FOCUS CONTROL APPARATUS, IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FOCUS CONTROL APPARATUS AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20160142619A1
• Filed: 11/02/2015
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kanda, Akihiko
• Application Number:
  US14/929,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20160142619A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/431 Frequency domain transformation; Autocorrelation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/56 relating to colour
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method

Abstract

There is provided a focus control apparatus. A first extraction unit extracts frequency components of a first band from a predetermined evaluation area of image data generated by an image capturing unit. A change unit changes the evaluation area based on the frequency components extracted by the first extraction unit, so that the evaluation area after the change is narrower than the evaluation area before the change. A second extraction unit extracts, from the evaluation area after the change, frequency components of a second band that includes a higher band than the first band. A calculation unit calculates a focus evaluation value for performing focus control of the image capturing unit based on the frequency components extracted by the second extraction unit.

Claims

1. A focus control apparatus comprising:

a first extraction unit configured to extract frequency components of a first band from a predetermined evaluation area of image data generated by an image capturing unit;

a change unit configured to change the evaluation area based on the frequency components extracted by the first extraction unit, so that the evaluation area after the change is narrower than the evaluation area before the change;

a second extraction unit configured to extract, from the evaluation area after the change, frequency components of a second band that includes a higher band than the first band; and

a calculation unit configured to calculate a focus evaluation value for performing focus control of the image capturing unit based on the frequency components extracted by the second extraction unit.

2. The focus control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the change unit:

detects a position at which a contrast evaluation value is maximum in the evaluation area, based on the frequency components extracted by the first extraction unit; and

changes the evaluation area so that the evaluation area after the change includes the detected position.

3. A focus control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the change unit:

detects a line peak position that is a position at which a contrast evaluation value is maximum in a line, based on the frequency components extracted by the first extraction unit, for each of a plurality of lines included in the evaluation area; and

changes the evaluation area so that the evaluation area after the change includes a plurality of line peak positions that correspond to the plurality of lines.

4. The focus control apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the change unit changes the evaluation area so that the evaluation area after the change includes, among the plurality of line peak positions, a line peak position at which a contrast evaluation value is greater than or equal to a threshold.

5. The focus control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the change unit changes the evaluation area in a case where contrast of the evaluation area is less than or equal to a threshold.

6. The focus control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the change unit changes the evaluation area in a case where ISO sensitivity of the image capturing unit is greater than or equal to a threshold.

7. The focus control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the change unit changes the evaluation area in a case where a frame rate of the image capturing unit is less than or equal to a threshold.

8. The focus control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a prohibition unit configured to prohibit change of the evaluation area by the change unit in a case where a camera shake amount of an image capturing apparatus provided with the image capturing unit is greater than a threshold.

9. The focus control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation unit:

detects a line peak position that is a position at which a contrast evaluation value is maximum in a line, based on the frequency components extracted by the second extraction unit, for each of a plurality of lines included in the evaluation area after the change; and

calculates the focus evaluation value based on contrast evaluation values of a plurality of line peak positions that correspond to the plurality of lines of the evaluation area after the change.

10. An image capturing apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit;

a first extraction unit configured to extract frequency components of a first band from a predetermined evaluation area of image data generated by the image capturing unit;

a change unit configured to change the evaluation area based on the frequency components extracted by the first extraction unit, so that the evaluation area after the change is narrower than the evaluation area before the change;

a second extraction unit configured to extract, from the evaluation area after the change, frequency components of a second band that includes a higher band than the first band; and

a calculation unit configured to calculate a focus evaluation value for performing focus control of the image capturing unit based on the frequency components extracted by the second extraction unit.

11. A method for controlling a focus control apparatus, comprising:

a first extraction step of extracting frequency components of a first band from a predetermined evaluation area of image data generated by an image capturing unit;

a change step of changing the evaluation area based on the frequency components extracted in the first extraction step, so that the evaluation area after the change is narrower than the evaluation area before the change;

a second extraction step of extracting, from the evaluation area after the change, frequency components of a second band that includes a higher band than the first band; and

a calculation step of calculating a focus evaluation value for performing focus control of the image capturing unit based on the frequency components extracted in the second extraction step.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling a focus control apparatus, the method comprising:

a first extraction step of extracting frequency components of a first band from a predetermined evaluation area of image data generated by an image capturing unit;

a change step of changing the evaluation area based on the frequency components extracted in the first extraction step, so that the evaluation area after the change is narrower than the evaluation area before the change;

a second extraction step of extracting, from the evaluation area after the change, frequency components of a second band that includes a higher band than the first band; and

a calculation step of calculating a focus evaluation value for performing focus control of the image capturing unit based on the frequency components extracted in the second extraction step.