IMAGING APPARATUS, FUNCTION CONTROL METHOD, AND FUNCTION CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20090185047A1
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: TAKACHI, Tomoko
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/36 Autofocus systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• 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 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes: receiving means for receiving selection input for an imaging mode; discriminating means for discriminating, when the selection input is received through the receiving means, a selected imaging mode on the basis of the received selection input; and scanning controlling means for causing, when it is discriminated by the discriminating means that a simple imaging mode for limiting operation input and allowing a user to appropriately take an image of a subject is selected, the imaging apparatus to execute scanning processing for specifying a position of the subject, which is performed to set focus on the subject, in a maximum range from a near scene to a distant scene.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving selection input for an imaging mode;

discriminating means for discriminating, when the selection input is received through the receiving means, a selected imaging mode on the basis of the received selection input; and

scanning controlling means for causing, when it is discriminated by the discriminating means that a simple imaging mode for limiting operation input and allowing a user to appropriately take an image of a subject is selected, the imaging apparatus to execute scanning processing for specifying a position of the subject, which is performed to set focus on the subject, in a maximum range from a near scene to a distant scene.

2. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display controlling means for limiting, when it is discriminated by the discriminating means that the simple imaging mode is selected, display information to be displayed on a display device provided in the imaging apparatus and controlling a display form of the display information.

3. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising operation controlling means for performing, when it is discriminated by the discriminating means that the simple imaging mode is selected, control to limit operable operation keys of the operation-input receiving means that receives operation input from the user.

4. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the maximum range from a near scene to a distance scene is a range from a position where a distance from the imaging apparatus is equal to or smaller than 50 centimeters to a position where a distance from the imaging apparatus is infinity.

5. A function control method corresponding to an imaging mode used in an imaging apparatus, the function control method comprising the steps of:

receiving selection input for an imaging mode through receiving means;

discriminating, when the selection input is received in the receiving, an imaging mode selected by discriminating means on the basis of the received selection input; and

causing, when it is discriminated in the discriminating that a simple imaging mode for limiting operation input and allowing a user to appropriately take an image of a subject is selected, the imaging apparatus to execute scanning processing for specifying a position of the subject, which is performed to set focus on the subject, in a maximum range from a near scene to a distant scene using scanning controlling means.

6. A function control program corresponding to an imaging mode executed by a computer mounted on an imaging apparatus, the function control program causing the computer to execute the steps of:

receiving selection input for an imaging mode through receiving means;

discriminating, when the selection input is received in the receiving, an imaging mode selected by discriminating means on the basis of the received selection input; and

causing, when it is discriminated in the discriminating that a simple imaging mode for limiting operation input and allowing a user to appropriately take an image of a subject is selected, the imaging apparatus to execute scanning processing for specifying a position of the subject, which is performed to set focus on the subject, in a maximum range from a near scene to a distant scene using scanning controlling means.

7. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive selection input for an imaging mode;

a discriminating unit configured to discriminate, when the selection input is received through the receiving unit, a selected imaging mode on the basis of the received selection input; and

a scanning controlling unit configured to cause, when it is discriminated by the discriminating unit that a simple imaging mode for limiting operation input and allowing a user to appropriately take an image of a subject is selected, the imaging apparatus to execute scanning processing for specifying a position of the subject, which is performed to set focus on the subject, in a maximum range from a near scene to a distant scene.