JP6172901B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus.

  An imaging apparatus such as a digital camera has a photographing lens (photographing optical system) for forming an optical image of a subject. In recent years, many photographing lenses have a focus lens, and the focus position can be adjusted by moving the focus lens in the optical axis direction.

  Usually, a photographing lens has a range of a subject distance (focus range) that can be focused. Therefore, the subject located outside the focus range cannot be focused and the subject is out of focus. On the other hand, Patent Document 1 warns a user when an object is located closer to the closest distance of the photographic lens (close range end of the focus range) in an imaging apparatus having a self-portrait shooting mode. I am doing so.

JP 2002-350717 A

  As a method for adjusting the focus position of the photographing lens, an autofocus method in which the imaging apparatus automatically adjusts the focus position and a manual focus method in which the user manually adjusts the focus position are known. Among these, regarding the manual focal method, when the user turns the focus ring, the focus lens moves according to the rotation amount and the rotation direction. Here, in some imaging apparatuses, the focus ring and the focus lens are not mechanically linked. At this time, if there is no stopper on the focus ring and it is designed to transmit the rotation operation, and there is no means to inform the user of the focus range, even after the focus lens exceeds the movable range The user keeps turning the focus ring. The technique of Patent Document 1 warns the user when the subject is located at the closest distance of the photographic lens, but does not know the focus range of the photographic lens. Further, Patent Document 1 does not particularly mention the case of manual focus. Therefore, for example, even if the subject is located at a position closer than the closest distance of the photographing lens, the user can take a picture. I do not know what will be.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of assisting a user's operation during manual focusing in consideration of a focus range of a photographing lens.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a focus lens that is movable in an optical axis direction, and a focus position is adjusted by the movement of the focus lens to generate an optical image of a subject. A focus lens drive instruction unit including a photographing lens to be moved, a focus lens drive unit for moving the focus lens, and a focus lens operation member for instructing the focus lens drive unit of a movement amount and a movement direction of the focus lens When the focus state of the photographing lens during operation of the focus lens operation member, and the focus state detection unit for detecting the contrast value obtained by driving the focus lens, the focus state of the detection results, the contrast value follower focus position corresponding to the peak of the photographic lens If it is within the focus range is scum adjustable range notifies the operating direction of the focus lens operation member required to match the focus position to the subject user, it corresponds to the peak of the contrast value was when the focus position is not within the focus range, required from the slope of the contrast value in order to position the subject within the focus range, to determine the direction of movement of the user with the imaging device, it determines And a control unit that notifies the user of the moving direction of the user .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging device which can assist a user's operation at the time of a manual focus in consideration of the focus range of a taking lens can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the digital camera as an example of the imaging device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a shooting mode of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the direction acquisition method of the peak position of contrast value. It is the figure which showed the example when a direction cannot be acquired. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of notifying the rotation direction of a focus ring in case a focus position is made into a far side. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of notifying the rotation direction of a focus ring when making a focus position into the near side. It is a figure which shows the example of the notification for prompting a user to approach a to-be-photographed object. It is a figure which shows the example of the notification for prompting a user to move away from a to-be-photographed object. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of notifying a user using animation together. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of notifying the rotation direction of the zoom ring when extending a focus range to a far side. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of notifying the rotation direction of the zoom ring when extending a focus range to the near side. It is the figure shown about the view of the electronic zoom process in one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera as an example of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. A digital camera (hereinafter referred to as a camera) 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration of a lens interchangeable camera. Therefore, the camera 1 has the interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200. The camera 1 does not necessarily need to be a lens interchangeable type, and a photographing lens may be provided in the camera body.

  The interchangeable lens 100 includes a photographing lens 102, a focus lens drive unit 104a, a zoom lens drive unit 104b, a focus lens position detection unit 106a, a zoom lens position detection unit 106b, a diaphragm 108, a diaphragm drive unit 110, A lens information storage unit 112, a lens control unit 114, a focus ring 116a, a zoom ring 116b, a focus ring operation detection unit 118a, a zoom ring operation detection unit 118b, and a communication unit 120 are provided.

  The photographing lens 102 is a lens group having a plurality of lenses such as a focus lens 102a and a zoom lens 102b. The photographing lens 102 generates a light image of a subject (not shown) and forms the generated light image on an image sensor 202 provided in the camera body 200. The focus lens 102a is a lens for adjusting the focus position of the photographic lens 102, and is configured to be movable in the optical axis direction. The zoom lens 102b is a lens for adjusting the angle of view of the photographic lens 102, and is configured to be movable in the optical axis direction. Here, in FIG. 1, the focus lens 102a and the zoom lens 102b are shown as a single lens, but the focus lens 102a and the zoom lens 102b may be configured as a plurality of lens groups.

  The focus lens driving unit 104a drives the focus lens 102a along the optical axis direction according to a control signal from the lens control unit 114. The focus lens drive unit 104a includes a drive mechanism including a motor for driving the focus lens 102a, and a drive circuit for driving the drive mechanism.

  The zoom lens driving unit 104b drives the zoom lens 102b along the optical axis direction in accordance with a control signal from the lens control unit 114. Similarly to the focus lens driving unit 104a, the zoom lens driving unit 104b also includes a driving mechanism including a motor for driving the zoom lens 102b and a driving circuit for driving the driving mechanism.

  The focus lens position detection unit 106a detects the drive position of the focus lens 102a. The focus lens position detection unit 106a is configured by an encoder, for example.

  The zoom lens position detection unit 106b detects the drive position of the zoom lens 102b. The zoom lens position detection unit 106b is configured by an encoder, for example, like the focus lens position detection unit 106a.

  The diaphragm 108 is configured to be openable and closable, and adjusts the amount of light imaged on the image sensor 202 via the photographing lens 102. The degree of blurring of the subject image formed on the image sensor 202 is also adjusted by the opening amount of the diaphragm 108.

  The aperture driving unit 110 drives the aperture 108 in accordance with a control signal from the lens control unit 114. The aperture drive unit 110 includes a motor for driving the aperture and a drive circuit for the motor.

  The lens information storage unit 112 stores lens information of the photographic lens 102 such as the focal length, F-number, aberration information, and focus range of the photographic lens 102. Here, the focus range of the photographing lens 102 is information indicating a range of a subject distance in which focus adjustment is possible by driving the focus lens 102a.

  The lens control unit 114 is communicatively connected to the control unit 214 of the camera body 200 via the communication unit 120. The lens control unit 114 controls the focus lens driving unit 104a, the zoom lens driving unit 104b, and the aperture driving unit 110 according to the control of the control unit 214. The lens control unit 114 is stored in the lens information storage unit 112 and the positions of the focus lens 102a and the zoom lens 102b detected by the focus lens position detection unit 106a and the zoom lens position detection unit 106b as the lens is driven. The lens information is transmitted to the camera body 200 via the communication unit 120.

  The focus ring 116a is an operation member configured to be rotatable so that the user can manually operate the focus lens 102a. When the user rotates the focus ring 116a in the manual focus mode, the lens control unit 114 drives the focus lens 102a by controlling the focus lens driving unit 104a according to the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the focus ring 116a. The zoom ring 116b is an operation member configured to be rotatable so that the user can manually operate the zoom lens 102b. When the user rotates the zoom ring 116b in the manual zoom mode, the lens control unit 114 controls the zoom lens driving unit 104b according to the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the zoom ring 116b to drive the zoom lens 102b.

  The focus ring operation detection unit 118a is composed of, for example, an encoder, detects the rotation direction and rotation amount of the focus ring 116a, and inputs a signal corresponding to the detected rotation direction and rotation amount to the lens control unit 114. The lens control unit 114 recognizes the operation of the focus ring 116a according to this signal. The zoom ring operation detection unit 118b is configured by, for example, an encoder, detects the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the zoom ring 116b, and inputs a signal corresponding to the detected rotation direction and rotation amount to the lens control unit 114. The lens control unit 114 recognizes the operation of the zoom ring 116b according to this signal.

  Here, the focus ring 116a and the focus ring operation detection unit 118a function as a focus lens drive instruction unit. Further, the zoom ring 116b and the zoom ring operation detection unit 118b function as a zoom lens drive instruction unit.

  The communication unit 120 is an interface on the interchangeable lens 100 side for communication between the lens control unit 114 and the control unit 214.

  The camera body 200 includes an image sensor 202, an A / D conversion unit 204, an image processing unit 206, a display unit 208, a recording unit 210, an operation unit 212, a control unit 214, and a communication unit 216. have.

  The imaging element 202 has a light receiving surface on which photoelectric conversion elements as pixels are two-dimensionally arranged. Each pixel converts an image of a subject formed through the photographing lens 102 into an electric signal (image signal). Further, the imaging operation of the imaging element 202 is controlled by the control unit 214 having a function as an imaging control unit. Here, as the image sensor 202, for example, a CCD element and a CMOS element are known, but in this embodiment, it is not necessary to use an image sensor having a specific structure.

  The A / D conversion unit 204 converts the image signal obtained by the image sensor 202 into image data as a digital signal.

  The image processing unit 206 performs image processing on the image data. The image processing performed by the image processing unit 206 includes various types of processing necessary for displaying or recording an image corresponding to image data such as white balance correction processing and γ correction processing on the display unit 208, compression processing, Expansion processing and the like are included. The image processing unit 206 has an electronic zoom processing unit 206a. The electronic zoom processing unit 206a performs an electronic zoom process on the image data. Specifically, the electronic zoom processing unit 206a cuts out the subject portion in the image data, and enlarges or reduces the image data of the cut out subject portion. The enlargement process is performed by supplementing pixels between adjacent pixels by, for example, an interpolation process. The reduction process is performed by thinning out pixels, for example.

  The display unit 208 displays various images such as an image based on the image data processed by the image processing unit 206. The display unit 208 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display.

  The recording unit 210 records an image file generated from the image data compressed by the image processing unit 206. The recording unit 210 is configured by a memory card that is detachable from the camera body 200, for example. The recording unit 210 may be built in the camera body 200.

  The operation unit 212 includes a plurality of operation members for the user to perform various operations on the camera 1. The operation members include a release button, a mode dial, a power button, a zoom switch, and the like. The release button is an operation member for the user to instruct the camera body 200 to start shooting. When the release button is half-pressed, an autofocus (AF) instruction is given to the control unit 214, and when the release button is fully pressed, a shooting operation instruction is given to the control unit 214. The mode dial is an operation member for the user to instruct the camera body 200 to set an operation mode or the like. The power button is an operation member for the user to instruct the camera body 200 to turn on or off the power. The zoom switch is an operation member for the user to instruct zoom driving.

  The control unit 214 controls the operation of each block of the camera body 200. The control unit 214 has a function as the imaging control unit 214a, and controls the imaging operation of the imaging device 202, the operations of the focus lens 102a and the zoom lens 102b, and the operation of the diaphragm 108.

  The control unit 214 has a function as the focus state detection unit 214b, detects the focus state of the photographing lens 102, and adjusts the focus of the photographing lens 102 according to the detected focus state. Here, the focus state is a subject distance calculated from the contrast or contrast of image data obtained through the image sensor 202, for example. Here, the subject distance can be calculated using, for example, a phase difference AF sensor in addition to the calculation from the contrast, and the calculation method is not limited.

  Further, the control unit 214 has a function as the display control unit 214c and controls the display operation of the display unit 208 to display various images on the display unit 208. In addition, the control unit 214 also generates an image file from the image data, and records the generated image file in the recording unit 210.

  The communication unit 216 is an interface on the camera body 200 side for communication between the lens control unit 114 and the control unit 214.

  Next, the operation of the imaging apparatus of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment in the shooting mode. The processing in FIG. 2 is controlled by the control unit 214.

  In FIG. 2, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the power of the camera body 200 is on (step S101). If it is determined in step S101 that the power source of the camera body 200 is not on, the control unit 214 ends the process of FIG.

  If it is determined in step S101 that the power of the camera body 200 is on, the control unit 214 communicates with the lens control unit 114 and acquires lens information stored in the lens information storage unit 112 (step S102). ). As described above, the lens information includes the focus range.

  After acquiring the lens information, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the current focus mode is the manual focus mode (step S103). If it is determined in step S103 that the current focus mode is the manual focus mode, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the focus ring 116a is turned by the user (step S104). In this process, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the focus ring 116a is turned by communication with the lens control unit 114. For this purpose, the lens control unit 114 communicates the operation information of the focus ring 116a according to the signal state of the focus ring operation detection unit 118a to the control unit 214.

If it is determined in step S104 that the focus ring 116a is not turned, the control unit 214 returns the process to step S101. In step S104, when it is determined that the focus ring 116a is turned, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the focus position of the photographing lens 102 is out of the focus range (step S105). In this process, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the focus position of the photographing lens 102 is out of the focus range by determining whether or not the focus lens 102a has reached the drive limit position, for example. For this purpose, the lens control unit 114 communicates position information of the focus lens 102a detected by the focus lens position detection unit 106a to the control unit 214.
If the focus ring 116a is designed to rotate freely without a stopper, it can be determined how many times the focus ring 116a has been turned from the limit when determining whether the focus ring 116a has been turned. For this reason, in the determination in step S104, it is determined whether the rotation of the focus ring 116a has continued or whether movement in the same direction has continued for a while, and when the rotation continues or movement in the same direction continues, It may be determined that the ring 116a has been turned. By doing so, it is possible to suppress flickering of display due to minute driving of the focus lens 102a so that the focus lens 102a is not driven by a slight operation of the focus ring 116a. In the determination in step S105, it is determined whether the focus ring 116a continues to rotate while the focus lens 102a has reached the drive limit position or whether the movement in the same direction has continued for a while. If the movement in the same direction continues, it may be determined that the focus position of the photographic lens 102 is out of the focus range. By doing in this way, the troublesomeness which the below-mentioned notification is performed frequently can be reduced.

  If it is determined in step S105 that the focus position of the taking lens 102 is not out of the focus range, the control unit 214 instructs the lens control unit 114 to drive the lens (step S106). Upon receiving this instruction, the lens control unit 114 controls the focus lens driving unit 104a so that the focus lens 102a is driven by an amount according to the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the focus ring 116a detected by the focus ring operation detection unit 118a. Control. After driving the focus lens 102a, the control unit 214 shifts the process to step S123.

  If it is determined in step S105 that the focus position of the photographic lens 102 is out of the focus range, the control unit 214 instructs the lens control unit 114 to perform wobbling. A driving direction of the focus lens 102a necessary for focusing on the lens (hereinafter referred to as a focus direction) is acquired (step S107). In this process, the lens control unit 114 that has received an instruction from the control unit 214 drives the focus lens 102a to vibrate slightly within a predetermined wobbling range. The control unit 214 calculates a contrast value from image data obtained via the image sensor 202 when the focus lens 102a is driven to the close side, and also when the focus lens 102a is driven to the far side. The contrast value is calculated also from the image data obtained from the above, and the focus direction is acquired by comparing the calculated contrast value. Here, the close side is the side where the focus position of the photographic lens 102 approaches the camera body 200, and the far side is the side where the focus position of the photographic lens 102 moves away from the camera body 200. Here, the driving direction of the focus lens 102a is acquired using wobbling, but any method that can change the focus position of the photographing lens 102, such as a lens scan described later, can be applied. Unlike wobbling, when using a process that cannot acquire the focus direction at high speed, the user may be notified that the focus direction is being acquired.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a focus direction acquisition method using a contrast value. Here, the horizontal axis in FIGS. 3A and 3B indicates the focus position of the photographing lens 102, and the vertical axis indicates the magnitude of the contrast value.

  In general, the contrast value becomes maximum (peak) when the focus position of the photographic lens 102 is at the subject position, and decreases as the focus position of the photographic lens 102 moves away from the subject position. That is, when the focus position of the photographic lens 102 is changed between the near side and the far side, a peak exists in the direction in which the contrast value becomes larger. If the focus lens 102a is driven so that the contrast value reaches a peak, the focus position of the photographing lens 102 becomes the position of the subject.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, when wobbling, a contrast value peak exists when the contrast value when the focus position is set to the far side is larger than the contrast value when the focus position is set to the close side. Direction, that is, the focus direction is on the far side. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the contrast value when the focus position is set to the close side during wobbling is larger than the contrast value when the focus position is set to the far side, the peak of the contrast value is obtained. The existing direction, that is, the focus direction is on the near side.

  After step S107, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the focus direction has been successfully acquired (step S108). As described above, when the focus direction is acquired using wobbling, the focus direction is acquired from the change in the contrast value when the focus position is changed between the near side and the far side. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when there is a large difference between the focus position of the photographing lens 102 and the position of the subject, that is, when the focus position is changed to the closest side and far away. When there is almost no difference in the contrast value from when it is changed to the side, it is considered that the focus direction cannot be acquired or the reliability is low even if it can be acquired. Therefore, in step S108, when the difference between the contrast value when the focus position is set to the near side and the contrast value when the focus position is set to the far side is greater than or equal to a predetermined range, it is determined that the direction acquisition is successful. .

  If it is determined in step S108 that the focus direction has not been successfully acquired, the control unit 214 instructs the lens control unit 114 to drive the focus lens 102a in the entire focus range (lens scan), and the result of the lens scan. From this, the focus direction is acquired (step S109). In this process, the lens control unit 114 that has received an instruction from the control unit 214 drives the focus lens 102a in a predetermined direction (for example, from the far end to the close end). The control unit 214 calculates a contrast value from image data sequentially obtained via the image sensor 202 when the focus lens 102a is driven, and acquires the focus direction from the change in the contrast value. As in the case of wobbling, the focus direction is the direction in which the contrast value increases.

  After step S109, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the focus direction has been successfully acquired (step S110). Similarly to the case of wobbling, this determination also determines that the direction acquisition has succeeded when the difference from the contrast value is greater than or equal to a predetermined range.

  If it is determined in step S110 that the focus direction has not been successfully acquired, the control unit 214 warns the user that the focus direction has not been acquired (step S111). Thereafter, the control unit 214 shifts the process to step S123. Here, the warning in step S111 is a warning by display, for example. By providing the camera body 200 with an audio playback unit, it is possible to give an audio warning.

  If it is determined in step S108 or step S110 that the focus direction has been successfully acquired, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the subject exists within the focus range of the photographing lens 102 (step S112). As described above, when the focus direction is successfully acquired, a change in contrast value is detected as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). The focus position corresponding to the peak of the contrast value changes according to the subject distance, and the subject distance can be estimated from this focus position. The focus position corresponding to the peak of the contrast value can be estimated from the gradient of the contrast value acquired during wobbling or acquired during lens scanning. In step S <b> 112, when the focus position corresponding to the peak of the contrast value is within the focus range of the photographic lens 102, it is determined that the subject is within the focus range of the photographic lens 102.

  If it is determined in step S112 that the subject is within the focus range of the photographic lens 102, the control unit 214 indicates to the user the rotation direction of the focus ring 116a necessary for focusing the photographic lens 102 on the subject. Notification is made (step S113). Thereafter, the control unit 214 shifts the process to step S123.

  5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of notifying the rotation direction of the focus ring 116a by display. Here, by rotating the focus ring 116a clockwise, the focus position of the photographic lens 102 moves to the far side, and by rotating the focus ring 116a counterclockwise, the focus position of the photographic lens 102 moves to the near side. An example of the case will be described. The relationship between the rotation direction of the focus ring 116a and the change direction of the focus position may be reversed.

  In step S112, the subject distance is estimated. As a result of comparing the estimated subject distance and the current focus position of the photographic lens 102, as shown in FIG. 5A, the subject position is farther than the current focus position of the photographic lens 102. The focus position of the photographic lens 102 needs to be further away. In this case, a display for urging the user to rotate the focus ring 116a clockwise as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 5B, character display and image display are performed. In addition, animation may be used together. Moreover, you may make it notify with an audio | voice.

  Further, as a result of comparing the estimated subject distance and the current focus position of the photographing lens 102, as shown in FIG. 6A, the position of the subject is closer to the current focus position of the photographing lens 102. In some cases, the focus position of the photographic lens 102 needs to be closer. In this case, a display for urging the user to rotate the focus ring 116a counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 6B is displayed on the display unit 208, for example.

  By performing the display as shown in FIG. 5B or 6B, the user can easily focus the photographing lens 102 on the subject even in the manual focus mode.

  If it is determined in step S112 that the subject does not exist within the focus range of the photographing lens 102, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the subject is too close (step S114). In step S114, when the subject distance is shorter than the focus range (the subject position is closer to the focus range), it is determined that the subject is too close. Conversely, if the subject distance is longer than the focus range (the subject position is farther than the focus range), it is determined that the subject is too far.

  If the control unit 214 determines in step S114 that the subject is too far, the photographing lens 102 cannot be focused on the subject simply by rotating the focus ring 116a, that is, by moving the focus lens 102a. In this case, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the subject falls within the focus range of the photographing lens 102 by setting the zoom lens 102b to the tele side (step S115). Here, the tele side is the side where the focal length of the taking lens 102 becomes longer, that is, the side where the angle of view becomes narrower.

  Depending on the design of the taking lens 102, there is a lens that can expand the focus range to the far side by moving the zoom lens 102b to the tele side. In the present embodiment, even when the focus lens 102a cannot be moved to focus on the subject, the zoom ring can be used when the shooting lens 102 can be focused on the subject by moving the zoom lens 102b. By notifying the user of the rotation direction of 116b, the focus adjustment of the taking lens 102 is made possible.

  If it is determined in step S115 that the subject does not fall within the focus range of the photographing lens 102 even when the zoom lens 102b is set to the tele side, the control unit 214 notifies the user to approach the subject (step S115). Step S116). Thereafter, the control unit 214 shifts the process to step S123.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a notification for prompting the user to approach the subject. Even when the zoom lens 102b is set to the tele side, the distance between the user (camera 1) and the subject is long as shown in FIG. 7A when the subject does not fall within the focus range of the photographing lens 102. This is the case. In such a case, the subject (camera 1) itself is moved so that the subject falls within the focus range of the taking lens 102. For this purpose, for example, a display as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 7B, character display and image display are performed. In addition, animation may be used in combination as shown in FIG. Moreover, you may make it notify with an audio | voice.

  Even when the control unit 214 determines that the subject is too close in step S114, the photographing lens 102 cannot be focused on the subject simply by rotating the focus ring 116a, that is, by moving the focus lens 102a. In this case, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the subject falls within the focus range of the photographing lens 102 by setting the zoom lens 102b to the wide side (step S117). Here, the wide side is the side where the focal length of the photographic lens 102 is shortened, that is, the side where the angle of view is widened. Depending on the design of the photographing lens 102, there is a lens that can widen the focus range to the near side by moving the zoom lens 102b to the wide side. Step S117 is a determination for the case where such a photographing lens 102 is used.

  If it is determined in step S117 that the subject does not fall within the focus range of the photographing lens 102 even by setting the zoom lens 102b to the wide side, the control unit 214 notifies the user to leave the subject (step S117). Step S118). Thereafter, the control unit 214 shifts the process to step S123.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a notification for prompting the user to move away from the subject. Even when the zoom lens 102b is set to the wide side, the distance between the user (camera 1) and the subject is short as shown in FIG. 8A when the subject does not fall within the focus range of the photographing lens 102. This is the case. Even in such a case, the subject (camera 1) itself is moved so that the subject falls within the focus range of the taking lens 102. For this purpose, for example, a display as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 8B, character display and image display are performed. In addition, an animation may be used in combination as shown in FIG. Moreover, you may make it notify with an audio | voice.

  When it is determined in step S115 that the subject is within the focus range of the photographing lens 102 by setting the zoom lens 102b to the tele side, or the subject is in the focus range of the photographing lens 102 by setting the zoom lens 102b to the wide side in step S117. If it is determined that the subject is within the focus range of the photographing lens 102, the user is notified of the rotation direction of the zoom ring 116b necessary to enter the subject (step S119).

  10 and 11 are diagrams illustrating an example of notifying the rotation direction of the zoom ring 116b by display. Here, an example will be described in which the zoom lens b is moved to the telephoto side by rotating the zoom ring b and the zoom lens b is moved to the wide side by rotating the zoom ring b. . The relationship between the rotation direction of the zoom ring 116b and the change direction of the angle of view may be reversed.

  In step S112, the subject distance is estimated. As a result of comparing the estimated subject distance and the focus range of the photographic lens 102, as shown in FIG. 10A, even when the subject is located farther than the focus range of the photographic lens 102. If the zoom position is set to the tele side, the subject may fall within the focus range. In this case, a display for prompting the user to rotate the zoom ring 116b counterclockwise as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 10B, character display and image display are performed. In addition, animation may be used together. Moreover, you may make it notify with an audio | voice.

  In addition, as a result of comparing the estimated subject distance and the focus range of the photographing lens 102, as shown in FIG. 11A, the subject position is closer to the focus range of the photographing lens 102. However, the subject may fall within the focus range by setting the zoom position to the wider side. In this case, a display for urging the user to rotate the zoom ring 116b clockwise as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 11B, character display and image display are performed. In addition, animation may be used together. Moreover, you may make it notify with an audio | voice.

  After notifying the rotation direction of the zoom ring 116b, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the zoom ring 116b is turned by the user (step S120). In this process, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the zoom ring 116b is turned by communication with the lens control unit 114. For this purpose, the lens control unit 114 communicates the operation information of the zoom ring 116b according to the signal state of the zoom ring operation detection unit 118b to the control unit 214.

  When determining in step S120 that the zoom ring 116b has not been turned, the control unit 214 returns the process to step S119. In this case, notification of the rotation direction of the zoom ring 116b is continued. If it is determined in step S120 that the zoom ring 116b has been turned, the lens control unit 114 is instructed to drive the lens. In response to this instruction, the lens control unit 114 controls the zoom lens driving unit 104b so that the zoom lens 102b is driven by an amount according to the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the zoom ring 116b detected by the zoom ring operation detection unit 118b. Control. After driving the zoom lens 102b, the control unit 214 uses the electronic zoom processing unit 206a of the image processing unit 206 to output image data obtained via the image sensor 202 according to the zoom position (optical zoom rate) of the zoom lens 102b. Electronic zoom processing is performed (step S121).

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the concept of the electronic zoom process in one embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the focus range can be expanded by moving the zoom lens 102b to the wide side or the tele side. However, the angle of view changes due to the movement of the zoom lens 102b. In the present embodiment, the change in the angle of view accompanying the movement of the zoom lens 102b for expanding the focus range during manual focus is corrected by electronic zoom processing. That is, as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 12, the electronic zoom process is performed at a magnification that is the reciprocal of the zoom rate that changes as the zoom lens 102b moves. The upper diagram in FIG. 12 shows zoom rates (optical zoom rate and electronic zoom rate) corresponding to the rotation amount of the zoom ring 116b. Here, in FIG. 12, the zoom ratio when the zoom lens 102b is located at a certain reference zoom position (for example, the tele end position) is 1.0. FIG. 12 shows an example in which the zoom ring 116b is rotated so as to move the zoom lens 102b from the reference zoom position to the wide side. In FIG. 12, the rotation amount of the zoom ring 116b is shown as a percentage. That is, when the rotation amount is 0%, the position of the zoom lens 102b is the reference position, and when the rotation amount is 100%, the position of the zoom lens 102b is the wide end position. The optical zoom ratio at the wide end position is set to 1/2.

  In the example of FIG. 12, the zoom lens 102b is driven to the wide side as the amount of rotation of the zoom ring 116b increases, and the optical zoom ratio decreases accordingly. As described above, by driving the zoom lens 102b to the wide side, the focus range can be expanded to the close side, but the angle of view becomes wide by driving the zoom lens 102b. In the present embodiment, the change in the angle of view accompanying the rotation of the zoom ring 116b is corrected by performing electronic zoom processing. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the optical zoom ratio decreases linearly with the rotation of the zoom ring 116b, so the electronic zoom ratio is increased linearly. That is, the electronic zoom processing is performed with the electronic zoom rate as a magnification that is the reciprocal of the optical zoom rate. For example, at the reference zoom position shown in (1) of FIG. 12, it is not necessary to perform electronic zoom processing. On the other hand, at the zoom position shown in (2) of FIG. 12, the optical zoom ratio is 1 / 1.5, so the electronic zoom processing is performed with the electronic zoom ratio set to 1.5. Similarly, at the zoom position shown in (3) of FIG. 12, since the optical zoom ratio is 1/2, the electronic zoom processing is performed with the electronic zoom ratio being doubled. Thereby, it is possible to widen the focus range to the near side while canceling the change in the angle of view accompanying the rotation of the zoom ring 116b.

  The example of FIG. 12 shows an example of zoom driving to the wide side, but the same applies to the zoom driving to the tele side. That is, even when the zoom drive to the tele side is performed, the electronic zoom processing is performed with the electronic zoom rate as a reciprocal of the optical zoom rate.

  In this embodiment, an example of manual zoom is shown, but auto zoom may be used.

  Returning to the description of FIG. After the electronic zoom process, the control unit 214 determines whether the subject is within the focus range of the photographing lens 102 (step S122). This determination may be performed in the same manner as in step S112. If it is determined in step S122 that the subject does not exist within the focus range of the photographing lens 102, the control unit 214 returns the process to step S119. In this case, notification of the rotation direction of the zoom ring 116b is continued. In step S122, when it is determined that the subject is within the focus range of the photographing lens 102, the control unit 214 shifts the process to step S123.

  After steps S106, S111, S113, S116, S118, and S122, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the release button of the operation unit 212 has been fully pressed by the user (step S123). If it is determined in step S123 that the release button has not been fully pressed, the control unit 214 returns the process to step S101. If it is determined in step S123 that the release button has been fully pressed, the control unit 214 performs a shooting operation (step S124). Thereafter, the processing in FIG. 2 is terminated. In the shooting operation, the control unit 214 processes the image data obtained by operating the image sensor 202 in the image processing unit 206, and records the image data processed in the image processing unit 206 in the recording unit 210 as an image file. .

  In step S103, when it is determined that the current focus mode is not the manual focus mode, that is, the auto focus mode, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the release button of the operation unit 212 is half-pressed by the user. Determination is made (step S125). If it is determined in step S125 that the release button has not been half-pressed, the control unit 214 returns the process to step S101. If it is determined in step S125 that the release button has been half-pressed, the control unit 214 performs a contrast AF operation (step S126). In the contrast AF operation, the contrast value is evaluated while driving the focus lens 102a by the same method as the wobbling or lens scanning described above.

  During the contrast AF operation, the control unit 214 determines whether or not the photographing lens 102 has focused on the subject (step S127). In this step S127, when the peak of the contrast value is detected, it is determined that the photographing lens 102 has focused on the subject.

  If it is determined in step S127 that the taking lens 102 is not focused on the subject, the control unit 214 shifts the processing to step S114. In this case, the photographing lens 102 is focused on the subject by driving the zoom lens 102b, or the photographing lens 102 is focused on the subject by prompting the user to move.

  If it is determined in step S127 that the taking lens 102 has focused on the subject, the control unit 214 shifts the processing to step S123. In this case, the shooting operation is performed in response to the user's full-press release button.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to determine the defocus direction in the manual focus mode by performing the same wobbling and lens scanning as in the auto focus mode in the manual focus mode. Thereby, it is possible to notify the user of the rotation direction of the focus ring 116a.

  Further, even when the subject is outside the focus range of the photographing lens 102, it is necessary to position the subject within the focus range such as rotating the zoom ring 116b or prompting the user to move. By notifying the user of the operation, the user can easily focus the photographing lens 102 on the subject without continuing to rotate the focus ring 116a in spite of the focus range in the manual focus mode. .

  Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are naturally possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Further, in the description of each operation flowchart described above, the operation is described using “first”, “next”, and the like for convenience, but this does not mean that it is essential to perform the operations in this order. Absent.

  Further, the above-described embodiments include various stages of the invention, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some configuration requirements are deleted from all the configuration requirements shown in the embodiment, the above-described problem can be solved, and this configuration requirement is deleted when the above-described effects can be obtained. The configuration can also be extracted as an invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera (camera), 100 ... Interchangeable lens, 102 ... Shooting lens, 102a ... Focus lens, 102b ... Zoom lens, 104a ... Focus lens drive part, 104b ... Zoom lens drive part, 106a ... Focus lens position detection part, 106b ... zoom lens position detection unit 108 ... aperture 110 ... aperture drive unit 112 ... lens information storage unit 114 ... lens control unit 116a ... focus ring 116b ... zoom ring 118a ... focus ring operation detection unit 118b DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Zoom ring operation detection part 120 ... Communication part 200 ... Camera body 202 ... Image sensor 204 ... A / D conversion part 206 ... Image processing part 206a ... Electronic zoom processing part 208 ... Display part 210 ... Recording unit 212 ... operation unit 214 ... control unit 214a ... imaging control Control unit, 214b ... focus state detection unit, 214c ... display control unit, 216 ... communication unit

Claims (3)

A photographic lens having a focus lens movable in an optical axis direction, a focus position adjusted by movement of the focus lens, and generating an optical image of a subject;
A focus lens driving unit for moving the focus lens;
A focus lens drive instruction unit including a focus lens operation member for instructing the movement amount and direction of the focus lens to the focus lens drive unit;
A focus state detection unit for detecting a focus state of the photographing lens during operation of the focus lens operation member from a contrast value obtained by driving the focus lens ;
Result of detection of the focus state, if the focus position corresponding to the peak of the contrast value is within the focus range is focus adjustable range of the photographing lens, in order to adjust the focus position to the subject The user is notified of the necessary operation direction of the focus lens operation member, and when the focus position corresponding to the peak of the contrast value is not within the focus range, the subject is moved within the focus range from the gradient of the contrast value. A control unit that determines a moving direction of a user who has an imaging device necessary for positioning, and notifies the user of the determined moving direction of the user ;
An imaging apparatus comprising: The photographing lens further includes a zoom lens that is movable in an optical axis direction, and an angle of view is adjusted by the movement of the zoom lens,
A zoom lens driving unit for moving the zoom lens;
A zoom lens drive instruction unit including a zoom lens operation member for instructing the movement amount and direction of the zoom lens to the zoom lens drive unit;
Further comprising
The control unit detects that the focus state is not within the focus range as a result of detection of the focus state by the focus state detection unit, and is within the focus range by moving the zoom lens. When it is possible to position the subject, an operation direction of the zoom lens operation member necessary for positioning the subject within the focus range is determined from the gradient of the contrast value , and the determined zoom is determined. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation direction of a lens operation member is notified to the user .   The electronic zoom processing unit further performs electronic zoom processing so as to cancel the change in the angle of view when the zoom lens operation member is operated after the control unit notifies the user of the operation direction of the zoom lens operation member. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2.

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