# US 11,445,106 B2 · Imaging apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,445,106 B2 - Document ID: US11445106B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/950,954 - Filed: 2020-11-18 - Published: 2021-05-20 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-11-20 - Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Hiroki Kasugai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11445106B2 ## CPC - H04N 23/611: where the recognised objects include parts of the human body - H04R 3/005: {for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)} - H04N 23/60: Control of cameras or camera modules - H04R 3/00: Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) - H04S 7/308: {Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection} - H04N 23/671: {in combination with active ranging signals, e.g. using light or sound signals emitted toward objects} - H04N 23/959: by adjusting depth of field during image capture, e.g. maximising or setting range based on scene characteristics - H04R 2499/11: Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) - H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS ## Abstract An imaging apparatus comprising: an image sensor configured to capture an image of a subject to generate image data; an audio input device configured to receive an audio signal indicating sound to be collected during image capturing with the image sensor; a detector configured to detect a subject region which corresponds to the subject in the image data; a controller configured to control a sound collection area where a sound from the subject is collected for the audio signal; wherein when the detector detects a plurality of subject regions, the controller compares a size of a subject region of a focus target with a size of another subject regions among the plurality of subject regions, and determines whether or not a subject corresponding to each of the plurality of subject regions is a sound collection target based on a comparison result. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An imaging apparatus comprising: an image sensor configured to capture an image of a subject to generate image data; an audio input device configured to receive an audio signal indicating sound to be collected during image capturing with the image sensor; a detector configured to detect a subject region which corresponds to the subject in the image data; a controller configured to control a sound collection area where a sound from the subject is collected for the audio signal; wherein when the detector detects a plurality of subject regions, the controller compares a size of a subject region of a focus target with a size of another subject region, among the plurality of subject regions each detected in the image data by the detector, and determines whether or not a subject corresponding to each of the plurality of subject regions is a sound collection target based on a comparison result. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: when a size of one subject region among the plurality of subject regions is within a predetermined range defined by the size of the subject region of the focus target as a reference, the controller determines that a subject corresponding to the one subject region is the sound collection target; and when the size of the one subject region is not within the predetermined range, the controller determines that the subject corresponding to the one subject region is not the sound collection target. ### Claim 3 An imaging apparatus comprising: an image sensor configured to capture an image of a subject to generate image data; an audio input device configured to receive an audio signal indicating sound to be collected during image capturing with the image sensor; a detector configured to detect a subject region which corresponds to the subject in the image data; a controller configured to control a sound collection area where a sound from the subject is collected for the audio signal; wherein when the detector detects a plurality of subject regions: in a case where a size of one subject region among the plurality of subject regions is within a predetermined range defined by a size of a particular subject region as a reference, the controller determines that a subject corresponding to the one subject region is the sound collection target; and in a case where the size of the one subject region is not within the predetermined range, the controller determines that the subject corresponding to the one subject region is not the sound collection target. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the size of the particular subject region is a size of a subject region of a focus target. ### Claim 5 An imaging apparatus comprising: an image sensor configured to capture an image of a subject to generate image data; an audio input device configured to receive an audio signal indicating sound to be collected during image capturing with the image sensor; a detector configured to detect a subject region which corresponds to the subject in the image data; a controller configured to control a sound collection area where a sound from the subject is collected for the audio signal; wherein the controller determines a subject as a sound collection target for the audio signal, according to a size of a subject region detected by the detector, and controls the sound collection area so as to include the subject determined as the sound collection target by selecting, as the sound collection area to collect a sound from the subject, a predetermined area from a plurality of predetermined areas with the predetermined area including the subject determined as the sound collection target. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of predetermined areas includes a predetermined area directed to forward of the imaging apparatus in a first angle range, a predetermined area directed to a left of the imaging apparatus, a predetermined area directed to a right of the imaging apparatus, and a predetermined area having a second angle range larger than the first angle range. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls gain for emphasizing sound indicated by the audio signal, based on at least one of a focusing distance and an angle of view in the image capturing. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector detects a human face region as the subject region in the image data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sound collector to collect a sound, wherein the audio input device receives an audio signal indicating a sound collection result of the sound collector. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller controls gain for emphasizing sound indicated by the audio signal, based on at least one of a focusing distance and an angle of view in the image capturing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the detector detects a human face region as the subject region in the image data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a sound collector to collect a sound, wherein the audio input device receives an audio signal indicating a sound collection result of the sound collector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls gain for emphasizing sound indicated by the audio signal, based on at least one of a focusing distance and an angle of view in the image capturing. ### Claim 14 (depends on 3) The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detector detects a human face region as the subject region in the image data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 3) The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising a sound collector to collect a sound, wherein the audio input device receives an audio signal indicating a sound collection result of the sound collector. ### Claim 16 (depends on 5) The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller controls gain for emphasizing sound indicated by the audio signal, based on at least one of a focusing distance and an angle of view in the image capturing. ### Claim 17 (depends on 5) The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the detector detects a human face region as the subject region in the image data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 5) The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising a sound collector to collect a sound, wherein the audio input device receives an audio signal indicating a sound collection result of the sound collector.