Image pickup system and lens apparatus

• US 9,335,610 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2009
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kanayama, Masaomi
• Primary Examiner(s): BAILEY, FREDERICK D
• Application Number:
  US12/919,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20110001822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,549 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/36 Autofocus systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/663 for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/672 based on the phase difference signals
• 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

Abstract

The image pickup system includes a lens apparatus (1) and a camera (2) configured to perform image pickup of objects in an image pickup area using the lens apparatus. The lens apparatus includes a ranging sensor (120) configured to simultaneously detect object distances in plural ranging areas set in the image pickup area. The image pickup system includes an output image generator (203) configured to generate an output image containing (a) a captured image captured by the camera and (b) distance information showing at least one of the object distance detected by the ranging sensor in each of the plural ranging areas and a difference between the detected object distances. The image pickup system is capable of displaying the object distances to plural objects or a difference therebetween without performing focusing for the respective objects.

Claims

1. An image pickup system comprising:

a zoom lens apparatus including a zoom state detector configured to detect a zoom position, among a plurality of zoom positions of the zoom lens;

a ranging sensor configured to detect a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus;

a camera configured to perform moving image pickup of objects in an image pickup area through the lens apparatus;

a first microprocessor programmed to execute;

a setting task that stores positions and sizes of plural ranging areas in relation to the ranging sensor in the image pickup area, and that changes at least one of positions or sizes of the plural ranging areas based on the zoom position detected by the zoom state detector and the stored positions and sizes; and

a calculating task that calculates an object distance in each of the plural ranging areas based on an output from the ranging sensor; and

a second microprocessor programmed to execute;

an output image generator task that generates an output moving image containing (a) a captured moving image captured by the camera and (b) distance information indicating at least one of the object distance calculated by the calculating task in each of the plural ranging areas or a relative distance calculated as a difference between the object distances calculated by the calculating task in the plural ranging areas, to be displayed on a display device.

2. An image pickup system according to claim 1, wherein the output image generator task generates the output image in which the distance information is superimposed on the captured moving image at a position determined according to the positions of the ranging areas.

6. An image pickup system according to claim 1, wherein:

the phase difference detector includes plural pairs of line sensors in each of the plural ranging areas, and

the calculating task selects at least one of the plural pairs of line sensors in each of the plural ranging areas, and calculates the object distance in each of the plural ranging areas on a basis of the phase difference between the image signals from the at least one of the plural pairs of line sensors.

3. A lens apparatus used for an image pickup system that includes a camera configured to perform moving image pickup of objects in an image pickup area through the lens apparatus, the lens apparatus comprising:

a zoom lens apparatus including a zoom state detector configured to detect a zoom position, among a plurality of zoom positions of the zoom lens;

a ranging sensor configured to detect a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus; and

a first microprocessor programmed to execute;

a setting task that stores positions and sizes of plural ranging areas in relation to the ranging sensor in the image pickup area, and that changes at least one of positions or sizes of the plural ranging areas based on the zoom position detected by the zoom state detector and the stored positions and sizes; and

a calculating task that calculates an object distance in each of the plural ranging areas, based on an output from the ranging sensor,

wherein the image pickup system includes a second microprocessor programmed to execute;

an output image generator task that generates an output moving image containing (a) a captured moving image captured by the camera and (b) distance information indicating at least one of the object distance calculated by the calculating task in each of the plural ranging areas or a relative distance calculated as a difference between the object distances calculated by the calculating task in the plural ranging areas, to be displayed on a display device.

4. A lens apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the calculating task calculates, in each of the ranging areas, the object distances on a basis of a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus.

5. A lens apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first microprocessor is further programmed to execute a focus control task that performs focus control based on the phase difference.

7. A lens apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the phase difference detector includes plural pairs of line sensors in each of the plural ranging areas, and

the calculating task selects at least one of the plural pairs of line sensors in each of the plural ranging areas, and calculates the object distance in each of the plural ranging areas on a basis of the phase difference between the image signals from the at least one of the plural pairs of line sensors.

8. An image pickup system comprising:

a zoom lens apparatus including a zoom state detector configured to detect a zoom position, among a plurality of zoom positions of the zoom lens;

a ranging sensor configured to detect a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus;

a camera configured to perform moving image pickup of objects in an image pickup area through the lens apparatus;

a first microprocessor programmed to execute;

an area setting task that selects positions and sizes of plural ranging areas in relation to the ranging sensor in the image pickup area and that changes at least one of positions or sizes of the plural ranging areas based on the zoom position detected by the zoom state detector, and the selected positions and sizes;

a calculating task that calculates an object distance in each of the plural ranging areas based on an output from the ranging sensor; and

a second microprocessor programmed to execute;

an output image generator task that generates an output moving image containing (a) a captured moving image captured by the camera and (b) distance information indicating at least one of the object distance calculated by the calculating task in each of the plural ranging areas or a relative distance calculated as a difference between the object distances calculated by the calculating task in the plural ranging areas, to be displayed on a display device.

9. A zoom lens apparatus used for an image pickup system that includes a camera configured to perform moving image pickup of objects in an image pickup area through the zoom lens apparatus, the zoom lens apparatus comprising:

a zoom state detector configured to detect a zoom position, among a plurality of zoom positions of the zoom lens;

a ranging sensor configured to detect a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus; and

a first microprocessor programmed to execute;

an area setting task that selects positions and sizes of plural ranging areas in relation to the ranging sensor in the image pickup area, and that changes at least one of positions or sizes of the plural ranging areas based on the zoom position detected by the zoom state detector and the selected positions and sizes; and

a calculating task that calculates an object distance in each of the plural ranging areas based on an output from the ranging sensor, and

wherein the image pickup system includes a second microprocessor programmed to execute;

an output image generator task that generates an output moving image containing (a) a captured moving image captured by the camera and (b) distance information indicating at least one of the object distance calculated by the calculating task in each of the plural ranging areas or a relative distance calculated as a difference between the object distances calculated by the calculating task in the plural ranging areas, to be displayed on a display device.

10. An image pickup system comprising:

a zoom lens apparatus including a zoom state detector configured to detect a zoom position, among a plurality of zoom positions of the zoom lens;

a ranging sensor configured to detect a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus;

a camera configured to perform moving image pickup of objects in an image pickup area through the lens apparatus;

at least one microprocessor programmed to execute;

a setting task that stores positions and sizes of plural ranging areas in relation to the ranging sensor in the image pickup area, and that changes at least one of positions or sizes of the plural ranging areas based on the zoom position detected by the zoom detector and the stored positions and sizes;

a calculating task that calculates an object distance in each of the plural ranging areas based on an output from the ranging sensor; and

an output image generator task that generates an output moving image containing (a) a captured moving image captured by the camera and (b) distance information indicating at least one of the object distance calculated by the calculating task in each of the plural ranging areas or a relative distance calculated as a difference between the object distances calculated by the calculating task in the plural ranging areas, to be displayed on a display device.

11. An image pickup system comprising:

a zoom lens apparatus including a zoom state detector configured to detect a zoom position, among a plurality of zoom positions of the zoom lens;

a ranging sensor configured to detect a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus;

a camera configured to perform moving image pickup of objects in an image pickup area through the lens apparatus,

at least one microprocessor programmed to execute;

an area setting task that selects positions and sizes of plural ranging areas in relation to the ranging sensor in the image pickup area and that changes at least one of positions or sizes of the plural ranging areas based on the zoom position detected by the zoom state detector and the selected positions and sizes;

a calculating task that calculates an object distance in each of the plural ranging areas based on an output from the ranging sensor; and

an output image generator task that generates an output moving image containing (a) a captured moving image captured by the camera and (b) distance information indicating at least one of the object distance calculated by the calculating task in each of the plural ranging areas or a relative distance calculated as a difference between the object distances calculated by the calculating task in the plural ranging areas, to be displayed on a display device.

12. An image pickup method for an image pickup system including a zoom lens apparatus including a zoom state detector configured to detect a zoom position, among a plurality of zoom positions of the zoom lens, a ranging sensor configured to detect a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus, and a camera configured to perform moving image pickup of objects in an image pickup area through the lens apparatus, the method comprising:

a setting step of storing positions and sizes of plural ranging areas in relation to the ranging sensor in the image pickup area, and changing at least one of positions or sizes of the plural ranging areas based on the zoom position detected by the zoom state detector and the stored positions and sizes;

a calculating step of calculating an object distance in each of the plural ranging areas based on an output from the ranging sensor; and

an output image generating step of generating an output moving image containing (a) a captured moving image captured by the camera and (b) distance information indicating at least one of the object distance calculated in the calculating step in each of the plural ranging areas or a relative distance calculated as a difference between the object distances calculated in the calculating step in the plural ranging areas, to be displayed on a display device.

13. An image pickup method for an image pickup system including a zoom lens apparatus including a zoom state detector configured to detect a zoom position, among a plurality of zoom positions of the zoom lens, a ranging sensor configured to detect a phase difference between object images formed with light entering the lens apparatus, and a camera configured to perform moving image pickup of objects in an image pickup area through the lens apparatus, the method comprising:

an area setting step of selecting positions and sizes of plural ranging areas in relation to the ranging sensor in the image pickup area and changing at least one of positions or sizes of the plural ranging areas based on the zoom position detected by the zoom state detector and the selected positions and sizes;

a calculating step of calculating an object distance in each of the plural ranging areas based on an output from the ranging sensor; and

an output image generating step of generating an output moving image containing (a) a captured moving image captured by the camera and (b) distance information indicating at least one of the object distance calculated in the calculating step in each of the plural ranging areas or a relative distance calculated as a difference between the object distances calculated in the calculating step in the plural ranging areas, to be displayed on a display device.