Tracking apparatus

1. A tracking apparatus comprising:

a ranging position setting circuit which sets a standard area for tracking to a focus detection area focusing on a tracking object from among a plurality of detection areas in image data including the tracking object;

a grouping setting circuit which groups the plurality of focus detection areas set by the ranging position setting circuit in accordance with focus information among the focus detection areas;

a tracking feature detection circuit which detects a feature amount of a subject in areas of the groups grouped by the grouping setting circuit, the feature amount including at least one of luminance information, color information, and face information; and

a tracking circuit which sets the standard area for tracking to a first candidate tracking position, sets a part having the feature amount detected by the tracking feature detection circuit as a second candidate tracking position, and tracks the tracking object from a plurality of frames of the image data in accordance with the first candidate tracking position or the second candidate tracking position depending on the number of the groups set by the group setting circuit; wherein

the tracking circuit is configured to:

set the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object when there are no groups set by the grouping setting circuit;

set the first candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and update the standard area to the first candidate tracking position when one group is set by the grouping setting circuit;

set the first candidate tracking position included in the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and update the standard area to the first candidate tracking position included in the second candidate tracking position when two or more groups are set by the grouping setting circuit and the groups include a group including the second candidate tracking position; and

set the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and update the standard area to the second candidate tracking position when two or more groups are set by the grouping setting circuit and none of the groups include the second candidate tracking position.

2. The tracking apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the grouping setting circuit groups, as another group, the focus detection area which is located apart from the focus detection area and which is set by the ranging position setting circuit and the focus detection area adjacent to the former focus detection area.

3. The tracking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the image data includes a plurality of successive frame images, and

the tracking circuit updates the first or second candidate tracking position for each of the frame images to track the tracking object on a plurality of imaging data.

4. A tracking apparatus comprising:

a tracking circuit which includes a plurality of focus detection areas and which tracks a tracking object in accordance with focus information of each of the focus detection areas in image data including the tracking object;

a ranging position setting circuit which sets a standard area for tracking to the focus detection area focused on the tracking object from among the plurality of focus detection areas;

a grouping setting circuit which groups the plurality of focus detection areas set by the ranging position setting circuit in accordance with focus information among the focus detection areas;

a tracking feature detection circuit which detects a feature amount of a subject in areas of the groups grouped by the grouping setting circuit, the feature amount including at least one of luminance information, color information, and face information; and

a tracking position setting circuit which sets the standard area for tracking to a first candidate tracking position, and sets a part having the feature amount detected by the tracking feature detection circuit as a second candidate tracking position, wherein

the tracking circuit tracks the tracking object from a plurality of frames of the image data in accordance with the first or second candidate tracking position set by the tracking position setting circuit depending on the number of the groups set by the grouping setting circuit, and

the tracking circuit is configured to:

set the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object when there are no groups set by the grouping setting circuit;

set the first candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and update the standard area to the first candidate tracking position when one group is set by the grouping setting circuit;

set the first candidate tracking position included in the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and update the standard area to the first candidate tracking position included in the second candidate tracking position when two or more groups are set by the grouping setting circuit and the groups include a group including the second candidate tracking position; and

set the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and update the standard area to the second candidate tracking position when two or more groups are set by the grouping setting circuit and none of the groups include the second candidate tracking position.

5. The tracking apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:

wherein the grouping setting circuit groups, as another group, the focus detection area which is located apart from the focus detection area and which is set by the ranging position setting circuit and the focus detection area adjacent to the former focus detection area.

6. The tracking apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the image data includes a plurality of successive frame images, and

the tracking circuit updates the first or second candidate tracking position for each of the frame images to track the tracking object on a plurality of imaging data.

7. A tracking method comprising:

setting a standard area for tracking to a focus detection area focusing on a tracking object from among a plurality of detection areas in image data including the tracking object;

grouping the plurality of focus detection areas in accordance with focus information among the focus detection areas;

detecting a feature amount of a subject in an areas of the set groups, the feature amount including at least one of luminance information, color information, and face information;

setting the standard area for tracking to a first candidate tracking position;

setting a part having the detected feature amount of the tracking target as a second candidate tracking position;

tracking the tracking object from a plurality of frames of the image data in accordance with the first candidate tracking position or the second candidate tracking position depending on the number of the set groups;

setting the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object when there are no set groups;

setting the first candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and updating the standard area to the first candidate tracking position when there is one set group;

setting the first candidate tracking position included in the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and updating the standard area to the first candidate tracking position included in the second candidate tracking position when there are two or more set groups and the groups include a group including the second candidate tracking position; and

setting the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and updating the standard area to the second candidate tracking position when there are two or more set groups and none of the groups include the second candidate tracking position.

8. The tracking method according to claim 7 , wherein

the grouping includes grouping, as another group, the focus detection area located apart from the focus detection area which is focused on the tracking object and is thus set and the focus detection area adjacent to the former focus detection area.

9. The tracking method according to claim 7 , wherein

the image data includes a plurality of successive frame images, and

in the tracking, the first or second candidate tracking position is updated for each of the frame images to track the tracking object on a plurality of imaging data.

10. A tracking method comprising:

tracking a tracking object in accordance with focus information of each of a plurality of focus detection areas in image data including the tracking object;

setting a standard area for tracking to the focus detection area focused on the tracking object from among the plurality of focus detection areas;

grouping the set focus detection areas in accordance with focus information among the focus detection areas;

detecting a feature amount of a subject in areas of the set groups, the feature amount including at least one of luminance information, color information, and face information;

setting the standard area for tracking to a first candidate tracking position;

setting a part having the detected feature amount of the tracking object as a second candidate tracking position;

tracking the tracking object from a plurality of frames of the image data in accordance with the set first or second candidate tracking position depending on the number of the set groups;

setting the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object when there are no set groups;

setting the first candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and updating the standard area to the first candidate tracking position when there is one set group;

setting the first candidate tracking position included in the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and updating the standard area to the first candidate tracking position included in the second candidate tracking position when there are two or more set groups and the groups include a group including the second candidate tracking position; and

setting the second candidate tracking position to a position of the tracking object and updating the standard area to the second candidate tracking position when there are two or more set groups and none of the groups include the second candidate tracking position.

11. The tracking method according to claim 10 , wherein

the grouping comprises grouping, as another group, the focus detection area located apart from the focus detection area which is focused on the tracking object and is thus set and the focus detection area adjacent to the former focus detection area.

12. The tracking method according to claim 10 , wherein

the image data comprises a plurality of successive frame images, and

in the tracking, the first or second candidate tracking position is updated for each of the frame images to track the tracking object on a plurality of imaging data.