The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 19, 2012
Filed:
Sep. 21, 2007
Hisamo Sogawa, Hyogo, JP;
Shinichi Fujii, Osaka, JP;
Kazumi Kageyama, Osaka, JP;
Toshio Katayama, Osaka, JP;
Masato Yamaguchi, Kanagawa, JP;
Hisamo Sogawa, Hyogo, JP;
Shinichi Fujii, Osaka, JP;
Kazumi Kageyama, Osaka, JP;
Toshio Katayama, Osaka, JP;
Masato Yamaguchi, Kanagawa, JP;
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An imaging apparatus includes an imaging device receiving light from an object through an imaging lens at a predetermined imaging plane and performing photoelectric conversion of an object image to generate a captured image; a phase-difference detector for receiving the light from the object and generating a phase-difference detection signal corresponding to a focus level of the object image; an evaluation-value calculator for calculating a predetermined evaluation value corresponding to a contrast of the object image on the basis of the captured image; and a determining unit for selecting an optimum AF method from among a plurality of AF methods in which the phase-difference detection signal obtained by the phase-difference detecting unit and the predetermined evaluation value based on the captured image are used selectively or in combination, the optimum AF method being selected in accordance with image-capturing conditions of the object.