IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,817,122
Granted Patent B2
US 8,817,122 · App. 13/024,051 · Granted Aug 26, 2014

Image pickup apparatus

Inventor: Satoshi Okamura (Yokohama, JP)
Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
H04N5/23212H04N5/23296H04N5/23293H04N5/23219
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,817,122
App. No.
13/024,051
Granted
Aug 26, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image pickup apparatus includes a face area selecting unit configured to select at least a face area situated at a first object distance and a face area situated at a second object distance, and to select a face area occupying the smallest area in a picked-up image among two or more face areas in a case where the two or more face areas are situated at the first object distance or at the second object distance.

Claims (16)

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a predetermined area in a picked-up image;

an obtaining unit configured to obtain information including at least information corresponding to object distances of a object corresponding to the detected area, and information corresponding to object sizes of the detected area;

a selecting unit configured to select fewer areas than the detected areas on the basis of the information in a case where an assist function is set in manual focusing; and

a display unit configured to effect enlarging display of the selected areas,

wherein the selecting unit selects at least an area which is corresponding to a first object distance and an area which is corresponding to a second object distance from the detected areas, and wherein the selecting unit is configured to, if two or more detected areas are situated at the first object distance or if two or more detected areas are situated at the second object distance, select an area occupying the smallest area in the picked-up image among the two or more detected areas.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the selecting unit selects at least a most distant area and a nearest area situated in the depth of field from among the detected areas.

3. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image pickup apparatus has an adjusting function of the depth of field capable of adjusting the depth of field at the time of photographing and performs a selecting operation by the selecting unit and an enlarging display operation by the display unit during adjusting the depth of field.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting unit is configured to detect a face area as the predetermined area.

5. A control method of an image pickup apparatus comprising the steps of:

detecting a predetermined area in a picked-up image;

obtaining information including at least information corresponding to object distances of a object corresponding to the detected area, and information corresponding to object sizes of the detected area;

selecting fewer areas than the detected areas on the basis of the information in a case where an assist function is set in manual focusing; and

effecting enlarging display of the selected areas,

wherein the step of selecting fewer areas than the detected areas selects at least an area which is corresponding to a first object distance and an area which is corresponding to a second object distance from the detected areas, and wherein the step of selecting fewer areas than the detected areas, if two or more detected areas are situated at the first object distance or if two or more detected areas are situated at the second object distance, select an area occupying the smallest area in the picked-up image among the two or more detected areas.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program comprising a program code for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 5 .

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 18, 2011
From: OKAMURA, SATOSHI
To: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 026297/0069 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2010-029678 · Feb 15, 2010 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20110199502A1 · Aug 18, 2011