IMAGING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD OF IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20130077946A1
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KATSUDA, Yasutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,086,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/106
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/28 Systems for automatic generation of focusing signals
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/20 Rangefinders coupled with focusing arrangements, e.g. adjustment of rangefinder automatically focusing camera
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• 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 23/672 based on the phase difference signals
• 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 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

Provided is an imaging apparatus including a ranging area selection unit configured to select an area for measuring a distance to an object to be photographed from a plurality of candidate areas preset in an area according to an angle of view of a photographing lens, the area being selected as a ranging area, an irradiation unit configured to irradiate auxiliary light onto the object to be photographed, a distance to the object to be photographed being measured in the ranging area, and a ranging unit configured to measure the distance to the object to be photographed, to which the auxiliary light has been irradiated, in the ranging area.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a ranging area selection unit configured to select an area for measuring a distance to an object to be photographed from a plurality of candidate areas preset in an area according to an angle of view of a photographing lens, the area being selected as a ranging area;

an irradiation unit configured to irradiate auxiliary light onto the object to be photographed, a distance to the object to be photographed being measured in the ranging area; and

a ranging unit configured to measure the distance to the object to be photographed, to which the auxiliary light has been irradiated, in the ranging area.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an auxiliary light lens viewing angle control unit configured to control an angle of view of an auxiliary light lens for irradiating the auxiliary light, and to cause the angle of view of the auxiliary light lens to coincide with an angle of view of the photographing lens.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary light lens viewing angle control unit adjusts a focal length of the auxiliary light lens such that a ratio of a size of an area in which the auxiliary light is generated to a size of an area of a photographing pixel is equal to a ratio of the focal length of the auxiliary light lens to a focal length of the photographing lens, thereby causing the angle of view of the auxiliary light lens to coincide with the angle of view of the photographing lens.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the irradiation unit includes:

a light emitting section configured to generate the auxiliary light through light emission of a plurality of light emitting bodies associated with the plurality of candidate areas; and

a light emission control section configured to cause a light emitting body corresponding to the selected candidate area among the plurality of light emitting bodies to emit light.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the irradiation unit refracts the auxiliary light from the light emitting section in a barrel of the auxiliary light lens, and irradiates the refracted light onto the object to be photographed.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a focusing control unit configured to adjust a focus to the measured distance.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an object detection unit configured to detect a predetermined object in an area according to the angle of view of the photographing lens,

wherein the ranging area selection unit selects, as the ranging area, a candidate area set in an area in which the object has been detected from the plurality of candidate areas.

8. A control method of an imaging apparatus, comprising:

selecting, by a ranging area selection unit, an area for measuring a distance to an object to be photographed from a plurality of candidate areas preset in an area according to an angle of view of a photographing lens, the area being selected as a ranging area;

irradiating, by an irradiation unit, auxiliary light onto the object to be photographed, the distance to the object to be photographed being measured in the ranging area; and

measuring, by a ranging unit, the distance to the object to be photographed, to which the auxiliary light has been irradiated, in the ranging area.