Imaging device and focus control method

A focus control method by an imaging device which includes a sensor including a plurality of first phase difference detecting pixels which receives one of a pair of luminous fluxes which have passed through different parts of a pupil area of an imaging optical system and is arranged in a row direction and a plurality of second phase difference detecting pixels which receives the other one of the pair of luminous fluxes and is arranged in the row direction, the method comprising:

• a defocus amount calculating step of calculating a correlated amount of a first output signal group and a second output signal group while shifting the first output signal group of the plurality of first phase difference detecting pixels and the second output signal group of the plurality of second phase difference detecting pixels in the row direction by an arbitrary shift amount to calculate a defocus amount from a shifted mount of the first output signal group and the second output signal group when the correlated amount is at a maximum;
• and
• a focus control step of controlling a focus state of the imaging optical system based on the defocus amount,
• wherein in the defocus amount calculating step, an upper limit of a shift amount of the first output signal group and the second output signal group is changed in accordance with at least one of an F value of the imaging optical system, a focal distance of the imaging optical system, and a position of a focus lens included in the imaging optical system.

An imaging device, comprising:

• an imaging element which includes a plurality of pixels which is two dimensionally arranged in a row direction and a column direction which is perpendicular to the row direction, the plurality of pixels including a plurality of imaging pixels which receives luminous fluxes which have passed through a pupil area of an imaging optical system, a plurality of first phase difference detecting pixels which receives one of a pair of luminous fluxes which have passed through different parts of the pupil area of the imaging optical system, and a plurality of second phase difference detecting pixels which receives the other one of the pair of luminous fluxes;
• a driving unit which performs rolling shutter driving to change an exposure period for every row of the pixels to read out a signal in accordance with a light receiving amount during the exposure from the pixels included in each row;
• a defocus amount calculating unit which calculates a correlated amount of a first output signal group and a second output signal group while shifting the first output signal group of the plurality of first phase difference detecting pixels which is included in one of two adjacent rows among rows of the pixels and a second output signal group of the plurality of second phase difference detecting pixels which is included in the other one of the two rows in the row direction by an arbitrary amount to calculate a defocus amount from a first shift amount of the first output signal group and the second output signal group when the correlated amount is at a maximum;
• a focus control unit which controls a focus state of the imaging optical system based on the defocus amount;
• and
• a shift amount calculating unit which calculates a second shift amount of the first output signal group and the second output signal group in the row direction caused by the rolling shutter driving, from a shift amount of the output signal groups in the row direction when a correlated amount between the output signal groups of the plurality of imaging pixels included in two adjacent rows among the rows of the pixels is at the maximum,
• wherein the defocus amount calculating unit changes an upper limit of the shift amount of the first output signal group and the second output signal group in accordance with the second shift amount.

A focus control method by an imaging device which includes an imaging element which includes a plurality of pixels which is two dimensionally arranged in a row direction and a column direction which is perpendicular to the row direction, the plurality of pixels including a plurality of imaging pixels which receives luminous fluxes which have passed through a pupil area of an imaging optical system, a plurality of first phase difference detecting pixels which receives one of a pair of luminous fluxes which have passed through different parts of the pupil area of the imaging optical system, and a plurality of second phase difference detecting pixels which receives the other one of the pair of luminous fluxes, the method comprising:

• a driving step of performing rolling shutter driving to change an exposure period for every row of pixels to read out a signal in accordance with a light receiving amount during the exposure from the pixels included in each row;
• a defocus amount calculating step of calculating a correlated amount of a first output signal group and a second output signal group while shifting the first output signal group of the plurality of first phase difference detecting pixels which is included in one of two adjacent rows among rows of the pixels and a second output signal group of the plurality of second phase difference detecting pixels which is included in the other one of the two rows in the row direction by an arbitrary amount to calculate a defocus amount from a first shift amount of the first output signal group and the second output signal group when the correlated amount is at a maximum;
• a focus control step of controlling a focus state of the imaging optical system based on the defocus amount;
• and
• a shift amount calculating step of calculating a second shift amount of the first output signal group and the second output signal group in the row direction caused by the rolling shutter driving, from a shift amount of the output signal groups in the row direction when a correlated amount of the output signal groups of the plurality of imaging pixels included in two adjacent rows among the rows of pixels is at the maximum,
• wherein in the defocus amount calculating step, an upper limit of the shift amount of the first output signal group and the second output signal group is changed in accordance with the second shift amount.