Olympus Corporation

Olympus Imaging Corporation

Yukie Yamazaki

Kazumasa Kunugi

Tetsuo Kikuchi

Yoshinobu Omata

Kazumi Ito

Tomohiro Hoshino

Kazuya Kobayashi

A focus adjustment device, that provides a plurality of detection areas in an imaging region, repeatedly generates ranging values for a physical object in the detection areas, and performs focus adjustment for the physical object based on the ranging values, including a processor that has a statistical processing section, a movement state estimating section, a prediction section, and a control section, wherein the statistical processing section subjects ranging values of the plurality of detection areas to statistical processing, the movement state estimating section calculates representative values that contain statistical dispersion based on the statistical processing, and estimates movement state of the physical object based on time-series change in the representative value, the prediction section predicts focal position regarding the physical object based on the movement state that has been estimated, and the control section performs focus adjustment based on the focal position that has been predicted.

Focus adjustment device and focus adjustment method

A focusing apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to select an AF area indicating a defocus amount closest to a calculated moving object prediction equation among the latest defocus amounts detected for the plurality of AF areas, in a case where the moving object prediction equation is determined as being established, and the driving direction is determined as being the close-range direction. The moving object prediction equation is determined as being established when a divergence amount between the defocus amount equal to or larger than a predetermined number included in the history and the calculated moving object prediction equation is equal to or lower than a predetermined value.

Focusing apparatus, control method of focusing apparatus, and recording medium storing focus adjustment program

A focus adjustment device, comprising a processor having a focus region setting section, a focus detection section, a determination section and a control section, wherein the focus detection region setting section sets a first focus detection region, and a second focus detection region, that is contained in the first focus detection region and that is narrower than the first focus detection region, in an imaging region, the control section, when it is determined that that there is not a periodicity-containing subject for the first focus detection region, and it is determined that there is a periodicity-containing subject for the second focus detection region, performs a focus adjustment operation by selecting a phase difference that is closest to a phase difference that has been detected for the first focus detection region, among a plurality of phase differences that have been detected for the second focus detection region.

A focus detection device, comprising an image sensor having pixel sections that subject light flux that has passed through a photographing lens to pupil division, and that are made up of pairs of pixels that respectively receive the light flux, and processors, wherein the one or more processors calculate degree of similarity between pixel signal rows that are positioned in a direction that is different to the pupil division direction, and are constituted by pixel signals of a plurality of pixels corresponding to at least one of the pairs, and if the degree of similarity is higher that a specified value, generate a spatial addition pixel signal by adding the pairs of pixel signals of the pixel signal row in a direction that is different to the pupil division direction, for each respective pair, and perform phase difference detection based on this spatial addition pixel signal that has been generated.

Focus detection device and focus detection method

A focus detection device, comprising an image sensor that outputs an imaging signal, and one or more processors constructed in hardware, the processor performing focus detection using a phase difference detection method based on the imaging signal, wherein the focus detection performs first focus detection based on a signal that has been obtained by subjecting the imaging signal to first filter processing, performs second focus detection based on a signal that has been obtained by subjecting the imaging signal to second filter processing if reliability of the first focus detection is lower than a specified value, and if it is determined that reliability of the second focus detection is lower than a specified value executes third focus detection based on a picture signal that has been obtained by adding a plurality of imaging signals that have been obtained at different times.

In a focus adjustment device that images a subject that has been subjected to pupil division to generate image data, and carries out a focus adjustment operation based on the image data, a focus adjustment operation is carried out based on a first phase difference amount in the event that it has been determined that the first phase difference amount is larger than a first threshold value, and then by executing focus detection after the focus adjustment operation, in the event that it has been determined that reliability of both the first phase difference amount and the second phase difference amount is high, and that a difference between the two is smaller than a second threshold value, and that it has been determined that the first phase difference amount is smaller than the first threshold value, a focus adjustment operation is carried out based on a second phase difference amount.

A focal point detection device comprising: an image sensor having a focal point detection pixel, a pixel data generation section to generate pixel data of a basis part and a reference part corresponding to a predetermined AF area using an output of the focal point detection pixel, a plurality of filter sections having different frequency characteristics to perform filter processing on the pixel data, a detection section to detect contrast of subject image data configured with a plurality of pieces of pixel data of the basis part and the reference part, and a calculation section to select a filter section from among the plurality of filter sections depending on the contrast output by the detection section, to perform correlation calculation using pixel data on which the filter processing is performed by the selected filter section to calculate a defocus amount.

Focal point detection device and focal point detection method

A camera system includes an interchangeable lens and a camera main body. The interchangeable lens includes a lens side storage unit that stores pupil related data according to an image height. The camera main body includes an image sensor including focus detection pixels, a main body side storage unit that stores correction data, and a correction unit corrects non-uniformity in illumination distribution of outputs of the focus detection pixels. The pupil related data is data regarding an F-number and an exit pupil position. The data regarding the F-number indicates a range of luminous flux to be applied to the focus detection pixels at a predetermined image height. The data regarding the exit pupil position relates to a position of intersection of a center of luminous flux applied to the focus detection pixels at a predetermined image height and an optical axis of the imaging optical system.

Camera system and method for correcting focus detection pixel

A focus adjustment unit of the present invention comprises a phase difference detection section for detecting extreme values, based on the image data, a periodicity-containing subject determination section for determining a periodicity-containing subject in the case where the phase difference detection section detects many extreme values having a high degree of correlation, and a control section for, when a periodicity-containing subject has been determined, determining whether or not a difference between a position of the focus lens shown by an extreme value corresponding to a position that is closest to a current focus lens position, and the current focus lens position, is outside a specified range, and if it is determined that the difference is outside the specified range, carrying out a focus adjustment operation based on the extreme value corresponding to the position that is closest to the current position of the focus lens.

Focus adjustment unit and focus adjustment method

An imaging device of the present invention comprises a focus detection section using phase difference detection based on output of the focus detection pixels, a pixel adding section, for creating respective first addition outputs by adding outputs of a first number of focus detection pixels, and creating respective second addition outputs by dividing the first number of arrays into a plurality, and adding outputs of focus detection pixels of the divided array, and a determination section for determining whether or not to correct an angle error, wherein the focus detection section executes a focus detection operation on the basis of the first addition outputs, the determination section determines whether or not to correct angle error on the basis of the plurality of second addition outputs, and in the event that the determination section has determined to correct angle error, the focus detection section corrects angle error based on a result of a focus detection operation.

Imaging device and focus detection method

A lens drive unit drives a focus lens. An imaging element obtains an image signal. An evaluation value calculation unit calculates an AF evaluation value from the image signal read out based on an interlace system. A determination unit determines whether the continuous AF evaluation values have a distribution of continuous increases and decreases. If the AF evaluation values are determined to have the distribution of continuous increases and decreases, an in-focus position calculation unit calculates an in-focus position by obtaining an interpolation curve from an intermediate value of the AF evaluation values adjacent to each other, otherwise, calculates the in-focus position by obtaining an interpolation curve of the AF evaluation value. A control unit drives the focus lens to the in-focus position.

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Hino, Japan

Yukie Yamazaki