Image capture apparatus with auto focus function

• US 20070003267A1
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Shibutani, Atsushi
• Application Number:
  US11/471,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20070003267A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/123
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/36 Autofocus systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/20 visible in viewfinder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method

Abstract

An image capture apparatus comprising an image capture unit which captures an image of a subject, a first focus control unit which performs a predetermined focus operation for the subject, a first image recognition unit which, after the predetermined focus operation by the first focus control unit, recognizes a position of the subject based on image data obtained by the image capture unit, and a second focus control unit which moves a focus lens to a focusing lens position where an image at the position of the subject recognized by the first image recognition unit comes into focus.

Claims

1. An image capture apparatus comprising:

an image capture unit which captures an image of a subject;

a first focus control unit which performs a predetermined focus operation for the subject;

a first image recognition unit which, after the predetermined focus operation by the first focus control unit, recognizes a position of the subject based on image data obtained by the image capture unit; and

a second focus control unit which moves a focus lens to a focusing lens position where an image at the position of the subject recognized by the first image recognition unit comes into focus.

2. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first focus control unit moves the focus lens to a fixed lens position, thereby performing the focus operation for the subject.

3. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a decision unit which decides a capturing scene, and wherein

the first focus control unit moves the focus lens to a lens position corresponding to the capturing scene decided by the decision unit.

4. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first focus control unit includes:

a contrast auto focus unit which changes the lens position of the focus lens, and detects auto focus evaluation values of the image data obtained by the image capture unit, thereby moving the focus lens to the focusing lens position based on the detected auto focus evaluation values.

5. An image capture apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a decision unit which decides a capturing scene, and wherein

the contrast auto focus unit changes the lens position of the focus lens in a search range and/or at a search interval corresponding to the capturing scene decided by the decision unit, thereby detecting auto focus evaluation values of the image data obtained by the image capture unit, and moving the focus lens to the focusing lens position.

6. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second focus control unit changes the lens position of the focus lens, and detects auto focus evaluation values of the image data corresponding to the position of the subject recognized by the first image recognition unit among the image data obtained by the image capture unit, thereby moving the focus lens to the focusing lens position based on the detected auto focus evaluation values.

7. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined focus operation performed by the first focus control unit is simpler or quicker than a focus operation performed by the second focus control unit.

8. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first instruction unit which instructs preparation for capturing, and wherein

the first focus control unit performs the predetermined focus operation for the subject when there is an instruction of preparation for capturing by the first instruction unit,

when there is an instruction of preparation for capturing by the first instruction unit, the first image recognition unit recognizes the position of the subject based on the image data obtained by the image capture unit after the focus operation has been performed by the first focus control unit, and

when there is an instruction of preparation for capturing by the first instruction unit, the second focus control unit moves the focus lens to the focusing lens position such that the image at the position of the subject recognized by the first image recognition unit comes into focus.

9. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second image recognition unit which recognizes a kind of the subject based on the image data obtained by the image capture unit, and wherein

the second image recognition unit recognizes the kind of the subject of the image data obtained by the image capture unit after the focus operation.

10. An image capture apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an image recognition performed by the first image recognition unit is simpler than an image recognition performed by the second image recognition unit.

11. An image capture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second instruction unit which instructs preparation for capturing; and

a capturing control unit which controls still image capturing of the subject by the image capture unit, and wherein

the capturing control unit controls the still image capturing of the subject by the image capture unit when there is an instruction of capturing by the second instruction unit after the focus operation has bee performed by the second focus control unit, and

the second image recognition unit recognizes a kind of the subject based on the image data obtained by the still image capturing controlled by the capturing control unit.

12. An image capture apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a recording control unit which records the image data obtained by the image capture unit into recording unit, and wherein

the recording control unit classifies and records the image data obtained by the image capture unit based on the kind of the subject recognized by the second image recognition unit.

13. An image capture apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the recording control unit records the image data obtained by the image capture unit into a folder corresponding to the subject recognized by the second image recognition unit,

further comprising a determination unit which determines whether there is a folder corresponding to the kind of the subject recognized by the second image recognition unit in the recording unit, and

wherein the recording control unit records the recognized image data obtained by the image capture unit into the folder when the determination unit determines that there is a folder corresponding to the kind of the subject recognized.

14. An image capture apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, when the determination unit determines that there is no folder corresponding to the kind of the recognized subject, the recording control unit newly creates a folder corresponding to the kind of the recognized subject, and records the recognized image data obtained by the image capture unit into the created folder.

15. An image capture apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, when the determination unit determines that there is no folder corresponding to the kind of the recognized subject, the recording control unit records the recognized image data obtained by the image capture unit into the recording medium.

16. An auto focus control method comprising:

a first focus control step which performs a predetermined focus operation for a subject;

an image capture step which captures an image of the subject after the predetermined focus operation performed by the first focus control step;

an image recognition step which recognizes a position of the subject based on image data obtained by the image capture step; and

a second focus control step which moves a focus lens to a focusing lens position where an image at the position of the subject recognized by the image recognition step comes into focus.

17. A computer program product configured to store program instructions for execution on a computer system enabling the computer system to perform:

a first focus control process for performing a predetermined focus operation for a subject;

an image capture process for capturing an image of the subject after the predetermined focus operation performed by the first focus control process;

an image recognition process for recognizing a position of the subject based on image data obtained by the image capture process; and

a second focus control process for moving a focus lens to a focusing lens position where an image at the position of the subject recognized by the image recognition process comes into focus.