IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0471632
(2006-06-21)
|
등록번호 |
US-7614559
(2009-11-23)
|
우선권정보 |
JP-2005-181613(2005-06-22) |
발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
3 인용 특허 :
6 |
초록
▼
An imaging lens is positioned at an initial position, the image of a subject is sensed and an overall focus evaluation value representing the degree of focus of the image of the subject is obtained. Face detection processing is only executed if the overall focus evaluation value obtained is equal t
An imaging lens is positioned at an initial position, the image of a subject is sensed and an overall focus evaluation value representing the degree of focus of the image of the subject is obtained. Face detection processing is only executed if the overall focus evaluation value obtained is equal to or greater than a threshold value. The imaging lens is then moved to the next position and the process repeated. A range in which face images are detected at positions of the imaging lens where the overall focus evaluation value is equal to or greater than the threshold value is decided upon as a focusing range. A graph of face-area focus evaluation values representing degree of focus of the image portion of the face is obtained and the position at which this graph is maximum is decided upon as the in-focus position of the imaging lens.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for deciding an in-focus position of an imaging lens, comprising: a solid-state electronic image sensing device for sensing the image of a subject and outputting image data representing the image of the subject; an imaging lens moving device for moving an imaging
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for deciding an in-focus position of an imaging lens, comprising: a solid-state electronic image sensing device for sensing the image of a subject and outputting image data representing the image of the subject; an imaging lens moving device for moving an imaging lens, which has been placed in front of said solid-state electronic image sensing device, a prescribed distance along the direction of the optic axis; a focusing data output device for outputting focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject formed by the imaging lens, which is at a position to which it has been moved by said imaging lens moving device; a determination device for determining whether the level of the focusing data that has been output from said focusing data output device is equal to or greater than a prescribed threshold value; a target detecting device for detecting whether the image of the subject contains a target in response to a determination by said determination device that the level of the focusing data is equal to or greater than the threshold value; a control device for controlling said imaging lens driving device, said focusing data output device, said determination device and said target detecting device so as to repeat processing for moving the imaging lens, processing for outputting the focusing data, processing for making the determination and processing for performing the detection; and an in-focus position deciding device for deciding on the position of the imaging lens as the in-focus position based upon data that corresponds to the target detected by said target detecting device. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a focusing target area deciding device for deciding one or a plurality of focusing target areas based upon the target detected by said target detecting device; and a weighting coefficient deciding device for deciding a weighting coefficient in such a manner that a weighting coefficient of the target image is enlarged in the one or plurality of focusing target areas decided by said focusing target area deciding device; wherein said in-focus position deciding device decides on the position of the imaging lens as the in-focus position based upon data corresponding to the focusing target area decided by said focusing target area deciding device. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target is a face or eye. 4. An apparatus for deciding an in-focus position of an imaging lens, comprising: a solid-state electronic image sensing device for sensing the image of a subject and outputting image data representing the image of the subject; an imaging lens moving device for moving an imaging lens, which has been placed in front of said solid-state electronic image sensing device, a first prescribed distance along the direction of the optic axis; a first focusing data output device for outputting first focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject formed by the imaging lens, which is at a position to which it has been moved by said imaging lens moving device; a determination device for determining whether the level of the first focusing data that has been output from said first focusing data output device is equal to or greater than a prescribed threshold value; a target detecting device for detecting whether the image of the subject contains a target in response to a determination by said determination device that the level of the first focusing data is equal to or greater than the threshold value; a control device for controlling said imaging lens driving device, said first focusing data output device, said determination device and said target detecting device so as to repeat processing for moving the imaging lens, processing for outputting the first focusing data, processing for making the determination and processing for performing the detection; a focusing range deciding device for deciding a focusing range, which contains the position of the imaging lens prevailing when said target detecting device has detected that the target is contained in the image of the subject, among ranges in which the imaging lens is situated in such a manner that the level of the first focusing data that has been output from said first focusing data output device is equal to or greater than a threshold value continuously; a second focusing data output device for moving the imaging lens along the direction of the optic axis in increments of a second prescribed distance, which is less than the first prescribed distance, in the focusing range that has been decided by said focusing range deciding device, and outputting second focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject at every position to which the lens is moved; and an in-focus position deciding device for deciding on the position of the imaging lens, at which the image of the subject is brought into focus based upon the second focusing data that has been output from said second focusing data output device, as the in-focus position. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said second focusing data output device moves the imaging lens along the direction of the optic axis again in the focusing range and outputs the second focusing data, which represents the degree of focus of the image within the target area decided based upon all targets that have been detected by said target detecting device among images of the subject, at every position to which the lens is moved. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a sub-target area deciding device for deciding one or a plurality of sub-target areas based upon all of the targets; and a weighting coefficient deciding device for deciding a weighting coefficient in such a manner that a weighting coefficient of the target is enlarged in the one or plurality of sub-target areas decided by said sub-target area deciding device; wherein said second focusing data output device moves the imaging lens along the direction of the optic axis within the focusing range that has been decided by said focusing range deciding device and outputs the second focusing data, which represents the degree of focus of the target detected by said target detecting device among images of the subject, at every position to which the lens is moved while adjusting the level of the second focusing data based upon the weighting coefficient that has been decided by said weighting coefficient deciding device. 7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a display device for displaying the image of the subject, which is represented by the image data that has been output from said solid-state electronic image sensing device, on a display screen; and a display control device for controlling said display device so as to display the target area on the image of the subject. 8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein movement of the imaging lens in said first focusing data output device is performed from a NEAR side. 9. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein movement of the imaging lens in said first focusing data output device is performed from an INF side. 10. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein movement of the imaging lens in said first focusing data output device is performed from a NEAR side or an INF side in accordance with a setting. 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a setting device for setting direction of movement of the imaging lens in said first focusing data output device; wherein movement of the imaging lens in said first focusing data output device is performed from the NEAR side or INF side in accordance with the setting made by said setting device. 12. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: an image sensing mode determination device for determining whether a short-distance image sensing mode or a long-distance image sensing mode has been set; and a device for setting movement of the imaging lens in said first focusing data output device in such a manner that movement is performed from the NEAR side in response to a determination by said image sensing mode determination device that the short-distance image sensing mode has been set and from the INF side in response to a determination by said image sensing mode determination device that the long-distance image sensing mode has been set. 13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the imaging lens is a zoom lens; and movement of the imaging lens in said first focusing data output device is performed from the NEAR side or INF side in accordance with zoom magnification of said zoom lens. 14. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein distance travelled by the imaging lens in said first focusing data output device is greater than distance travelled by the imaging lens in said second focusing data output device. 15. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein detection of the target image is performed based upon at least one among target likeliness in the target area, size of the target, brightness of the target and position of the target area. 16. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a display device for displaying the image of the subject, which is represented by the image data that has been output from said solid-state electronic image sensing device, on a display screen; and a display control device for controlling said display device so as to display the area of the detected target image on the image of the subject. 17. An apparatus for deciding an in-focus position of an imaging lens, comprising: a solid-state electronic image sensing device for sensing the image of a subject and outputting image data representing the image of the subject; an imaging lens moving device for moving an imaging lens, which has been placed in front of said solid-state electronic image sensing device, a first prescribed distance along the direction of the optic axis; a first focusing data output device for outputting first focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject formed by the imaging lens, which is at a position to which it has been moved by said imaging lens moving device; a maximal value detecting device for detecting a maximal value from among values of the first focusing data output from said first focusing data output device; a first control device for controlling said imaging lens moving device and said focusing data output device, in such a manner that processing for moving the imaging lens and processing for outputting the focusing data will be executed, in response to non-detection of a maximal value by said maximal value detecting device; a target detecting device responsive to detection of the maximal value by said maximal value detecting device for halting processing for moving the imaging lens by said imaging lens moving device and detecting whether a target is contained in the image of the subject that prevailed when the maximal value was obtained; a second focusing data output device, which is responsive to detection by said target detecting device of the fact that a target is contained in the image of the subject, for moving the imaging lens along the direction of the optic axis in increments of a second prescribed distance, which is less than the first prescribed distance, in a focusing range in the vicinity of a position of the imaging lens at which the maximal value detected by said maximal value detecting device has been obtained, and outputting second focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject at every position to which the lens is moved; an in-focus position deciding device for deciding on the position of the imaging lens, at which the image of the subject is brought into focus based upon the second focusing data that has been output from said second focusing data output device, as the in-focus position; and a second control device, which is responsive to non-detection by said target detecting device of the fact that a target is contained in the image of the subject, for releasing halt on movement of the imaging lens by said lens moving device and controlling said imaging lens moving device, said focusing data output device and said maximal value detecting device in such a manner that processing for moving the imaging lens, processing for outputting the focusing data and processing for detecting the maximal value is executed. 18. A method of deciding an in-focus position of an imaging lens, comprising the steps of: moving an imaging lens, which has been placed in front of a solid-state electronic image sensing device that senses the image of a subject and outputs image data representing the image of the subject, a prescribed distance along the direction of the optic axis; obtaining focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject formed by the imaging lens, which is at a position to which it has been moved; determining whether the level of the focusing data obtained is equal to or greater than a prescribed threshold value; detecting whether the image of the subject contains a target in response to a determination that the level of the focusing data is equal to or greater than the threshold value; repeating processing for moving the imaging lens, processing for outputting the focusing data, processing for making the determination and processing for performing the detection; and deciding on the position of the imaging lens as the in-focus position based upon data that corresponds to the target detected. 19. A method of deciding an in-focus position of an imaging lens, comprising the steps of: moving an imaging lens, which has been placed in front of a solid-state electronic image sensing device that senses the image of a subject and outputs image data representing the image of the subject, a first prescribed distance along the direction of the optic axis; obtaining first focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject formed by the imaging lens, which is at a position to which it has been moved; detecting a maximal value from among values of the first focusing data obtained; executing processing for moving the imaging lens and processing for outputting the focusing data in response to non-detection of a maximal value; halting processing for moving the imaging lens and detecting whether the image of a target is contained in the image of the subject in response to detection of the maximal value; in response to detection of the fact that a target is contained in the image of the subject, moving the imaging lens along the direction of the optic axis in increments of a second prescribed distance, which is less than the first prescribed distance, in a focusing range in the vicinity of a position of the imaging lens at which the maximal value has been detected, and obtaining second focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject at every position to which the lens is moved; deciding on the position of the imaging lens, at which the image of the subject is brought into focus based upon the second focusing data obtained, as the in-focus position; and in response to non-detection of the fact that a target is contained in the image of the subject, releasing halt on movement of the imaging lens and executing processing for moving the imaging lens, processing for outputting the focusing data and processing for detecting the maximal value. 20. A method of deciding an in-focus position of an imaging lens, comprising the steps of: moving an imaging lens, which has been placed in front of a solid-state electronic image sensing device that senses the image of a subject and outputs image data representing the image of the subject, a first prescribed distance along the direction of the optic axis; obtaining first focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject formed by the imaging lens, which is at a position to which it has been moved; detecting a maximal value from among values of the first focusing data obtained; executing processing for moving the imaging lens and processing for outputting the focusing data in response to non-detection of a maximal value; halting processing for moving the imaging lens and detecting whether the image of a target is contained in the image of the subject that prevailed when the maximal value was obtained; in response to detection of the fact that the image of a target is contained in the image of the subject, moving the imaging lens along the direction of the optic axis in increments of a second prescribed distance, which is less than the first prescribed distance, in a focusing range in the vicinity of a position of the imaging lens at which the maximal value has been obtained, and obtaining second focusing data representing degree of focus of the image of the subject at every position to which the lens is moved; deciding on the position of the imaging lens, at which the image of the subject is brought into focus based upon the second focusing data obtained, as the in-focus position; and in response to non-detection of the fact that a target is contained in the image of the subject, releasing halt on movement of the imaging lens and executing processing for moving the imaging lens, processing for outputting the focusing data and processing for detecting the maximal value.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.