JP6711886B2 - Imaging device, control method thereof, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image pickup device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, some digital cameras and digital video cameras have adopted an image pickup device having a structure capable of focus detection by a pupil division method. For example, in Patent Document 1, two photodiodes are provided in one pixel of an image pickup element, and each photodiode is configured to receive light passing through different pupil regions of the image pickup lens by one microlens. There is. Therefore, by comparing the output signals from the two photodiodes, it becomes possible to perform phase difference focus detection. In addition, a signal of a captured image can be obtained by adding output signals from the two photodiodes.

Patent Document 2 describes a technique of horizontally adding and reading the signals of G pixels and reading the signals of R and B pixels without horizontally adding when the phase difference is detected on the imaging surface.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-124984 JP, 2013-178564, A

In the method of reading the output signals from the two photodiodes as described above, when the subject is dark, the noise amount is large, and the correlation calculation for focus detection may not be performed correctly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an appropriate automatic focus adjustment when recording an image in an image pickup apparatus that performs phase difference automatic focus adjustment on an image pickup surface. It is to be.

The image pickup device according to the present invention includes a pixel section in which unit pixels each having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are arranged in a matrix, and a plurality of column outputs provided one for each column of the pixel section. An image pickup device including a line, and outputs a signal of a part of the photoelectric conversion elements of each unit pixel to the plurality of column output lines as a focus detection signal, and an image of the signals of all the photoelectric conversion elements of each unit pixel. And a control unit that controls the output signal to be output to the plurality of column output lines as a generation signal. The control unit is arranged in the same column of the pixel unit when a high-resolution moving image is not generated . The focus detection signals of a plurality of unit pixels are simultaneously output to each of the plurality of column output lines, and the image generation signals are simultaneously output from the plurality of unit pixels to generate a high-resolution moving image. In this case, the focus detection signal is not output from each of the plurality of unit pixels, and only the image generation signal is output .

According to the present invention, it is possible to perform appropriate automatic focus adjustment when recording an image in an image pickup apparatus that performs phase-difference type automatic focus adjustment on an image pickup surface.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the imaging device in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The conceptual diagram which the light beam which came out from the exit pupil of the imaging lens in the 1st Embodiment of this invention injects into a unit pixel. FIG. 3 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a unit pixel according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of vertical pixel mixing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of mixing both focus detection output and image output according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a timing chart of the operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the example of the to-be-photographed object in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The read rate explanatory drawing by the presence or absence of reading of the output for focus detection in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart in the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of an image pickup apparatus system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the image pickup apparatus system of the present embodiment includes an image pickup apparatus 100, a recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk, and a lens unit 300.

Here, details of these blocks will be described. First, the inside of the image pickup apparatus 100 will be described. The shutter 12 controls the amount of light entering the image sensor 1400, and the image sensor 1400 converts an optical image into an electric signal. The light incident from the lens unit 300 is reflected by the mirrors 130 and 131 and guided to the optical finder 104. When the mirror 130 is on the optical path of the taking lens, the optical finder 104 can confirm the composition of a still image to be taken by focusing the incident light and viewing it by the user.

The analog front end (hereinafter AFE) 1700 has an A/D converter that converts an analog signal output from the image sensor 1400 into a digital signal. The timing generator (TG) 1800 supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 1400 and the A/D converter. The liquid crystal monitor 1200 can display a live view (LV) image and a captured still image. A system control circuit (hereinafter CPU) 50 controls the overall operation of the image pickup apparatus 100 including image processing.

The shutter switch 61 has two steps, and a shallow push to the first step by the user is called a half push, and a deep push to the second step is called a full push. When the CPU 50 detects the half-press of the shutter switch 61, automatic focusing and setting of the shutter speed and aperture value by the automatic exposure mechanism in the state before photographing are performed. When the shutter button is fully pressed, the shutter 12 operates and the photographing operation is performed.

The live view (LV) start/stop switch 62 continuously performs a moving image recording operation when a start instruction is given by the user. When the shutter switch 61 is pressed halfway during live view display, autofocus (AF) is performed using a focus detection output signal from the image sensor 1400, which will be described later.

According to the user's instruction to the ISO sensitivity setting switch 63, the CPU 50 sets the sensitivity of the imaging device 100 with respect to the amount of light. According to the user's instruction to the power switch 64, the CPU 50 switches the power of the imaging device 100 on and off. Further, the power-on and power-off settings of various accessory devices such as the lens unit 300, the external strobe, and the recording medium 200 connected to the imaging device 100 can also be switched and set.

A volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) 70 temporarily records image data and also functions as a work memory for the CPU 50. The non-volatile memory (ROM) 71 stores a program when the CPU 50 operates. The image processing unit 72 performs processing such as correction/compression of a still image. The autofocus calculator 73 calculates the drive amount of the photographing lens 310, which will be described later, from the focus detection signal for autofocus. The subject analysis unit 74 examines the spatial frequency of the subject.

The power supply control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches blocks to be energized, and the like. Further, the presence/absence of a battery, the type of the battery, and the remaining battery amount are detected, the DC-DC converter is controlled based on the detection result and the instruction of the CPU 50, and each unit including a recording medium is supplied with a required voltage for a required period. Supply to. The connectors 82 and 84 connect the power supply unit 86 to the imaging device 100. The power supply unit 86 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a Li-ion battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

The interface 90 is an interface with a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk, and the connector 92 is connected to the recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 200 has a recording unit 201 including a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and the like, and an interface 202 with the imaging device 100.

The lens unit 300 includes a taking lens 310, a diaphragm 312, and a lens mount 316. The lens mount 316 is connected to the lens mount 106 on the imaging device 100 side. The lens controller 320 controls the entire lens unit 300, and the connector 322 electrically connects the lens unit 300 to the imaging device 100. The lens controller 320 receives a signal from the imaging device 100 via the connectors 322 and 122. This signal changes the position of the taking lens 310 on the optical axis to control the focus. Similarly, the lens controller 320 receives a signal from the imaging device 100 and controls the size of the aperture of the diaphragm 312. The interface 120 is an interface for communicating with the lens unit 300 by an electric signal.

FIG. 2 is a simplified configuration diagram of the image sensor 1400. A plurality of pixels 205 are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix on the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 1400. The vertical arrangement of the matrix-shaped pixel arrangement is called a “column”, and the horizontal arrangement is called a “row”. A pixel group (pixel portion) 208 is a collection of all pixels in columns and rows. The vertical scanning circuit 204 outputs a row selection signal for reading out a selected row and a signal necessary for reading charges to the circuit of each pixel. The signal output to the vertical output line (column output line) 410 is output to the horizontal scanning circuit 203 via the column gain 206 and the column circuit 207 connected to each vertical output line. The horizontal scanning circuit 203 sequentially outputs the signal output for one row in the horizontal direction.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram in which the light flux emitted from the exit pupil of the photographing lens is incident on the unit pixel. The unit pixel 205 (within the unit pixel) is provided with a first photodiode (photoelectric conversion element) 306A and a second photodiode 306B. A color filter 305 and a microlens 304 are arranged on the front surface of the unit pixel 205. The taking lens 310 has an exit pupil 330.

For the pixel having the microlens 304, the center of the light flux emitted from the exit pupil 330 is the optical axis 303. The light passing through the exit pupil enters the unit pixel 205 with the optical axis 303 as the center. The exit pupil 330 of the taking lens 310 includes some pupil regions 301 and 302 of the exit pupil. As shown in FIG. 3, the light flux passing through the pupil area 301 is received by the photodiode 306A through the microlens 304, and the light flux passing through the pupil area 302 is received by the photodiode 306B through the microlens 304. Therefore, the photodiodes 306A and 306B respectively receive light in different regions of the exit pupil of the taking lens. Therefore, the phase difference can be detected by comparing the signals of the photodiodes 306A and 306B.

Here, a signal obtained from the photodiode 306A is defined as an A image signal, and a signal obtained from the photodiode 306B is defined as a B image signal. A signal obtained by adding the A image signal and the B image signal is an A+B image signal, and this A+B image signal can be used for a captured image.

FIG. 4 shows an equivalent circuit diagram of the unit pixel 205. By controlling the transfer switch 405A with the transfer control signal 401 and controlling the transfer switch 405B with the transfer control signal 402, the charges generated and accumulated in the photodiodes 306A and 306B are transferred to the floating diffusion unit (FD) 407. .. The source follower amplifier 408 amplifies the voltage signal based on the charges accumulated in the FD 407 and outputs it as a pixel signal. By controlling the row selection switch 409 with the row selection control signal 404, the output of the source follower amplifier 408 is connected to the vertical output line 410.

When resetting the unnecessary charges accumulated in the FD 407, the reset switch 406 is controlled by the reset control signal 403. Further, when resetting the photodiodes 306A and 306B, the transfer switch 405A is controlled by the transfer control signal 401 together with the reset switch 406, and the transfer switch 405B is controlled by the transfer control signal 402 to perform the reset. Each of the transfer control signals 401 and 402, the reset control signal 403, and the row selection control signal 404 is supplied to each row of the pixel group 208 by the CPU 50 controlling the vertical scanning circuit 204 via the TG 1800.

Although the A image signal and the B image signal are required for the correlation calculation for focus detection, the A image signal and the B image signal may be read separately. However, in the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the A image signal and the A+B image signal are read out and the B image signal is created by calculation in the CPU 50 and the autofocus calculation unit 73 in the subsequent stage. The lens control unit 320 is controlled based on the result of this calculation to perform focusing.

FIG. 5 shows the operation when the vertical scanning circuit 204 mixes the output signals of vertical predetermined pixels. FIG. 5A shows the operation without mixing. The CPU 50 controls the row selection control signal 404 via the TG 1800 and the vertical scanning circuit 204 to turn on the selection switch 409_1, and the signal of the row including the unit pixel 205_1 is sent to the column circuit through the vertical output line 410. 5(b) and 5(c) show the state of three-pixel mixing. In the case of mixing in the Bayer array, the color of the color filter changes for each row, so that pixels to be mixed are selected by opening each row.

For example, in FIG. 5B, the pixels 205_1, 205_3, and 205_5 are R (red) pixels, and the R signals are mixed. The CPU 50 controls the row selection control signal 404 via the TG 1800 and the vertical scanning circuit 204, and simultaneously turns on the selection switches 409_1, 409_3, and 409_5 connected to the pixels 205_1, 205_3, and 205_5 to connect to the vertical output line 410. By this operation, the signal obtained by mixing the outputs of the three R pixels is transferred to the column circuit 410.

Similarly, in FIG. 5C, the pixels 205_4, 205_6, and 205_8 are G (green) pixels, the CPU 50 controls the row selection control signal 404 via the vertical scanning circuit 204, and the selection switch 409_4 connected to each of them. , 409_6, 409_8 are turned on at the same time to connect to the vertical output line 410. By this operation, the signal in which the outputs of the three G pixels are mixed is transferred to the column circuit 410.

As in the above example, the center of gravity of a mixed row is 3 for the first R, 6 for the next G, 9 for the next R, 12 for the next G, and so on. Select the pixels to be mixed in every other row. In the example of FIG. 5, the data is mixed when the data is transferred from the vertical output line 410, but there is a mixing switch that connects the FD 407 of each row, and by connecting it at a necessary portion, vertical pixel mixing is realized. May be.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which the A image signal and the A+B image signal are mixed in the vertical direction (column direction). Referring also to FIG. 4, in FIG. 6A, the CPU 50 controls the transfer control signal 401 via the TG 1800 and the vertical scanning circuit 204 to turn on the transfer switch 405A of each pixel, and the accumulated charge of the photodiode 306A is stored in the FD 407. Transfer to. With the charge of the A image transferred to each FD 407, the CPU 50 controls the row selection control signal 404 via the TG 1800 and the vertical scanning circuit 204, and simultaneously turns on the selection switches 409_1, 409_3, 409_5 of the three rows of the R row. Then, the signal in which the outputs of the three pixels are mixed is transferred to the column circuit 410. Similarly, the selection switches 409_4, 409_6, and 409_8 are turned on at the same time, and the signal in which the outputs of the three G pixels are mixed is transferred to the column circuit 410.

In FIG. 6B, the CPU 50 controls the transfer control signal 401 via the TG 1800 and the vertical scanning circuit 204 to turn on the transfer switch 405B of each pixel, and the accumulated charge of the photodiode 306B is changed from the charge of the image A originally. In addition to the included FD407, the charge of the A+B image is acquired. With the charges of the A+B image transferred to the FD 407, the CPU 50 controls the row selection control signal 404 via the TG 1800 and the vertical scanning circuit 204, and simultaneously turns on the selection switches 409_1, 409_3, 409_5 of the three rows of the R row. Then, the signal obtained by mixing the outputs of the three R pixels is transferred to the column circuit 410. Similarly, the selection switches 409_4, 409_6, and 409_8 in the three G rows are turned on at the same time, and the signals in which the outputs of the three G pixels are mixed are transferred to the column circuit 410. Row selection is performed so that the vertical mixed signals of the A image output and the A+B image output are sequentially read out as described above.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart of the operation in the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, the timing at which the CPU 50 supplies each control signal to the reset switch 406, the transfer switches 405A and 405B, and the row selection switch 409 of the unit pixel 205 of each row of the image sensor 1400 via the TG 1800 and the vertical scanning circuit 204 is shown. Shows.

First, at timing T700, the reset switches 406_1, 406_3, and 406_5 are turned on to reset the FD 407 in each row. Although the type in which the switch is turned on when the reset signal is LOW is described here, the type may be turned on when the signal is HIGH.

At timing T701, the row selection switches 409_1, 409_3, and 409_5 are simultaneously turned on to read the reset signal after resetting the FD 407. At timing T702, the transfer switches 405A_1, 405A_3, and 405A_5 are simultaneously turned on to transfer the charges of the A image to the FD 407, respectively. Since the row selection switches 409_1, 409_3, 409_5 are still turned on, the mixed signals of the A image outputs of the three pixels are read out to the column circuit. Correlation double sampling (hereinafter referred to as CDS) is performed by subtracting the reset signal from the read A image signal, and output from the image sensor 1400.

At timing T703, the transfer switches 405A_1, 405A_3, 405A_5 and 405B_1, 405B_3, 405B_5 are simultaneously turned on to transfer the charges of the B image to the FDs 407 of the first, third, and fifth rows, respectively, to acquire the charges of the A+B images. .. Since the row selection switches 409_1, 409_3, 409_5 are still turned on, the mixed signal of the A+B image outputs of the three pixels is read out to the column circuit. Then, the CDS is performed by subtracting the reset signal from the read A+B image signal, and the CDS is output from the image sensor 1400. After the output, the row selection switches 409_1, 409_3, 409_5 are turned off.

At timing T704, the reset switches 406_4, 406_6, and 406_8 are turned on to reset the FD 407 in each row. At timing T705, the row selection switches 409_4, 409_6, and 409_8 are simultaneously turned on to read the reset signal after the reset of the FD 407.

At timing T706, the transfer switches 405A_4, 405A_6, and 405A_8 are simultaneously turned on to transfer the charges of the A image to the FD 407, respectively. Since the row selection switches 409_4, 409_6, 409_8 are still turned on, the mixed signal of the A image output of 3 pixels is read out to the column circuit. Then, the CDS is performed by subtracting the reset signal from the read A image signal, and the CDS is output from the image sensor 1400.

At timing T707, the transfer switches 405A_4, 405A_6, 405A_8 and 405B_4, 405B_6, 405B_8 are simultaneously turned on to transfer the charges of the B image to the FDs 407 of the fourth, sixth and eighth rows, respectively, to acquire the charges of the A+B image. .. Since the row selection switches 409_4, 409_6, and 409_8 are still turned on, the mixed signals of the A+B image outputs of the three pixels are read out to the column circuit. Then, the CDS is performed by subtracting the reset signal from the read A+B image signal, and the CDS is output from the image sensor 1400. After the output, the row selection switches 409_4, 409_6, 409_8 are turned off.

At timing T708, although not shown in the drawing, the reset switches 406_7, 406_9, and 406_11 are turned on to reset the FD 407 of each row. At timing T709, the row selection switches 409_7, 409_9, and 409_11 are simultaneously turned on to read the reset signal after the reset of the FD 407.

At timing T710, although not shown in the drawing, the transfer switches 405A_7, 405A_9, and 405A_11 are simultaneously turned on to transfer the charges of the A image to the FD 407, respectively. Since the row selection switches 409_7, 409_9, and 409_11 remain turned on, the mixed signals of the A image outputs of 3 pixels are read out to the column circuit. Then, the CDS is performed by subtracting the reset signal from the read A image signal, and the CDS is output from the image sensor 1400.

At timing T711, the transfer switches 405A_7, 405A_9, 405A_11 and 405B_7, 405B_9, 405B_11 are simultaneously turned on to transfer the charges of the B image to the FDs 407 of the 7, 9, and 11th rows, respectively, to acquire the charges of the A+B images. .. Since the row selection switches 409_7, 409_9, and 409_11 remain turned on, the mixed signal of the A+B image outputs of the three pixels is read out to the column circuit. Then, the CDS is performed by subtracting the reset signal from the read A+B image signal, and the CDS is output from the image sensor 1400.

This is repeated for 1/3 of the number of rows for the A image signal and 1/3 of the number of rows for the A+B image signal.

If a signal obtained by vertically mixing the respective outputs of the A image and the A+B image is output as in the first embodiment, the correlation calculation for focus detection is also an image signal mixed in the vertical direction, so that low noise output is achieved. Can be calculated with. Therefore, the accuracy of focus detection is expected to improve.

(Second embodiment)
In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which whether or not pixels are mixed in the vertical direction (column direction) during live view (hereinafter LV) operation is selected according to the subject.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the subject and a vertical mapping obtained by averaging the levels of the subject in the column direction. FIG. 8A is a photograph of a natural landscape, and the vertical mapping also changes gently. FIG. 8B is a photograph of the inside of the building as a subject. The blinds on the windows are very thin lines, and there are some places where sunlight is incident and some places where there is no sunlight, and it can be seen that the mapping of those portions changes greatly in a narrow space. When the vertical pixel mixing shown in the first embodiment is performed on an object having a high spatial frequency as shown in FIG. 8B, the large change in the narrow space cannot be properly acquired as a signal, and the correct focus is obtained. It may not be detected. Therefore, the CPU 50 analyzes the spatial frequency of the image and switches the setting of the vertical pixel mixed read drive based on the analysis result. The spatial frequency analysis is performed using discrete cosine transform (DCT) or the like.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of control for switching whether to perform vertical pixel mixed read drive depending on the subject. When the reading of the imaging surface AF in the LV operation is started, the reading is first performed in the vertical non-mixing mode (S900). Then, the subject analysis unit 74 detects the spatial frequency of the subject (S901). When the spatial frequency of the subject is equal to or higher than the predetermined value (S902: Yes), the LV operation is continued as it is, and when it is lower than the predetermined value (S902: No), the vertical pixel mixing is switched (S903) and the LV operation is continued. The definition of "predetermined" here is based on the number of vertical pixel mixtures.

Further, the setting of the vertical pixel mixed read drive may be changed according to the brightness of the subject. For example, if underexposure occurs even if the lens diaphragm 312 is opened or the ISO sensitivity is increased, the LV operation may be performed by always switching to the vertical pixel mixed read drive.

Accurate focus detection can be performed by performing switching control of vertical pixel mixed readout drive according to the spatial frequency of the subject as in the second embodiment.

(Third Embodiment)
In the third embodiment, an example will be shown in which the vertical pixel mixed read drive is always switched when a request for moving image recording is received. FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the third embodiment. When the CPU 50 makes a moving image recording request during the LV operation, it is confirmed whether or not the LV operation is the vertical non-mixing read drive (S1000). After that, video recording starts.

As in the third embodiment, when recording a moving image, the vertical pixel mixed read drive is always entered in order to prioritize the recording image quality. In this way, appropriate driving can be performed according to the purpose.

(Fourth Embodiment)
The fourth embodiment shows an example of switching whether or not the focus detection signal is read by the vertical pixel mixture read drive depending on the shooting mode.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a reference signal (hereinafter, VD) output for each frame and a read time. FIG. 11A shows the read operation when focus detection is not performed. The vertical axis represents rows of the image sensor 1400, and the horizontal axis represents time. The diagonal solid line indicates the read timing of each row. In the example of FIG. 11A, the reading is completed within one VD period.

FIG. 11B shows a read operation when the focus detection signal is read by vertical pixel mixing. As described in the first embodiment, since it is necessary to output each of the A image and the A+B image, the reading time becomes long. In this example, reading of all rows cannot be completed within one VD period, and appropriate output cannot be performed.

FIG. 11C shows a state in which the VD interval is widened so that the focus detection signal can be appropriately output when read by vertical pixel mixing. When the focus detection signal is read as shown in FIG. 11C, the VD interval is widened.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of the fourth embodiment. The LV operation is started, and it is checked whether the LV mode is the high speed rate (S1200). If the LV mode is not the high speed rate, the focus detection signal is added to the main image and read by the vertical pixel mixing read drive (S1203). If the LV mode is the high speed rate, then it is checked whether or not the resolution is next high (S1201), and if it is not the high resolution, the focus detection signal is also added to the main image to be read by the vertical pixel mixture read drive ( S1203). If the resolution is high, only the main image is read (S1202).

As in the fourth embodiment, since there is a mode in which the reading rate cannot be lowered, it is possible to output an image without lowering the rate by switching (determining) whether or not to read the focus detection signal depending on the mode. You can select the mode.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads the program. This is the process to be executed.

100: imaging device, 204: vertical scanning circuit, 205: unit pixel, 1400: imaging element

Claims (3)

An image sensor including a pixel portion in which unit pixels each having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are arranged in a matrix, and a plurality of column output lines provided one by one corresponding to each column of the pixel portion,
And outputs to the plurality of column output line signals of a portion of the photoelectric conversion elements of each unit pixel as a focus detection signal, all of the plurality of column signals of the photoelectric conversion elements as an image producing signals of each unit pixel A control means for controlling the output line to output ,
When not generating a high-resolution moving image, the control unit simultaneously outputs the focus detection signals of a plurality of unit pixels arranged in the same column of the pixel unit to each of the plurality of column output lines. When controlling to output the image generation signals from the plurality of unit pixels at the same time and generating a high-resolution moving image, the focus detection signal is not output from each of the plurality of unit pixels. An image pickup apparatus, which is controlled so as to output only an image generation signal . Imaging device having an image sensor including a pixel portion in which unit pixels having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are arranged in a matrix, and a plurality of column output lines provided one by one corresponding to each column of the pixel portion A method of controlling
And outputs to the plurality of column output line signals of a portion of the photoelectric conversion elements of each unit pixel as a focus detection signal, all of the plurality of column signals of the photoelectric conversion elements as an image producing signals of each unit pixel A control step of controlling to output to an output line ,
In the control step, when a high-resolution moving image is not generated , the focus detection signals of a plurality of unit pixels arranged in the same column of the pixel unit are simultaneously output to each of the plurality of column output lines. When controlling to output the image generation signals from the plurality of unit pixels at the same time and generating a high-resolution moving image, the focus detection signal is not output from each of the plurality of unit pixels. A method for controlling an image pickup apparatus, comprising controlling so as to output only an image generation signal . A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method according to claim 2.

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