of-sight detecting means for detecting the direction of the user's line of sight in the finder. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the instruction means includes a voice detecting means for detecting a user's voice. A method of controlling an imaging device including an imaging means for capturing a subject image imaged by a lens and an adjusting means for adjusting the focus of the lens.
When the lens is driven by the adjusting means during the period during which the imaging means is continuously imaging, the image captured by the imaging means while the lens is being driven. A control method for an image pickup apparatus, which comprises a recording step of associating and recording image data with information indicating that the lens is being driven. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 12. A computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 12.

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