Image pickup apparatus, image pickup apparatus control method and computer-readable non-transitory recording medium recording program
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorRyo Hatakeyama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image pickup apparatus including: an image pickup device including a pixel region in which image pixels corresponding to microlenses are arrayed in a matrix, each of the image pixels being divided into a plurality of focus detection pixels configured to generate respective photoelectric conversion signals; and a control circuit configured to control a cycle in a column direction of first rows in which photoelectric conversion signals in an image pixel are added up to generate an image pixel signal, and second rows in which both of a pair of the focus detection pixel signals or one of the pair of the focus detection pixel signals and the image pixel signal are generated and read, in a frame is provided.
Claims17
An image pickup apparatus comprising:
- an image pickup device including a pixel region in which image pixels corresponding to microlenses are arrayed in a matrix, each of the image pixels being divided into a plurality of focus detection pixels configured to perform photoelectric conversion of a light flux passing through a plurality of regions resulting from division of an exit pupil of a shooting optical system, to generate respective photoelectric conversion signals, each of the image pixels generating an image pixel signal and focus detection pixel signals based on the photoelectric conversion signals, the pixel region defining a plurality of horizontal rows of imaging pixels and a plurality of vertical columns of image pixels;
- and
- a control circuit configured to control at least one cycle, each of the at least one cycle defined by
- a first group of one or more rows in which a first type of reading is performed, the first type of reading including adding up all the photoelectric conversion signals generated in one of the image pixels to generate the image pixel signal and reading the generated image pixel signal only, and
- a second group of one or more rows in which a second type of reading or a third type of reading is performed, the second type of reading including generating both of a pair of the focus detection pixel signals in a pupil division direction based on the photoelectric conversion signals and reading both of the pair of the focus detection pixel signals, the third type of reading including generating and reading one of the pair of the focus detection pixel signals and the image pixel signal,
- in one frame,
- wherein nx is a whole number count of rows in one of the at least one cycle, nz is a whole number count of rows in the first group of one or more rows in one cycle and ny is a whole number count of rows in the second group of one or more rows in one cycle, nx=ny+nz, and
- wherein the control circuit performs further control so as to change a ratio of ny to nx.
A method for controlling an image pickup apparatus including an image pickup device including a pixel region in which image pixels corresponding to microlenses are arrayed in a matrix, each of the image pixels being divided into a plurality of focus detection pixels configured to perform photoelectric conversion of a light flux passing through a plurality of regions resulting from division of an exit pupil of a shooting optical system, to generate respective photoelectric conversion signals, each of the image pixels generating an image pixel signal and focus detection pixel signals based on the photoelectric conversion signals, the pixel region defining a plurality of horizontal rows of imaging pixels and a plurality of vertical columns of image pixels, the method comprising:
- performing a first type of reading including adding up all the photoelectric conversion signals generated in one of the image pixels to generate the image pixel signal and reading the generated image pixel signal only, in a first group of one or more rows;
- performing a second type of reading or a third type of reading, the second type of reading including generating both of a pair of the focus detection pixel signals in a pupil division direction based on the photoelectric conversion signals and reading both of the pair of the focus detection pixel signals, the third type of reading including generating and reading one of the pair of the focus detection pixel signals and the image pixel signal, in a second group of one or more rows;
- and
- controlling at least one cycle in a column direction, each of the at least one cycle defined by the first group of one or more rows and the second group of one or more rows, in one frame,
- wherein nx is a whole number count of rows in one of the at least one cycle, nz is a whole number count of rows in the first group of one or more rows in one cycle and ny is a whole number count of rows in the second group of one or more rows in one cycle, nx=ny+nz, and
- wherein the method includes performing further control so as to change a ratio of ny to nx.
A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium recording a program for causing a computer to control an image pickup apparatus including an image pickup device including a pixel region in which image pixels corresponding to microlenses are arrayed in a matrix, each of the image pixels being divided into a plurality of focus detection pixels configured to perform photoelectric conversion of a light flux passing through a plurality of regions resulting from division of an exit pupil of a shooting optical system, to generate respective photoelectric conversion signals, each of the image pixels generating an image pixel signal and focus detection pixel signals based on the photoelectric conversion signals, the pixel region defining a plurality of horizontal rows of imaging pixels and a plurality of vertical columns of image pixels, the program causing the computer to:
- perform a first type of reading including adding up all the photoelectric conversion signals generated in one of the image pixels to generate the image pixel signal and reading the generated image pixel signal only, in a first group of one or more rows;
- perform a second type of reading or a third type of reading, the second type of reading including generating both of a pair of the focus detection pixel signals in a pupil division direction based on the photoelectric conversion signals and reading both of the pair of the focus detection pixel signals, the third type of reading including generating and reading one of the pair of the focus detection pixel signals and the image pixel signal, in a second group of one or more rows;
- and
- control at least one cycle in a column direction, each of the at least one cycle defined by the first group of one or more rows and the second group of one or more rows, in one frame,
- wherein nx is a whole number count of rows in one of the at least one cycle, nz is a whole number count of rows in the first group of one or more rows in one cycle and ny is a whole number count of rows in the second group of one or more rows in one cycle, nx=ny+nz, and
- wherein the program causes the computer to perform further control so as to change a ratio of ny to nx.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.