Image pickup apparatus, control method, and program

• US 20070018069A1
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Higashino, Fuminobu
• Granted Patent: US 7,781,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/200
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/36 Autofocus systems
• 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 pickup apparatus, a control method and a program are provided. The image pickup apparatus includes an imaging module which takes an image; a display module which displays the image taken by the imaging module; a touch panel configured integrally with the display module and manipulatable by a user; a focus frame control module which controls a focus frame in accordance with a manipulation of the touch panel by the user, the focus frame being set at a given position on the image displayed on the display module and being used for focus control; and a focus control module which controls focus based on an image inside the focus frame on the image displayed on the display module.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

an imaging module which takes an image;

a display module which displays the image taken by the imaging module;

a touch panel configured integrally with the display module and manipulatable by a user;

a focus frame control module which controls a focus frame in accordance with a manipulation of the touch panel by the user, the focus frame being set at a given position on the image displayed on the display module and being used for focus control; and

a focus control module which controls focus based on an image inside the focus frame on the image displayed on the display module.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the user touches the touch panel, the focus frame control module moves the focus frame on the image displayed on the display module to a position at which the user touches on the touch panel.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the user moves a touched position while touching the touch panel, the focus frame control module moves the focus frame in accordance with the movement of the touched position.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display module displays the focus frame and the image taken by the imaging module.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the focus frame control module changes the size of the focus frame every time the user touches the touch panel.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the focus frame control module changes the size of the focus frame every time a state in which the user is touching the touch panel is continued for a predetermined time period.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the focus frame control module moves the focus frame in accordance with a first manipulation of the touch panel by the user, and changes the size of the focus frame in accordance with a second manipulation of the touch panel by the user.

8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the first manipulation is a manipulation in which the user moves a touched position while touching the touch panel, and

the second manipulation is a manipulation in which the user keeps touching the touch panel without moving the touched position.

9. A control method of an image pickup apparatus having an imaging module which takes an image;

a display module which displays the image taken by the imaging module; and

a touch panel configured integrally with the display module and manipulatable by a user, the method comprising;

controlling a focus frame in accordance with a manipulation of the touch panel by the user, the focus frame being set at a given position on the image displayed on the display module and being used for focus control; and

controlling focus based on an image inside the focus frame on the image displayed on the display module.

10. A program which runs a process by a computer that controls an image pickup apparatus having an imaging module which takes an image;

a display module which displays the image taken by the imaging module; and

a touch panel configured integrally with the display module and manipulatable by a user, the process comprising;

controlling a focus frame in accordance with a manipulation of the touch panel by the user, the focus frame being set at a given position on the image displayed on the display module and being used for focus control; and

controlling focus based on an image inside the focus frame on the image displayed on the display module.