# US 11,115,583 B2 · Apparatus and method for determination of a focus detection target > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,115,583 B2 - Document ID: US11115583B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/446,380 - Filed: 2019-06-19 - Published: 2020-01-02 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-29 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Keisuke Kudo; Takayuki Akaguma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115583B2 ## CPC - H04N 23/675: {comprising setting of focusing regions} - G06T 7/20: Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) - G06V 20/10: Terrestrial scenes (scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59) - G06V 40/161: {Detection; Localisation; Normalisation} - H04N 23/611: where the recognised objects include parts of the human body - H04N 23/672: {based on the phase difference signals} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract An apparatus determines an object and controls driving of the focus lens based on a focus detection result. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory having instructions that, when executed by the processor, performs operations as: a focus detection unit configured to execute focus detection based on a signal output from an image sensor; a control unit configured to control driving of a focus lens; a determination unit configured to determine a main object to be tracked by the focus lens after the control unit controls driving of the focus lens to adjust a focus on a first object detected based on a result of the focus detection, wherein the determination unit determines a second object as the main object based on conspicuousness in a case where a focus detection result corresponding to the second object is smaller than a first threshold value, and determines the main object regardless of the conspicuousness in a case where the difference between the focus detection result and the position corresponding to the second object is greater than or equal to the first threshold value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the second object as the main object, in a case where the focus detection result corresponding to the second object is smaller than the first threshold value, and the conspicuousness corresponding to the second object is greater or equal to a second threshold value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where the focus detection result corresponding to the second object is smaller than or equal than the first threshold value, and the conspicuousness corresponding to the second object is smaller than the second threshold value, the determination unit determines the main object based on the focus detection result. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where a face is detected, and a defocus amount corresponding to the face is equal to or greater than a third threshold value, the determination unit determines the main object based on the conspicuousness. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, where a face is detected, and a defocus amount corresponding to the face is less than the first threshold value, the determination unit determines an object corresponding to the face as the main object. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conspicuousness is an evaluation value calculated based on at least one of hue, saturation, and luminance of an image signal. ### Claim 7 A method comprising: executing focus detection based on a signal output from an image sensor; controlling driving of a focus lens; determining a main object to be tracked by the focus lens through determination, after driving of the focus lens is controlled to adjust a focus on a first object detected based on a result of the focus detection, wherein a second object is determined as a main object based on conspicuousness in a case where a detection result corresponding to the second object is smaller than a first threshold value, and the main object is determined regardless of the conspicuousness in a case where the difference between the focus detection result and the position corresponding to the second object is greater than or equal to than the first threshold value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the determining determines, the second object as a main object, in a case where the focus detection result corresponding to the second object is smaller than the first threshold value and corresponding to an area in which and the conspicuousness corresponding to the second subject is greater or equal to a second threshold value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein, in a case the first threshold value and the conspicuousness corresponding to the second subject is smaller than the second threshold value, the determining determines the main object based on the focus detection result. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein, in a case where a face is detected as an object, and a defocus amount corresponding to the face is equal to greater than a third threshold value, the determining determines the main object based on the conspicuousness. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein, in a case where face is detected, and a defocus amount corresponding to the face is less than the first threshold value, the determining determines an object corresponding to the face as the main object. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the conspicuousness is an evaluation value calculated based on at least one of hue, saturation, and luminance of an image signal.