Digital camera

• US 20070103577A1
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Misawa, Atsushi, Nakazawa, Michitaka, Uchida, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

A digital camera comprises two photographing systems which are independent of and substantially identical to each other, and each of which includes a photographing optical system and an image pickup device. The photographing optical system is configured to include a photographing lens, a focusing lens and an aperture stop. The focusing lens of one of the photographing systems is driven stepwise from a first predetermined position at which it is to be located when a focusing position lies at an infinite distance, toward a second predetermined position at which it is to be located when the focusing position lies at the closest distance, while the focusing lens of the other photographing system is driven stepwise from the second predetermined position toward the first predetermined position every step width. The contrasts of images formed by the respective photographing systems are evaluated while the two focusing lenses are being moved, and a position corresponding to the maximum value of the contrasts is determined as the focusing position.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A digital camera comprising:

a first photographing system and a second photographing system which respectively pick up an image of a subject;

a changeover switch which changeovers a photographing system for photographing the subject, to one of said first photographing system or said second photo graphing system; and

a utilization unit which utilizes focus adjustment information at the time when a focus is adjusted when photographing the subject with one photographing system determined by said changeover switch, for a use other than the focus adjustment.

7. A digital camera according to claim 6, wherein:

said first and said second photographing systems include image pickup devices which pick up an image of the subject, an optical system which forms an image of the subject on said image pickup devices, and a focus adjustment unit which adjusts a focus for the subject; and

said utilization unit displays the photographed image obtained by one photographing system determined by said changeover switch, and displays a focus adjustment state which expresses a state of the focus adjustment based on said focus adjustment unit of said one photographing system determined by said changeover switch, on the basis of the focus adjustment information at the time when the focus is adjusted when photographing the subject by said one photographing system.

8. A digital camera according to claim 7, wherein when said photographing systems have been changed over by said changeover switch, said utilization unit displays an adjusted result of the focus in correspondence with the image obtained by the photographing of the photographing system determined by said changeover switch, and it displays a focusing range being that range of the subject in which the focus is being adjusted, in correspondence with, at least, the image obtained by the imaging of the changed over photographing system.

9. A digital camera according to claim 7, wherein:

said second photographing system has a focal depth set shorter than that of said first photographing system; and

a focus adjustment control unit is further comprised for controlling the respective focus adjustment units of said first photographing system and said second photographing system so that, when said second photographing system has been determined by said changeover switch, the focus adjustment unit of said first photographing system is controlled so as to perform the focus adjustment based on the first focus adjustment unit, whereupon the focus adjustment based on the focus adjustment unit of said second photographing system may be performed on the basis of a focus adjustment result based on said first focus adjustment unit.

10. A digital camera according to claim 6, wherein:

said first photographing system includes a first image pickup device which picks up an image of a subject, a first monofocal optical system which forms the image of the subject image on said first image pickup device, and a first focus adjustment unit which adjusts a focus for the subject;

said second photographing system includes a second image pickup device which picks up an image of a subject, a second variable-focus optical system whose focus is variable and which forms an image of the subject on said second image pickup device, and a second focus adjustment unit which adjusts the focus for the subject;

said digital camera further comprises a single image-angle alteration unit by which an alteration of an image angle is instructed;

in a case where said first photographing system has been determined by said changeover switch and where the alteration of the image angle has been instructed by said image-angle alteration unit, said utilization unit submits image data obtained by said first photographing system, to image processing so as to correspond to an image whose image angle is altered in correspondence with the instruction of said image-angle alteration unit; and

in a case where said second photographing system has been determined by said changeover switch and where the alteration of the image angle has been instructed by said image-angle alteration unit, said utilization unit utilizes the focus adjustment information by adjusting said second variable-focus optical system through said second focus adjustment unit so as to alter the image angle in correspondence with the instruction of said image-angle alteration unit.

11. A digital camera according to claim 10, wherein in a case where said second variable-focus optical system has been instructed to alter the image angle in excess of an adjustable range by said image-angle alteration unit through said second focus adjustment unit, said utilization unit submits image data obtained by said second photographing system to image processing so as to correspond to an image whose image angle is altered in correspondence with the instruction of said image-angle alteration unit.

12. A digital camera according to claim 10, further comprising a display device which displays images;

wherein said image-angle control unit controls said display device so as to display the images which are respectively obtained by said first photographing system and said second photographing system, regardless of a changeover state based on said changeover switch.

13. A digital camera according to claim 10, further comprising a display device which displays images;

wherein said image-angle control unit controls said display device so as to display only the image obtained by said first photographing system, in a case where said first photographing system has been determined by said changeover switch, and to display the images respectively obtained by said first photographing system and said second photographing system, in a case where said second photographing system has been determined by said changeover switch.

14. A digital camera according to claim 10, wherein:

said optical system of said second photographing system has a focal depth set shorter than that of said optical system of said first photographing system; and

in a case where said second photographing system has been determined by said changeover switch, the image-angle control unit controls the respective focus adjustment units of said first photographing system and said second photographing system so that, after said focus adjustment unit of said first photographing unit is controlled so as to perform the focus adjustment based on said first focus adjustment unit, the focus adjustment based on said focus adjustment unit of said second photographing system may be performed on the basis of a result of the focus adjustment based on said first focus adjustment unit.

15-27. -27. (canceled)