Patent · US Active

Imaging apparatus, imaging method, and focus control apparatus

US9426352B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
1References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 2, 2014
Grant dateAug 23, 2016
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 2, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N23/69
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A focus control apparatus reduces the degree of out-of-focus of an image of an intense point light source during zooming in contrast-based autofocus control. A zooming lens moves in an optical axis direction to perform magnification change and a focusing lens moves in the optical axis direction to perform focus adjustment and is driven in accordance with a trace curve corresponding to the distance to a subject. A controller evaluates, during the magnification change operation, based on the rate of change in the number of high-luminance pixels at which the number of high-luminance pixels in an output image from the imaging apparatus changes with the zoom magnification, whether or not the focusing lens is driven in accordance with a trace curve corresponding to the distance to the subject before the magnification change operation is performed or a trace curve corresponding to a distance to the subject of infinity.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.