JP5477077B2 - Imaging apparatus, lens control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, in particular, a program for executing the control method and the method of imaging equipment or lens for controlling the driving of the lenses in the computer.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, imaging apparatuses such as digital still cameras that capture images of subjects such as people and animals, generate image data, and record the image data as still image content have become widespread. In addition, an imaging apparatus capable of recording moving image content in response to a user operation has been proposed.

  Such an imaging apparatus such as a digital still camera is designed mainly for taking a still image, and therefore has a large driving sound in operations such as focus adjustment. Therefore, when a moving image is shot using these imaging devices, there is a possibility that the operation sound of the imaging device itself is recorded.

  Therefore, for example, an imaging apparatus that sets a mode (silent mode) for quietly operating the imaging apparatus when the external sound pressure (ambient sound) is lower than a predetermined sound pressure level has been proposed (for example, (See Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-130473 (FIG. 1)

  In the above-described imaging device, when the surroundings are quieter than the predetermined sound pressure level, the operation mode of the imaging device is reduced by setting the silent mode and rotating the motor that drives the lens at a low speed. Can be quiet.

  However, in such an imaging apparatus, since the lens moves at a predetermined slow speed in the silent mode, when shooting a moving image, the driving sound (operating sound) at the predetermined slow speed is the sound pressure level of the external sound pressure. If it is larger, this driving sound may be recorded. Also, a case is assumed where shooting is performed using a single-lens reflex camera equipped with an interchangeable lens as the imaging device. In this case, even when the silent mode is set in the image pickup apparatus, the driving sound may be recorded because the lens in the interchangeable lens moves regardless of the silent mode.

  Also, in the silent mode, when the driving sound at a predetermined slow speed is much smaller than the sound pressure level of the external sound pressure, the lens driving speed is unnecessarily slow, so the lens position adjustment time is wasted. May be longer.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof for controlling the driving efficiency by Wu lens with the appropriate drive sound considering the ambient sound.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the type of sound acquisition apparatus used to acquire the ambient sound, and driving Doon driving speed and the lens of the lens running and related Relais lens information on the correlation, the control method and the method of imaging device and the lens comprises a determination unit for determining the speed limit of the driving speed of the lens based on the ambient sound above computer It is a program to let you . Thus, based on the type and the lens information and the ambient sound of the sound acquisition apparatus, an effect of determining a limit speed of the drive speed of the lenses.

Further, in the first embodiment, the determination unit may determine the speed limit so that the drive noise is smaller than the sound of the ambient. Thus, an effect of determining a speed limit so that the drive noise is smaller than the surrounding sounds.

In the first aspect, the types of the sound acquisition device include a first sound acquisition device included in the imaging device and a second sound acquisition device that is removable from the imaging device . When acquiring the surrounding sound using the second sound acquisition device, the speed limit is obtained by using distance attenuation of the driving sound of the lens based on the distance between the lens and the second sound acquisition device. May be determined. Thus, when acquiring the ambient sound using a second sound acquiring unit, an effect of that determine the speed limit using the distance attenuation of the lens driving sound.

The first aspect further includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject and generates a captured image, and a focus determination unit that performs a focus determination on the generated captured image. When the amount of focus shift determined by the focus determination is larger than a predetermined value, a speed higher than the determined speed limit may be determined as a new speed limit. Thus, when the amount of deviation of focus is larger than the predetermined value, an effect of that we determine as a new limit speed faster rate than was determined speed limit.
In the first aspect , the determining unit determines a speed slower than the determined speed limit as a new speed limit when the focus shift amount is smaller than the predetermined value. May be. Thus, when the shift amount of the focus is smaller than a predetermined value, an effect of that determine as a new speed limit slower rate than was determined speed limit.

In the first aspect, the determining unit may determine the speed limit only when capturing a moving image . As a result, there is an effect that you determine the Nino only limit speed when shooting a moving image.

Further, in the first aspect, the lens, the interchangeable interchangeable lens, the lens information, may be made to recorded on the interchangeable lens. This brings about the effect of using a lens information recorded in the replacement lens.

According to the present invention, an excellent effect of being able to control the driving efficiency by Wu lens with the appropriate drive sound considering the ambient sound.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the external appearance structure of the imaging system 10 in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the internal structure of the imaging system 10 in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the imaging system 10 in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 shows a graph schematically showing an example of lens information (speed-noise characteristics) held by the lens information holding unit 410. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the restriction | limiting volume which the restriction | limiting volume determined by the restriction | limiting sound volume determination part 380 in the 1st Embodiment of this invention and the restriction | limiting speed determination part 340 determine. 6 is a table schematically showing the relationship among environmental sound (ambient sound), the driving speed of the lens driving motor of the focus lens 432, and the driving sound of the lens driving motor in the first embodiment of the present invention. . It is a flowchart which shows the example of a focus adjustment process at the time of recording the moving image by the imaging system 10 in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence of the speed limit determination process (step S920) in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the external appearance structure of the imaging system 11 in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and its usage example. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the external appearance structure of the imaging system 12 in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and its usage example. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the imaging system 11 in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the restriction | limiting volume which the restriction | limiting volume determined by the restriction | limiting sound volume determination part 530 in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention and the restriction | limiting speed determination part 340 determines. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a focus adjustment process at the time of recording the moving image by the imaging system 11 in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence of the speed limit determination process (step S940) in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the imaging system 13 in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. In the third embodiment of the present invention, an example of the limit sound volume determined by the limit sound volume determination unit 710 and the speed limit determined by the speed limit determination unit 340 when the limit sound volume is determined by giving priority to focus adjustment. It is a schematic diagram shown. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence of the speed limit determination process (step S950) in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described. The description will be made in the following order.
1. First Embodiment (Imaging Control: Example of Acquiring Ambient Sound Using Built-in Sound Input Unit)
2. Second embodiment (imaging control: example of acquiring ambient sound using an external microphone)
3. Third Embodiment (Imaging control: an example in which focus adjustment is performed at high speed when the focus shift is large)

<1. First Embodiment>
[External configuration example of imaging system]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an external configuration of an imaging system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The imaging system 10 includes an imaging device 100 and an interchangeable lens 200.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the imaging system 10 is assumed to be a single-lens reflex camera that can exchange a lens and can capture a moving image.

The imaging apparatus 100 captures a subject, generates image data (digital data), and records the generated image data as image content (still image content or moving image content). The imaging apparatus 100 is provided with a shutter button 129 that is pressed when capturing an image, a built-in microphone 141 that receives ambient (environmental) sound when recording a moving image, and an interchangeable lens 200 for attaching the interchangeable lens 200 to the imaging apparatus 100. The mount 161 is a contact point. In the first embodiment of the present invention, for example, a still image recording mode and a moving image recording mode are set as image recording modes of the imaging apparatus 100. For example, when the still image recording mode is set and the still image recording instruction operation (for example, the pressing operation of the shutter button 129) is performed, the imaging apparatus 100 performs the still image recording process, and the still image recording process is performed. Record the file. Further, for example, when the moving image recording mode is set and the moving image recording start instruction operation (for example, pressing operation of the shutter button 129) is performed, the imaging apparatus 100 starts the moving image recording process, and the moving image recording process is started. Is recorded as a video file. In addition, when a moving image recording end instruction operation (for example, a re-pressing operation of the shutter button 129) is performed during moving image recording, the imaging apparatus 100 ends the moving image recording process. The imaging device 100 is an imaging device that can exchange the interchangeable lens 200. The internal configuration of the imaging apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG .

  The interchangeable lens 200 is composed of a plurality of lenses, and collects light of an image captured by the image capturing apparatus 100 and forms the focused light on an imaging surface. The internal configuration of the interchangeable lens 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

[Example of internal configuration of imaging system]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the imaging system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, an internal configuration (for example, a configuration related to a flash) that is not frequently used when capturing a moving image is omitted. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, only the configuration related to the driving of the focus lens is shown, and the configuration regarding the driving of the zoom lens is omitted.

  The imaging apparatus 100 supplies the interchangeable lens 200 with a control signal for controlling the number of rotations of a motor that drives the focus lens in the interchangeable lens 200. The imaging apparatus 100 includes a shutter unit 112, an imaging element 113, an AFE (Analog Front End) 114, an image processing unit 115, an image memory 116, a battery 121, and a power supply circuit 122. The imaging apparatus 100 also includes a communication I / F (InterFace) 123, a card I / F 124, a memory card 125, and a VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) 126. The imaging apparatus 100 further includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 127, an operation unit 128, a shutter drive control unit 131, a shutter drive motor (M1) 132, and a phase difference AF (Auto Focus) module 133. Further, the imaging apparatus 100 includes a built-in microphone 141, an external microphone connection terminal 142, a sound signal processing unit 143, a main control unit 145, an aperture drive control unit 146, a speed control unit 147, and a focus drive control unit 148. And connection terminals 151 to 155.

  The shutter unit 112 opens and blocks an optical path of incident light from a subject incident on the image sensor 113 by a curtain moving in the vertical direction, and is driven by a shutter drive motor (M1) 132. The shutter unit 112 supplies incident light from the subject to the image sensor 113 when the optical path is open.

  The image sensor 113 photoelectrically converts incident light from the subject into an electrical signal, and receives the incident light from the subject to generate an analog electrical signal. The image sensor 113 is realized by, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor. Note that the image sensor 113 supplies an electrical signal generated by the photoelectric conversion to the AFE 114 as an image signal.

  The AFE 114 performs predetermined signal processing on the analog image signal supplied from the image sensor 113. For example, the AFE 114 performs signal processing such as noise removal and signal amplification on the analog image signal. The AFE 114 converts the image signal subjected to the signal processing into a digital signal, and generates a digital image signal. Further, the AFE 114 generates a timing pulse related to the imaging operation of the image sensor 113 based on the reference clock supplied from the main control unit 145, and supplies the generated timing pulse to the image sensor 113. The AFE 114 supplies the generated digital image signal to the image processing unit 115.

  The image processing unit 115 performs predetermined signal processing on the image signal supplied from the AFE 114 to generate image data. For example, the image processing unit 115 performs signal processing such as white balance correction, gamma correction, black level correction, and image compression on the image signal in accordance with a control signal from the main control unit 145. Further, the image processing unit 115 supplies the generated image data to the image memory 116 and the main control unit 145.

  The image memory 116 temporarily holds the image data supplied from the image processing unit 115. The image memory 116 is used as a work area for performing predetermined processing on image data in accordance with a control signal from the main control unit 145. The image memory 116 temporarily holds image data read from the memory card 125.

  The battery 121 supplies power for operating the imaging system 10, and is configured by a secondary battery such as a nickel metal hydride rechargeable battery, for example. The battery 121 supplies power to the power supply circuit 122.

  The power supply circuit 122 converts the power supplied from the battery 121 into a voltage for operating each unit in the imaging system 10. For example, when the main control unit 145 operates at a voltage of 5V, the power supply circuit 122 generates a voltage of 5V and supplies the generated voltage to the main control unit 145. The power supply circuit 122 supplies the generated voltage to each unit in the imaging system 10. In FIG. 2, a part of the power supply line from the power supply circuit 122 to each part is omitted.

  The communication I / F 123 is an interface for enabling data transfer between the external device and the main control unit 145.

  The card I / F 124 is an interface for enabling data transfer between the memory card 125 and the main control unit 145.

  The memory card 125 is a storage medium for holding image data, and holds data supplied via the card I / F 124.

  The VRAM 126 is a buffer memory that temporarily holds an image to be displayed on the LCD 127, and supplies the held image to the LCD 127.

  The LCD 127 displays an image based on the control of the main control unit 145. For example, the LCD 127 includes a color liquid crystal panel. The LCD 127 displays captured images, recorded images, mode setting screens, and the like.

  The operation unit 128 receives a user operation. For example, when the shutter button 129 shown in FIG. 1 is pressed, the operation unit 128 supplies a signal notifying the pressing to the main control unit 145. In addition, the operation unit 128 supplies a signal related to a user operation to the main control unit 145.

  The shutter drive control unit 131 generates a drive signal for driving the shutter drive motor (M1) 132 based on the shutter control signal supplied from the main control unit 145, and the generated drive signal is used as the drive signal. This is supplied to the shutter drive motor (M1) 132.

  The shutter drive motor (M1) 132 is a motor that drives the shutter unit 112 based on a drive signal supplied from the shutter drive control unit 131.

  The phase difference AF module 133 detects focus shift by a phase difference detection method in order to perform autofocus (AF), and supplies information related to the detected focus to the main control unit 145.

  The built-in microphone 141 is a microphone built in the imaging apparatus 100, and converts the input ambient sound into an electric signal. The built-in microphone 141 supplies the converted electric signal to the sound signal processing unit 143 as an ambient sound signal.

The external microphone connection terminal 142 is a terminal that connects between the external microphone and the imaging device 100 when the external microphone is attached to the imaging device 100. When an external microphone is connected, the external microphone connection terminal 142 supplies an electric signal generated by the external microphone to the sound signal processing unit 143 as an ambient sound signal. An example in which an external microphone is attached will be described with reference to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS .

  The sound signal processing unit 143 performs predetermined signal processing on the ambient sound signal supplied from the built-in microphone 141 or the external microphone connection terminal 142. In addition, the sound signal processing unit 143 analyzes the volume of the surrounding sound based on the ambient sound signal. Furthermore, when an external microphone is connected to the imaging apparatus 100 via the external microphone connection terminal 142, the sound signal processing unit 143 converts the ambient sound signal to be processed from the ambient sound signal of the built-in microphone 141 to the external microphone. Switch to ambient sound signal. The sound signal processing unit 143 supplies the processed ambient sound signal and the analyzed ambient sound volume to the main control unit 145.

  The main control unit 145 controls the operation of each unit of the imaging apparatus 100, and is configured by, for example, a macro computer including a ROM that stores a control program.

  The diaphragm drive control unit 146 generates a signal (a diaphragm drive control signal) for controlling the driving of the diaphragm based on the information about the diaphragm supplied from the main control unit 145, and the generated diaphragm drive signal is This is supplied to the interchangeable lens 200 via the connection terminal 152.

  The speed control unit 147 generates a signal (limit speed signal) for limiting the drive speed of a motor (lens drive motor) that drives the focus lens. The speed control unit 147 generates a speed limit signal based on the volume of the surrounding sound and information for adjusting the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200. Here, the information for adjusting the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200 is information used for adjusting the driving speed of the lens driving motor based on the volume of the surrounding sound. The speed control unit 147 supplies the generated speed limit signal to the interchangeable lens 200 via the connection terminal 154. Note that an example of information for adjusting the drive sound of the interchangeable lens 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The focus drive control unit 148 generates a drive amount signal indicating the drive amount of the lens based on the information regarding the focus supplied from the main control unit 145. The focus drive control unit 148 supplies the generated drive amount signal to the interchangeable lens 200 via the connection terminal 155.

  The interchangeable lens 200 includes a plurality of lenses, collects light of an image captured by the image capturing apparatus 100, and forms the focused light on an imaging surface. This interchangeable lens 200 includes an aperture drive mechanism 211, an aperture drive motor (M3) 212, a lens position detector 213, a lens drive mechanism 214, a lens drive motor (M4) 215, a lens barrel 216, and lens information. A holding unit 230. The lens barrel 216 includes a diaphragm 217 and a lens group 221. Note that only the zoom lens 218 and the focus lens 219 are shown in the lens group 221 for convenience of explanation.

  The aperture drive mechanism 211 generates a drive signal for driving the aperture drive motor (M3) 212 based on the aperture drive control signal supplied via the connection terminal 152. The aperture drive mechanism 211 supplies the generated drive signal to the aperture drive motor (M3) 212.

  The aperture drive motor (M3) 212 is a motor that drives the aperture 217 based on the drive signal supplied from the aperture drive mechanism 211. The aperture drive motor (M3) 212 changes the aperture diameter of the aperture 217 by driving the aperture 217.

  The lens position detection unit 213 detects the positions of the zoom lens 218 and the focus lens 219 of the lens group 221. The lens position detection unit 213 supplies information about the detected position (lens position information) to the imaging device 100 via the connection terminal 153.

  The lens driving mechanism 214 drives to drive the lens driving motor (M4) 215 based on the speed limit signal supplied via the connection terminal 154 and the drive amount signal supplied via the connection terminal 155. A signal is generated. The lens drive mechanism 214 supplies the generated drive signal to the lens drive motor (M4) 215.

  The lens drive motor (M4) 215 is a motor that drives the focus lens 219 based on the drive signal supplied from the lens drive mechanism 214. The lens driving motor (M4) 215 adjusts the focus by driving the focus lens 219.

  The lens barrel 216 is a part where the lenses constituting the lens group 221 in the interchangeable lens 200 are provided.

  The diaphragm 217 is a shield for adjusting the amount of incident light from the subject incident on the imaging apparatus 100.

  The zoom lens 218 adjusts the magnification of the subject included in the captured image by moving the lens barrel 216 in the optical axis direction to change the focal length.

  The focus lens 219 adjusts the focus by moving in the lens barrel 216 in the optical axis direction.

  The lens information holding unit 230 holds information for adjusting the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200. The lens information holding unit 230, for example, as information for adjusting the driving sound, a speed limit of the lens driving motor (M4) 215 and a sound (driving sound) generated by driving the lens driving motor (M4) 215. Holds information (speed-noise characteristics) related to the relationship. The speed-noise characteristics will be described with reference to FIG.

  The lens information holding unit 230 also holds information such as the focal length, exit pupil position, aperture value, focusing distance, and peripheral light amount of the interchangeable lens 200. The lens information holding unit 230 supplies the held information to the imaging apparatus 100 via the connection terminal 151.

[Example of functional configuration of imaging system]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the imaging system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, explanation will be made assuming that the surrounding sound is analyzed as the surrounding sound.

  The imaging apparatus 100 includes a sound input unit 310, a sound analysis unit 320, a lens information acquisition unit 330, a limit sound volume determination unit 380, a speed limit determination unit 340, an imaging unit 351, an image signal processing unit 352, A sound signal processing unit 353. In addition, the imaging apparatus 100 includes a recording control unit 354, a recording unit 355, an operation receiving unit 356, an in-focus determination unit 360, and a lens driving amount generation unit 370. The interchangeable lens 200 includes a lens information holding unit 410, a lens driving unit 420, a lens barrel 430, a zoom lens 431, and a focus lens 432.

The sound input unit 310 converts an input ambient sound into an electric signal. That is, the sound input unit 310 is for acquiring surrounding sounds. The sound input unit 310 supplies the converted electric signal to the sound analysis unit 320 and the sound signal processing unit 353 as an ambient sound signal. Note that the sound input unit 310 corresponds to the built-in microphone 141 shown in FIG .

  The sound analysis unit 320 analyzes ambient sounds based on the ambient sound signal supplied from the sound input unit 310. For example, the sound analysis unit 320 analyzes the surrounding sound by calculating the size of the surrounding sound (decibel (dB)) based on the ambient sound signal. In addition, the sound analysis unit 320 supplies the calculated ambient sound volume to the speed limit determination unit 340 as ambient sound level information. The sound analysis unit 320 corresponds to the sound signal processing unit 143 shown in FIG.

  The lens information acquisition unit 330 acquires information for adjusting the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200 from the lens information holding unit 410. For example, when the speed-noise characteristic is held in the lens information holding unit 410 as the information for adjusting the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200, the lens information acquisition unit 330 acquires the speed-noise characteristic. To do. Further, the lens information acquisition unit 330 supplies the acquired speed-noise characteristic to the speed limit determination unit 340. In addition, the lens information acquisition unit 330 sets the maximum volume (maximum drive sound) and the minimum volume (minimum drive sound) of the drive sound of the lens drive motor based on the acquired speed-noise characteristics. To supply. The lens information acquisition unit 330 corresponds to the main control unit 145 shown in FIG.

The limited sound volume determination unit 380 determines the limited sound volume based on the ambient sound level information supplied from the sound analysis unit 320 and the maximum drive sound and the minimum drive sound supplied from the lens information acquisition unit 330. . Here, the volume limit is a volume value for limiting the drive sound that is generated when the lens drive motor that drives the focus lens 432 is driven. The limit sound volume determination unit 380 supplies the determined limit sound volume to the speed limit determination unit 340. The limited sound volume determination unit 380 corresponds to the speed control unit 147 shown in FIG. The determination of the restricted sound volume by the restricted sound volume determining unit 380 will be described with reference to FIG .

The limit speed determination unit 340 is based on the limit sound volume supplied from the limit sound volume determination unit 380 and information (speed-noise characteristics) for adjusting the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200 supplied from the lens information acquisition unit 330. Thus, the speed limit of the focus lens 432 is determined. For example, when 40 dB is supplied as the limit sound volume, the speed limit determining unit 340 calculates a drive speed that generates a drive sound of 40 dB using the speed-noise characteristic. The speed limit determining unit 340 starts supplying the speed limit to the lens driving unit 420 when a signal for starting recording of a moving image is supplied from the operation receiving unit 356. In addition, the speed limit determination unit 340 ends the supply of the speed limit to the lens driving unit 420 when a signal for ending the recording of the moving image is supplied. The speed limit determining unit 340 supplies the determined speed limit to the lens driving unit 420. The speed limit determining unit 340 corresponds to the speed control unit 147 shown in FIG. Note that speed limit supplied by speed limit determining unit 340 is an example of a speed limit and control signals.

  The imaging unit 351 generates an image signal by photoelectrically converting incident light from a subject into an electrical signal. The image capturing unit 351 starts and ends an operation for capturing a moving image based on a signal related to the start and end of moving image recording supplied from the operation receiving unit 356. In addition, the imaging unit 351 supplies the generated image signal to the image signal processing unit 352. Note that the imaging unit 351 corresponds to the imaging element 113 illustrated in FIG.

  The image signal processing unit 352 performs predetermined signal processing on the image signal supplied from the imaging unit 351 and generates image data to be held in the recording unit 355. The image signal processing unit 352 supplies the image signal subjected to signal processing to the recording control unit 354 as image data. The image signal processing unit 352 corresponds to the AFE 114 and the image processing unit 115 illustrated in FIG.

  The sound signal processing unit 353 performs predetermined signal processing on the ambient sound signal supplied from the sound input unit 310 and generates sound data to be held in the recording unit 355. The sound signal processing unit 353 supplies the ambient sound signal subjected to the signal processing to the recording control unit 354 as sound data. The sound signal processing unit 353 corresponds to the sound signal processing unit 143 shown in FIG.

  The recording control unit 354 controls recording of moving image data based on the image data supplied from the image signal processing unit 352 and the sound data supplied from the sound signal processing unit 353. The recording control unit 354 generates moving image data (moving image content) based on the image data and the sound data, and controls recording of the moving image data in the recording unit 355. In addition, the recording control unit 354 starts and ends an operation for capturing a moving image based on a signal related to the start and end of moving image recording supplied from the operation receiving unit 356. The recording control unit 354 supplies the generated moving image data to the recording unit 355. The recording control unit 354 corresponds to the main control unit 145 shown in FIG.

  The recording unit 355 records moving image data supplied from the recording control unit 354. The recording unit 355 corresponds to the memory card 125 shown in FIG.

  The operation accepting unit 356 accepts an operation from the user. For example, when the operation receiving unit 356 receives an operation for starting recording of a moving image, the operation receiving unit 356 sends a signal related to the start of recording of the moving image to the speed limit determining unit 340, the imaging unit 351, and the recording control unit 354. Supply. Further, when the operation receiving unit 356 receives an operation for ending the recording of the moving image, the operation receiving unit 356 supplies a signal related to the end of the recording of the moving image to the speed limit determining unit 340, the imaging unit 351, and the recording control unit 354. . The operation reception unit 356 corresponds to the operation unit 128 shown in FIG.

  The in-focus determination unit 360 determines whether or not the focus is in focus. The focus determination unit 360 is realized by, for example, a phase difference detection method. When the focus is in focus, the focus determination unit 360 supplies information indicating the focus to the lens driving amount generation unit 370 as focus determination result information. Further, when the focus is not in focus, the focus determination unit 360 calculates information indicating the amount of focus shift, and drives the lens using the calculated focus shift amount as focus determination result information. This is supplied to the quantity generation unit 370. Further, when the focus shift amount cannot be calculated due to an image for detecting the focus being blurred because the focus shift amount is too large, the focus determination unit 360 displays information indicating that the focus shift cannot be calculated. The focus determination result information is supplied to the lens driving amount generation unit 370. The focus determination unit 360 corresponds to the phase difference AF module 133 illustrated in FIG.

  The lens drive amount generation unit 370 generates a drive amount signal indicating the drive amount of the focus lens 432 based on the focus determination result information supplied from the focus determination unit 360. The lens driving amount generation unit 370 generates a signal for maintaining the current position of the focus lens 432 when the focus is in focus. In addition, when the focus is out of focus, the lens drive amount generation unit 370 calculates the drive amount (movement distance) of the focus lens 432 based on focus determination result information indicating the amount of focus shift. Then, the lens drive amount generation unit 370 generates a signal for moving the focus lens 432 by the calculated drive amount. Furthermore, the lens drive amount generation unit 370 generates a signal for causing the focus lens 432 to scan the entire length based on the focus determination result information indicating that the amount of focus deviation cannot be calculated. Here, the full length scan is to move the entire operating range of the focus lens 432, and the imaging apparatus 100 detects the position where the focus is focused by performing the full length scan. The lens driving amount generation unit 370 supplies the generated signal to the lens driving unit 420 as a driving amount signal. The lens drive amount generation unit 370 corresponds to the focus drive control unit 148 shown in FIG.

  The lens information holding unit 410 holds lens information that is information for adjusting the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200. Here, the lens information is information relating to the correlation between the driving speed of the lens in the interchangeable lens 200 that is mounted and the sound (driving sound) generated by driving the lens in the interchangeable lens 200. Specifically, the lens information holding unit 410 holds, as lens information, information (speed-noise characteristics) related to the relationship between the speed of the lens driving motor and the driving sound (noise) of the lens driving motor. The lens information holding unit 410 supplies the held information to the lens information acquisition unit 330. The lens information holding unit 410 corresponds to the lens information holding unit 230 shown in FIG.

  The lens driving unit 420 moves the focus lens 432 based on the speed limit signal supplied from the speed limit determining unit 340 and the driving amount signal supplied from the lens driving amount generating unit 370. The lens driving unit 420 drives the lens driving motor by, for example, a PID (Proportal Integral Differential) control method. That is, the lens driving unit 420 drives the motor at a speed slower than the speed limit, and moves the focus lens 432 by the driving amount (movement distance) indicated by the driving amount signal. The lens driving unit 420 corresponds to the lens driving mechanism 214 and the lens driving motor (M4) 215 shown in FIG.

  The lens barrel 430, zoom lens 431, and focus lens 432 correspond to the lens barrel 216, zoom lens 218, and focus lens 219 shown in FIG.

  Thus, by providing the lens information holding unit 410 and the speed limit determining unit 340, the focus lens 432 can be moved by the driving sound corresponding to the volume of the surrounding sound.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the sound analysis unit 320 calculates a decibel as the volume of the surrounding sound, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sound analysis unit 320 may calculate a sound (SONE) that indicates the magnitude of noise in consideration of human senses. Further, the lens information holding unit 410 may hold information for each frequency regarding the driving sound of the lens driving motor, and the sound analysis unit 320 may analyze the intensity of sound at a frequency where the driving sound is high. The sound analysis unit 320 may also determine surrounding situations by analyzing changes in ambient sound, and the speed limit determination unit 340 may generate the speed limit in consideration of the determination.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the information (speed-noise characteristics) for adjusting the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200 is held in the interchangeable lens 200, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the interchangeable lens 200 may supply information for identifying the interchangeable lens by causing the imaging apparatus 100 to maintain the speed-noise characteristics of each interchangeable lens 200. Further, the user may be able to input speed-noise characteristics.

[Example of relationship between speed and noise characteristics]
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship example of speed-noise characteristics held by the lens information holding unit 410 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the maximum value of the rotation speed of the motor (lens drive motor) that drives the focus lens 432 in the interchangeable lens 200 is 10,000 rpm. The minimum value of the rotation speed of the lens driving motor is 1500 rpm. The driving sound of this lens driving motor is 50 dB at 10,000 rpm and 14 dB at 1500 rpm. In addition, the driving sound and the ambient sound of the lens driving motor are represented by the volume of sound when input to the sound input unit 310.

  FIG. 4 shows a graph schematically showing an example of lens information (speed-noise characteristics) held by the lens information holding unit 410. In this graph, the speed-noise characteristic (drive motor characteristic 412) is shown by a solid line, with the vertical axis representing the drive speed of the lens drive motor and the horizontal axis representing the drive sound of the lens drive motor.

  The drive motor characteristic 412 is a characteristic indicating the relationship between the drive speed of the lens drive motor and the drive sound of the lens drive motor. In the drive motor characteristic 412, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive sound increases as the drive speed of the lens drive motor increases.

  As shown in the drive motor characteristics 412, information (speed-noise characteristics) regarding the correlation between the drive speed of the lens drive motor and the drive sound of the lens drive motor is held in the lens information holding unit 410 as lens information.

[Example of volume limit and speed limit]
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the limit sound volume determined by the limit sound volume determination unit 380 and the speed limit determined by the speed limit determination unit 340 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 5A shows a graph schematically showing an example of the limit sound volume determined based on the ambient sound level information and the maximum drive sound and the minimum drive sound of the lens drive motor. In this graph, the limit sound volume characteristic (drive sound characteristic 381) with respect to the ambient sound is indicated by a solid line, with the vertical axis representing the drive sound of the lens drive motor and the horizontal axis representing the ambient sound. Further, the driving sound having the same volume as the ambient sound is indicated by a fine broken line. Furthermore, a section where the drive sound in the drive sound characteristic 381 is slightly smaller than the surrounding sound is surrounded by a dashed ellipse (area A1).

  The drive sound characteristic 381 is a characteristic indicating the relationship between the volume of the ambient sound input to the sound input unit 310 and the limited volume set for the volume of the ambient sound. The drive sound characteristic 381 is generated based on the ambient sound level information supplied from the sound analysis unit 320 and the maximum drive sound and the minimum drive sound of the speed-noise characteristics (lens information) shown in FIG. In the drive sound characteristic 381, when the ambient sound is 20 dB or less, the limited sound volume is constant at 14 dB, which is the magnitude of the minimum drive sound. When the ambient sound is 20 dB to 60 dB, the limit sound volume increases from 14 dB to 50 dB according to the increase of the ambient sound. When the ambient sound is 60 dB or more, the limit sound volume is constant at 50 dB, which is the magnitude of the maximum driving sound.

  Here, regarding the determination of the limited sound volume of the limited sound volume determination unit 380, as an example, it is assumed that information indicating 10 dB is supplied as the ambient sound level information, and 50 dB and 14 dB are supplied as the maximum drive sound and the minimum drive sound. I will explain. In this case, since the minimum drive sound is 14 dB, a drive sound of 14 dB or more is generated when the focus lens 432 is driven regardless of the size of the ambient sound. For this reason, the limit sound volume determination unit 380 determines that the lens drive motor cannot be driven with a drive sound of 10 dB or less of the ambient sound, and determines the limit sound volume to be 14 dB, which is the same as the minimum drive sound.

  Further, it is assumed that information indicating 40 dB is supplied as the ambient sound level information, and 50 dB and 14 dB are supplied as the maximum driving sound and the minimum driving sound. In this case, since the ambient sound level information is 40 dB, the limited sound volume determination unit 380 determines that a driving sound of 14 dB or more and 40 dB or less can be generated in the lens driving motor. Therefore, the limited sound volume determination unit 380 determines, for example, a sound volume slightly lower than 45 dB (35 dB) as the limited sound volume.

  Furthermore, as another example, it is assumed that information indicating 80 dB is supplied as ambient sound level information, and 50 dB and 14 dB are supplied as the maximum drive sound and the minimum drive sound. In this case, since the ambient sound level information is 80 dB, the limited sound volume determination unit 380 determines that the driving sound of 14 dB or more and 80 dB or less can be generated in the lens driving motor. Further, since the maximum drive sound is 50 dB, the limited sound volume determination unit 380 determines that the maximum drive sound can be generated and determines the limited sound volume as 50 dB.

  FIG. 5B shows a graph schematically showing an example of the speed limit determined based on the volume limit and the speed-noise characteristics. In this graph, the characteristic of the speed limit (speed characteristic 349) with respect to the ambient sound is indicated by a solid line, with the vertical axis representing the driving speed of the lens drive motor and the horizontal axis representing the ambient sound.

  The speed characteristic 349 is a characteristic indicating the relationship between the volume of the ambient sound input to the sound input unit 310 and the speed limit set for the volume of the ambient sound. The speed characteristic 349 is obtained by converting the drive sound of the drive sound characteristic 381 shown in FIG. 5A into a drive speed based on the speed-noise characteristic.

  Here, the determination of the speed limit of the speed limit determination unit 340 will be described assuming that information indicating 14 dB is supplied as the limit sound volume as an example. In this case, the speed limit determination unit 340 uses the drive motor characteristic 412 to determine that the drive speed for generating a 14 dB drive sound is 1500 rpm, and determines the determined drive speed (1500 rpm) as the speed limit. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, the limited volume is generated by the limited volume determination unit 380, and the limited speed is calculated by the limited speed determination unit 340 using the limited volume and the speed-noise characteristics.

  Note that the maximum and minimum values of the rotational speed of the lens driving motor and the driving sound at the rotational speed differ for each type of interchangeable lens 200. Accordingly, by holding the speed-noise characteristics (information for adjusting the driving sound) for each interchangeable lens 200 in the lens information holding unit 230, the driving sound can be controlled in accordance with the interchangeable lens.

[Example of loudness of driving sound relative to ambient sound]
FIG. 6 schematically shows the relationship between the environmental sound (ambient sound), the driving speed of the lens driving motor of the focus lens 432, and the driving sound of the lens driving motor in the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a table | surface which shows. Here, the environmental sound means a sound generated in a general living environment.

  In FIG. 6, an ambient sound (ambient sound [dB]), an example of a living environment that generates the ambient sound (an example of the ambient sound), and a driving speed (driving speed [rpm]) of the lens driving motor of the focus lens 432 And a driving sound of the lens driving motor (driving sound [dB]).

  Note that the relationship between the volume of ambient sound, the driving speed, and the driving sound is the same as the speed characteristic 349 and the driving sound characteristic 381 shown in FIG.

  As described above, when the driving sound of the lens driving motor of the focus lens 432 is adjusted according to the size of the ambient sound (the driving sound of the lens driving motor is made smaller than the ambient sound), a moving image is captured. It is possible to reduce the drive sound that is recorded. Further, since the driving sound is increased as the ambient sound increases, the lens can be driven efficiently.

[Operation example of imaging system]
Next, the operation of the imaging system 10 in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a focus adjustment process when recording a moving image by the imaging system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows an example of a processing procedure from when the user performs an operation for recording a moving image to the imaging apparatus 100 to when the recording of the moving image is ended.

  First, the operation receiving unit 356 determines whether or not an operation for starting recording of a moving image has been received (step S901). If it is determined that an operation for starting recording of a moving image has not been received (step S901), the focus adjustment processing procedure for recording a moving image ends without starting recording of the moving image. To do.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that an operation for starting recording of a moving image has been received (step S901), the lens information acquisition unit 330 determines whether or not an interchangeable lens that holds lens information is attached. (Step S902). If it is determined that the lens information is not held (step S902), the autofocus process is performed using only the lens driving amount without using the speed limit (step S911).

  Thereafter, the operation accepting unit 356 determines whether or not an operation for ending the recording of the moving image has been accepted (step S912). If an operation for ending the recording of the moving image has not been received (step S912), the process returns to step S911, and the autofocus process without using the speed limit is continued along with the recording of the moving image.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that an operation for ending the recording of the moving image has been received (step S912), the recording of the moving image is ended and the focus adjustment processing procedure for recording the moving image is ended.

On the other hand, when it is determined that an interchangeable lens that holds lens information is attached (step S902), lens information is acquired from the lens information holding unit 410 by the lens information acquisition unit 330 (step S903). Subsequently, a focus determination process is performed by the focus determination unit 360 to determine whether or not the subject of interest is in focus (step S904). Next, based on the result of the focus determination process, the focus determination unit 360 determines whether the focus is in focus (in-focus) (step S905). If it is determined that the focus is on (step S905), the process proceeds to step S909 .

On the other hand, if it is determined that the focus is not correct (step S905), the lens drive amount generation unit 370 generates the drive amount (movement amount) of the focus lens 432 based on the detected focus shift amount. (Step S906). Next, a speed limit determining process in which the speed limit is determined by the speed limit determining unit 380 and the speed limit determining unit 340 based on the lens information (speed-noise characteristics) and the ambient sound input to the sound input unit 310. Is performed (step S920). The speed limit determination process (step S920) will be described with reference to FIG .

Subsequently, the speed limit generated by the speed limit determining unit 340 and the lens driving amount generated by the lens driving amount generating unit 370 are supplied to the lens driving unit 420 of the interchangeable lens 200 (step S907). Then, when the lens driving motor in the lens driving unit 420 operates within the speed limit, the focus lens 432 is driven (moved) by the driving amount indicated by the lens driving amount (step S908). That is, drive control of the focus lens 432 in the interchangeable lens 200 is performed so as to drive the focus lens 432 based on the determined speed limit .

  Next, the operation receiving unit 356 determines whether or not an operation for ending the recording of the moving image has been received (step S909). If no operation for ending the recording of the moving image has been received (step S909), the process returns to step S904, and the focus process using the speed limit is continued along with the recording of the moving image.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that an operation for ending the recording of the moving image has been received (step S909), the recording of the moving image is ended and the focus adjustment processing procedure for recording the moving image is ended.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure example of the speed limit determining process (step S920) according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, the ambient sound input to the sound input unit 310 is input to the sound analysis unit 320 (step S921). Subsequently, the volume of the ambient sound is analyzed by the sound analysis unit 320 (step S922). The speed limit determining unit 340 determines the speed limit based on the loudness of the ambient sound supplied from the sound analysis unit 220 and the speed-noise characteristics supplied from the lens information acquisition unit 330 (step S926). .

  Thus, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, using the information for adjusting the driving sound held for each interchangeable lens, the interchangeable lens so that the driving sound is smaller than the loudness of the ambient sound. The driving sound can be controlled. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lens driving sound from being recorded.

<2. Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment of the present invention, the example in which the ambient sound is acquired using the sound input unit 310 built in the imaging apparatus 100 has been described. Since the sound input unit 310 is installed at a position close to the interchangeable lens 200, it is easy to pick up driving sound from the interchangeable lens 200. Here, it is assumed that an external microphone is connected to the imaging apparatus 100 and ambient sounds are acquired by using the external microphone. In this case, when the distance between the external microphone and the sound input unit is relatively large, it is assumed that the driving sound input to the sound input unit is relatively small. In this case, it is preferable to drive the lens more efficiently by changing the speed limit according to the distance. Therefore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, an example in which an interchangeable lens is controlled when ambient sounds are acquired using an external microphone will be described.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention for acquiring ambient sound using an external microphone will be described with reference to FIGS.

[External configuration example of imaging system]
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an external configuration of an imaging system 11 and a usage example thereof in the second embodiment of the present invention. The imaging system 11 includes an imaging device 500, an interchangeable lens 200, and an external microphone 601. The imaging apparatus 500 is the same as the imaging apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 except that the external microphone 601 is attached, and thus description thereof is omitted here. Also, the interchangeable lens 200 is the same as the interchangeable lens 200 shown in FIG.

  The external microphone 601 is a microphone that is connected to the imaging apparatus 500 and collects ambient sounds. The external microphone 601 includes a microphone unit 611 that collects ambient sounds. The external microphone 601 is attached to the upper surface of the imaging apparatus 500 and fixed so that the photographer does not need to hold it.

  In FIG. 9, a person 810 performing an imaging operation using the imaging system 11 is shown together with the imaging system 11. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, a person 810 performs a moving image capturing operation with the right hand 811 holding the side surface of the imaging apparatus 500 and the left hand 812 holding the interchangeable lens 200.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the microphone unit 611 in the external microphone 601 collects ambient sounds at a position farther from the interchangeable lens 200 than the built-in microphone 141 of the imaging apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an external configuration of an imaging system 12 and a usage example thereof in the second embodiment of the present invention. This imaging system 12 includes an external microphone 602 that a person 810 holds and records in place of the external microphone 601 of the imaging system 11 shown in FIG.

  The external microphone 602 is a microphone that collects ambient sounds by being connected to the imaging apparatus 500, similarly to the external microphone 601 shown in FIG. The external microphone 602 is not fixed to the imaging apparatus 500 but is connected to the imaging apparatus 500 via the cable 631.

  Also, FIG. 10 shows a person 810 who is performing an imaging operation using the imaging system 12, as in FIG. 9. In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, a person 810 performs a moving image capturing operation while holding the side surface of the imaging apparatus 500 with the right hand 811 and supporting the support unit 812 of the external microphone 602 with the left hand 812. .

  As shown in FIG. 10, the microphone unit 611 in the external microphone 602 collects ambient sounds at a position farther from the interchangeable lens 200 than the microphone unit 611 of the external microphone 601 shown in FIG.

  In this manner, by allowing an external microphone to be connected to the imaging apparatus 500, ambient sounds can be collected using external microphones having various characteristics.

[Example of functional configuration of imaging system]
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the imaging system 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Since the functional configuration of the imaging system 12 is the same as that of the imaging system 11, the imaging system 11 will be described here, and the imaging system 12 will be omitted.

  The imaging system 11 includes an interchangeable lens 200, an imaging device 500, and an external microphone 600.

  Since the interchangeable lens 200 is the same as each part of the interchangeable lens 200 shown in FIG. 3, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted here.

  The external microphone 600 is a microphone that is connected to the imaging apparatus 500 and collects ambient sounds. The external microphone 600 includes a sound input unit 610 and an external microphone information holding unit 620. The external microphone 600 corresponds to the external microphone 601 shown in FIG. 9 and the external microphone 602 shown in FIG.

  The sound input unit 610 converts the input ambient sound into an electric signal in the external microphone 600. That is, the sound input unit 610 is for acquiring surrounding sounds. The sound input unit 610 supplies the converted electrical signal to the imaging apparatus 500 as an ambient sound signal. The sound input unit 610 corresponds to the microphone unit 611 illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.

  The external microphone information holding unit 620 holds information related to a reduction in driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200 in the external microphone 600. Here, the information related to the reduction of the driving sound is information indicating the distance attenuation of the driving sound of the interchangeable lens 200 at the distance between the interchangeable lens 200 and the sound input unit 610 of the external microphone 600. For example, when the sound input unit 610 does not collect the driving sound of the lens drive motor with a sound input unit 610 of 35 dB (the volume of the sound input to the sound input unit 310) or less, the external microphone information holding unit 620 reduces this 35 dB. The indicated information is held as external microphone information. The external microphone 600 supplies information related to the decrease in the drive sound to be held to the imaging apparatus 500 as external microphone information.

  Similar to the imaging apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, the imaging apparatus 500 includes a sound input unit 310, a sound analysis unit 320, a lens information acquisition unit 330, a speed limit determination unit 340, an imaging unit 351, and an image signal. A processing unit 352 and a sound signal processing unit 353 are provided. Further, the imaging apparatus 500 includes a recording control unit 354, a recording unit 355, an operation reception unit 356, an in-focus determination unit 360, and a lens driving amount generation unit 370, similarly to the imaging device 100 illustrated in FIG. Is provided. In addition, the imaging apparatus 500 includes a limited sound volume determination unit 530 instead of the limited sound volume determination unit 380 illustrated in FIG. Further, the imaging apparatus 500 includes an input sound switching unit 510 and an external microphone information acquisition unit 520. In FIG. 11, the input sound switching unit 510, the external microphone information acquisition unit 520, and the limited sound volume determination unit 530 will be described.

When the external microphone 600 is connected, the input sound switching unit 510 switches the sound input unit that acquires the ambient sound and supplies the ambient sound signal from the sound input unit 310 to the sound input unit 610. When the external microphone 600 is not connected, the input sound switching unit 510 supplies the ambient sound signal supplied from the sound input unit 310 to the sound analysis unit 320 and the sound signal processing unit 353. The input sound switching unit 510 supplies the ambient sound signal supplied from the sound input unit 610 to the sound analysis unit 320 and the sound signal processing unit 353 when the external microphone 600 is attached. Note that the input sound switching unit 510 corresponds to the sound signal processing unit 143 shown in FIG .

The external microphone information acquisition unit 520 acquires external microphone information from the external microphone information holding unit 620. The external microphone information acquisition unit 520 supplies the acquired external microphone information to the limited sound volume determination unit 530. The external microphone information acquisition unit 520 corresponds to the main control unit 145 shown in FIG .

  The restricted sound volume determining unit 530 determines the restricted sound volume in the same manner as the restricted sound volume determining unit 380 shown in FIG. The limit sound volume determination unit 530 includes the ambient sound level information supplied from the sound analysis unit 320, the external microphone information supplied from the external microphone information acquisition unit 520, the maximum drive sound supplied from the lens information acquisition unit 330, and The limit sound volume is determined based on the minimum driving sound. In addition, when the external microphone information is not supplied from the external microphone information acquisition unit 520 (when the external microphone 600 is not connected), the limited sound volume determination unit 530, the ambient sound level information, the maximum drive sound, and the minimum drive sound The limit volume is determined based on the above. The limit sound volume determination unit 530 supplies the determined limit sound volume to the speed limit determination unit 340. The determination of the restricted sound volume by the restricted sound volume determining unit 530 will be described with reference to FIG.

[Example of volume limit and speed limit]
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the limit sound volume determined by the limit sound volume determination unit 530 and the speed limit determined by the speed limit determination unit 340 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 12A shows a graph schematically showing an example of the limited sound volume determined based on the ambient sound level information, the external microphone information, and the maximum drive sound and the minimum drive sound. In this graph, the limit sound volume characteristic (drive sound characteristic 531) with respect to the ambient sound is indicated by a solid line, with the vertical axis representing the drive sound of the lens drive motor and the horizontal axis representing the ambient sound. Further, the driving sound having the same volume as the ambient sound is indicated by a fine broken line. Further, in the drive sound characteristic 531, a section in which the amount of decrease in drive sound (35 dB) indicated by the external microphone information is set as the limit sound volume is surrounded by a dashed ellipse (area A3). Further, the amount of reduction in drive sound indicated by the external microphone information is indicated by a thin broken line (line L1).

  The drive sound characteristic 531 is a characteristic indicating the relationship between the volume of the ambient sound input to the sound input unit 610 and the volume limit set for the volume of the ambient sound. In this drive sound characteristic 531, when the ambient sound is from 0 dB to about 35 dB, the limit sound volume is 35 dB. When the ambient sound is about 35 dB to about 50 dB, the limit sound volume increases from 35 dB to 50 dB as the ambient sound increases. When the ambient sound is about 50 dB or more, the limit sound volume is constant at 50 dB.

  Here, as an example, it is assumed that information indicating 10 dB is supplied as ambient sound level information, information indicating 35 dB is supplied as external microphone information, and 50 dB and 14 dB are supplied as the maximum driving sound and the minimum driving sound. To explain the limit volume. In this case, since the external microphone information is 35 dB, the driving sound of the lens driving motor of 35 dB or less is not input to the sound input unit 610. For this reason, the limited sound volume determination unit 530 determines that the lens drive motor can generate a drive sound of up to 35 dB, and determines the limited sound volume as 35 dB.

  Further, it is assumed that information indicating 45 dB is supplied as ambient sound level information, information indicating 35 dB is supplied as external microphone information, and 50 dB and 14 dB are supplied as the maximum drive sound and the minimum drive sound. In this case, since the ambient sound level information is 45 dB, the limited sound volume determination unit 530 determines that the lens drive motor can generate drive sound of 35 dB or more and 45 dB or less of the external microphone information. Therefore, the limited volume determination unit 530 determines, for example, a volume (45 dB) that is substantially the same as 45 dB as the limited volume.

  Furthermore, as another example, it is assumed that information indicating 80 dB is supplied as ambient sound level information, information indicating 35 dB is supplied as external microphone information, and 50 dB and 14 dB are supplied as the maximum driving sound and the minimum driving sound. To do. In this case, since the ambient sound level information is 80 dB, the limited sound volume determination unit 530 determines that the lens drive motor can generate driving sound of 35 dB or more and 80 dB or less of the external microphone information. Further, since the maximum drive sound is 50 dB, the limited sound volume determination unit 530 determines that the maximum drive sound can be generated, and determines the limited sound volume as 50 dB.

  FIG. 12B shows a graph schematically showing an example of the speed limit determined based on the volume limit and the speed-noise characteristics. In this graph, the vertical axis is the axis indicating the driving speed of the lens drive motor, and the horizontal axis is the axis indicating the ambient sound, and the characteristic of the speed limit (speed characteristic 541) with respect to the ambient sound is indicated by a solid line.

  The speed characteristic 541 is a characteristic indicating the relationship between the volume of the ambient sound input to the sound input unit 610 and the speed limit set for the volume of the ambient sound. The speed characteristic 541 is a characteristic indicating the drive sound of the drive sound characteristic 531 shown in FIG. 12A converted into a drive speed based on the speed-noise characteristic.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the limited volume determination unit 530 generates a limited volume, and the limited speed determination unit 340 calculates the limited speed using the limited volume and the speed-noise characteristics.

[Operation example of imaging system]
Next, the operation of the imaging system 11 in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of focus adjustment processing when a moving image is recorded by the imaging system 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This processing procedure is a modification of FIG. 7 and is different in that the speed limit determining process is changed depending on whether or not an external microphone is attached. Further, since the points other than this point are the same as those in FIG. 7, portions common to those in FIG.

  After the lens information is acquired from the lens information holding unit 410 by the lens information acquisition unit 330 (step S903), the input sound switching unit 510 determines whether or not an external microphone is attached (step S931). If it is determined that the external microphone is not attached (step S931), ambient sounds are collected using the sound input unit 310 that is a built-in microphone of the imaging apparatus 500 (step S932), and step The process proceeds to S904.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the external microphone is attached (step S931), the external microphone information acquisition unit 520 acquires the external microphone information held in the external microphone information holding unit 620 of the external microphone 600. (Step S933). Next, ambient sound is collected by the sound input unit 610 in the external microphone 600 (step S934).

  Further, after the driving amount of the focus lens 432 is generated by the lens driving amount generation unit 370 (step S906), the speed limit is set based on the lens information (speed-noise characteristics), the ambient sound, and the external microphone information. A speed limit determination process to be determined is performed (step S940). In step S940, the sound volume limit determining unit 530 and the speed limit determining unit 340 perform the operation. The speed limit determining process (step S940) will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure example of the speed limit determining process (step S940) according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This processing procedure is a modification of FIG. 8, and is different in that the determination of the limit sound volume is changed depending on whether or not the sound is collected by an external microphone. Further, since the points other than this point are the same as those in FIG. 8, portions common to those in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part of the description thereof is omitted.

  After the volume of the ambient sound is analyzed by the sound analysis unit 320 (step S922), the external microphone information acquired by the external microphone information acquisition unit 520 is referred to by the limited sound volume determination unit 530 (step S943).

  Subsequently, based on the external microphone information, it is determined whether the volume of the ambient sound (ambient sound level information) supplied from the sound analysis unit 320 is a sound collection by the sound input unit 610 of the external microphone 600 or not. Determination is made by the determination unit 530 (step S944). If it is determined that the sound is not collected by the external microphone 600 (step S944), based on the ambient sound level information and the maximum drive sound volume and the minimum drive sound volume supplied from the lens information acquisition unit 330, The limit sound volume is determined (step S946). After the determination of the limit sound volume (step S946), the process proceeds to step S926.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the sound is collected by the external microphone 600 (step S944), the limited sound volume is set based on the ambient sound level information, the external microphone information, and the maximum drive sound volume and the minimum drive sound volume. It is determined (step S945). Subsequently, the speed limit determining unit 340 determines the speed limit based on the speed limit and the speed-noise characteristics supplied from the lens information acquisition unit 330 (step S926).

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately drive in consideration of surrounding sounds while taking into account information related to a reduction in driving sound of the lens driving motor in the external microphone connected to the imaging device. The drive control of the interchangeable lens can be performed efficiently with sound.

<3. Third Embodiment>
In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the example in which the driving speed of the lens driving motor is controlled so as to reduce the collection of driving sound of the lens driving motor in the sound input unit has been described. According to the imaging system in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to record a beautiful ambient sound with less driving sound of the lens driving motor. However, since moving images are always recorded, when the focus is greatly shifted, focus recording is more important than prioritizing recording of clean ambient sounds with low lens drive motor drive noise. There are times when fast match should be prioritized. For example, when the focus is greatly shifted, if the focus is not adjusted at high speed, a relatively beautiful ambient sound may be recorded, but an out-of-focus video may be recorded. There is.

  Therefore, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the drive control of the interchangeable lens can be efficiently performed with an appropriate drive sound in consideration of surrounding sounds, and the focus adjustment is performed when the focus shift is large. An example performed at high speed will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[Example of functional configuration of imaging system]
FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the imaging system 13 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The imaging system 13 includes an interchangeable lens 200 and an imaging device 700. Since the interchangeable lens 200 is the same as the interchangeable lens 200 shown in FIG. 3, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted here.

  Similar to the imaging device 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, the imaging device 700 includes a sound input unit 310, a sound analysis unit 320, a lens information acquisition unit 330, a speed limit determination unit 340, an imaging unit 351, and an image signal. A processing unit 352 and a sound signal processing unit 353 are provided. Further, as with the imaging apparatus 100, the imaging apparatus 700 includes a recording control unit 354, a recording unit 355, an operation reception unit 356, and an in-focus determination unit 360. Further, the imaging apparatus 500 includes a lens drive amount generation unit 371 instead of the lens drive amount generation unit 370 illustrated in FIG. In addition, the imaging apparatus 500 includes a limited sound volume determination unit 710 instead of the limited sound volume determination unit 380 illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 15, the lens driving amount generation unit 371 and the limit sound volume determination unit 710 will be described.

  The lens drive amount generation unit 371 generates a drive amount signal indicating the drive amount of the focus lens 432, similarly to the lens drive amount generation unit 370 shown in FIG. The lens drive amount generation unit 371 supplies the generated drive amount signal to the lens drive unit 420 in the same manner as the lens drive amount generation unit 370. Further, the lens driving amount generation unit 371 supplies the generated driving amount signal to the limit sound volume determination unit 710.

  The restricted sound volume determination unit 710 determines the restricted sound volume in the same manner as the restricted sound volume determination unit 380 shown in FIG. The limit sound volume determination unit 710 is supplied from the ambient sound level information supplied from the sound analysis unit 320, the maximum drive sound and the minimum drive sound supplied from the lens information acquisition unit 330, and the lens drive amount generation unit 371. The limited sound volume is determined based on the driving amount signal. When the drive amount (that is, the magnitude of focus shift) indicated by the drive amount signal is greater than a predetermined threshold, the restricted volume determination unit 710 prioritizes focus adjustment and determines the restricted volume. In addition, when the drive amount indicated by the drive amount signal is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the restricted sound volume determination unit 710 prioritizes recording of a beautiful ambient sound with less motor driving sound and determines the restricted sound volume. . Note that, when the signal for causing the focus lens 432 to scan the entire length is a drive amount signal, the limited sound volume determination unit 710 assumes that the drive amount in the drive amount signal is the largest value. For example, when the predetermined threshold value is a value indicating the full length scan of the focus lens 432, the limit sound volume determination unit 710 causes the focus volume to be adjusted when a signal for scanning the full length of the focus lens 432 is supplied as the drive amount signal. Prioritize the adjustment and determine the volume limit. The limit sound volume determination unit 710 supplies the determined limit sound volume to the speed limit determination unit 340. The determination of the limit sound volume will be described with reference to FIG.

  Here, limit sound volume determination unit 710 determines whether or not to give priority to focus adjustment using the drive amount indicated by the drive amount signal, but is not limited thereto. Since this determination may be made based on the magnitude of the focus shift, for example, the focus determination result information generated by the focus determination unit 360 may be used.

[Example of volume limit and speed limit]
FIG. 16 shows the limit volume determined by the limit volume determining unit 710 and the limit determined by the limit speed determining unit 340 when the limit volume is determined by giving priority to the focus adjustment in the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of speed.

  FIG. 16A schematically illustrates an example of the limit sound volume determined based on the ambient sound level information, the maximum drive sound, and the minimum drive sound when the limit sound volume is determined with priority on focus adjustment. An illustrative graph is shown. In this graph, the limit sound volume characteristic (drive sound characteristic 711) with respect to the ambient sound is indicated by a solid line with the vertical axis representing the drive sound of the lens drive motor and the horizontal axis representing the ambient sound. Further, the driving sound having the same volume as the ambient sound is indicated by a fine broken line. Further, in the drive sound characteristic 711, a section in which the drive sound is determined according to the volume of the surrounding sound when the limited sound volume is determined by prioritizing focus adjustment is surrounded by a dashed ellipse (area A2). ing.

  The drive sound characteristic 711 is the volume of the ambient sound input to the sound input unit 310 and the volume limit set for the volume of the ambient sound when the volume limit is determined by giving priority to focus adjustment. It is the characteristic which shows the relationship. In the driving sound characteristic 711, when the ambient sound is 0 dB to 50 dB, the limit sound volume increases from 35 dB to 50 dB according to the increase of the ambient sound. It should be noted that the limited volume in the section where the limited volume increases from 35 dB to 50 dB is, for example, slightly higher than the ambient sound. When the ambient sound is 50 dB or more, the limited sound volume is constant at 50 dB.

  As shown in FIG. 16A, in the case where priority is given to focus adjustment, the lens is compared with the case where priority is given to recording a beautiful ambient sound with less driving sound (see FIG. 5B). The limit sound volume is set large so that the drive sound of the drive motor is increased. That is, when the focus shift amount is large with reference to a predetermined value, the speed limit is determined based on the relaxed conditions.

  FIG. 16B is a graph schematically showing an example of the speed limit determined based on the volume limit and the speed-noise characteristics when the volume limit is determined by giving priority to the focus adjustment. Has been. In this graph, the characteristic of the speed limit (speed characteristic 721) with respect to the ambient sound is indicated by a solid line with the vertical axis representing the driving speed of the lens drive motor and the horizontal axis representing the ambient sound.

  The speed characteristic 721 is a characteristic indicating a relationship between the volume of the ambient sound input to the sound input unit 310 and the speed limit set for the volume of the ambient sound. The speed characteristic 721 is obtained by converting the drive sound of the drive sound characteristic 711 shown in FIG. 12A into a drive speed based on the speed-noise characteristic.

  In FIG. 16, the limit sound volume with respect to the ambient sound is set to be slightly higher than the ambient sound, but is not limited thereto. For example, it is conceivable that the sound analysis unit 320 analyzes the surrounding situation by analyzing the surrounding sound and considers the influence of the driving sound on the surrounding. In this case, for example, in a quiet scene such as a wedding hall, an increase in sound volume with respect to the ambient sound is set to be small because a large driving sound causes trouble to the surroundings. Also, if the volume of the sound constantly changes due to living sounds, such as a landscape on a street corner, there is no problem even if a loud drive sound is output. To do. In addition, the case where a user can set the degree to which a volume becomes large with respect to this ambient sound is also considered.

[Operation example of imaging system]
Next, the operation of the imaging system 13 in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure example of the speed limit determining process (step S950) according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the focus adjustment processing example of the imaging system 13 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the speed limit determining process (step S920) in the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is replaced with the speed limit determining process (step S950). It is the same as the thing. For this reason, description of the focus adjustment processing example when recording a moving image by the imaging system 13 is omitted here.

  Further, the processing procedure of FIG. 17 is a modification of FIG. 8, and is different in that the determination of the limited sound volume is changed depending on whether or not priority is given to focus adjustment. Further, since the points other than this point are the same as those in FIG. 8, portions common to those in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part of the description thereof is omitted.

  After the volume of the ambient sound is analyzed by the sound analysis unit 320 (step S922), the drive amount signal (lens movement amount) generated by the lens drive amount generation unit 371 is acquired by the limit sound volume determination unit 710 ( Step S953).

  Subsequently, based on the drive amount signal, the limited sound volume determination unit 710 determines whether or not the lens movement amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value (a constant value) (step S954). If it is determined that it is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (step S954), priority is given to recording of a beautiful ambient sound, the limit volume is determined (step S956), and the process proceeds to step S926.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value (step S954), priority is given to the focus adjustment and the limited sound volume is determined (step S955). Subsequently, the speed limit determining unit 340 determines the speed limit based on the volume limit (step S926).

  As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the drive control of the interchangeable lens is efficiently performed with an appropriate drive sound in consideration of surrounding sounds, and when the focus shift is large, Adjustment can be performed at high speed. Thereby, the focus can be focused at high speed according to the amount of focus shift.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to record a beautiful ambient sound with less motor driving sound and to drive the lens efficiently. Thereby, in a single-lens reflex camera capable of capturing a moving image, noise can be suppressed for each lens when the moving image is captured. In the embodiment of the present invention, the focus lens drive control in the autofocus process at the time of capturing a moving image has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to the case where the focus lens or zoom lens drive control is performed manually. Can be applied.

  The embodiment of the present invention shows an example for embodying the present invention. As clearly shown in the embodiment of the present invention, the matters in the embodiment of the present invention and the claims Each invention-specific matter in the scope has a corresponding relationship. Similarly, the matters specifying the invention in the claims and the matters in the embodiment of the present invention having the same names as the claims have a corresponding relationship. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be embodied by making various modifications to the embodiments without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  The processing procedure described in the embodiment of the present invention may be regarded as a method having a series of these procedures, and a program for causing a computer to execute the series of procedures or a recording medium storing the program May be taken as As this recording medium, for example, a CD (Compact Disc), an MD (MiniDisc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a memory card, a Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark), or the like can be used.

10 to 13 Imaging system 100, 500, 700 Imaging device 200 Interchangeable lens 310 Sound input unit 320 Sound analysis unit 330 Lens information acquisition unit 340 Speed limit determination unit 351 Imaging unit 352 Image signal processing unit 353 Sound signal processing unit 354 Recording control unit 355 Recording unit 356 Operation accepting unit 360 In-focus determination unit 370, 371 Lens drive amount generation unit 410 Lens information holding unit 420 Lens drive unit 430 Lens barrel 431 Zoom lens 432 Focus lens 510 Input sound switching unit 520 External microphone information acquisition unit 380 530, 710 Restricted sound volume determination unit 600 to 602 External microphone 610 Sound input unit 620 External microphone information holding unit

Claims (9)

The type of sound acquisition apparatus used to acquire the ambient sound, and the lens information regarding correlation of the driving speed of the lens and the driving sound of the lens, the speed limit of the driving speed of the lens based on the sound of the surroundings An imaging apparatus including a determining unit for determining. The types of the sound acquisition device include a first sound acquisition device included in the imaging device and a second sound acquisition device removable from the imaging device,
The determination unit when said second using a sound acquisition apparatus acquires a sound of the ambient, the distance attenuation of the driving sound the lens based on the distance between the lens and the second sound acquiring unit claim 1 Symbol placement of the imaging apparatus for determining the speed limit using. The determination unit, an imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein determining the speed limit so that the drive noise is smaller than the sound of the surroundings. An imaging unit that images a subject and generates a captured image;
A focus determination unit that performs focus determination on the generated captured image;
2. The determination unit according to claim 1, wherein when the amount of focus shift determined by the in-focus determination is larger than a predetermined value, the determination unit determines a speed higher than the determined speed limit as a new speed limit. Imaging device.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit determines a speed slower than the determined speed limit as a new speed limit when the focus shift amount is smaller than the predetermined value.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the speed limit only when a moving image is captured. The lens is a replaceable interchangeable lens,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lens information is recorded in the interchangeable lens. The type of sound acquisition apparatus used to acquire the ambient sound, and the lens information regarding correlation of the driving speed of the lens and the driving sound of the lens, the speed limit of the driving speed of the lens based on the sound of the surroundings The lens control method to be determined. The type of sound acquisition apparatus used to acquire the ambient sound, and the lens information regarding correlation of the driving speed of the lens and the driving sound of the lens, the speed limit of the driving speed of the lens based on the sound of the surroundings A program that causes a computer to execute a determination procedure for determination.

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