Imaging control device, imaging control method, and program

Abstract

To more easily achieve imaging intended by a user.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus includes first driving means for driving a zoom lens, to change a field angle, second driving means for driving a focus lens, to change a focus position, acquisition means for acquiring a first imaging condition and a second imaging condition in which imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and the focus position are respectively set, first control means for controlling the first driving means, to perform a zooming operation from the zoom magnification of the first imaging condition to the zoom magnification of the second imaging condition, and second control means for controlling the second driving means on the basis of correspondence information indicating a focus lens position with respect to a zoom lens position, for making a change in one direction from the focus position of the first imaging condition to the focus position of the second imaging condition, during the zooming operation by the first control means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging control device, an imaging control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, remote cameras capable of capturing images remotely have come into widespread use. A remote camera is installed at any location and has a fixed imaging position, so it can perform the same operation repeatedly. Some of these remote cameras have a "trace function" that allows the imaging conditions of the camera to be registered in advance and then the camera can capture images. The trace function is, for example, a function that determines how many seconds it takes to drive the lens from one zoom magnification to another. The trace function also allows multiple imaging functions, such as zoom, focus, panning to change the imaging direction, and tilting, to be operated simultaneously. By setting the imaging points in detail, the photographer can capture images that reflect his or her intentions, but this requires multiple imaging conditions to be set in detail in advance.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging device that adds a function for limiting the movable range of an autofocus lens. This technology limits the movable range of the focus lens so as to maintain a subject distance after setting the subject distance of the imaging target. The technology described in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to capture an image while keeping the image capture target in focus even when the tracing function is used, thereby reducing the number of work steps. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-349744 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that the subject is at a fixed distance from the beginning of imaging. Therefore, this technology is insufficient in terms of functionality when imaging objects at different subject distances or when performing dramatic operations such as gradually focusing on objects at different subject distances.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to more simply realize imaging that the user intends. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of an imaging control device according to the present invention includes a first driving means for driving a zoom lens to change the angle of view, a second driving means for driving a focus lens to change the focus position, an acquisition means for acquiring a first imaging condition and a second imaging condition in which imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and a focus position are respectively set, a first control means for controlling the first driving means to perform a zoom operation from the zoom magnification of the first imaging condition to the zoom magnification of the second imaging condition, and a second control means for controlling the second driving means based on correspondence information indicating the focus lens position relative to the zoom lens position, so as to change in one direction from the focus position of the first imaging condition to the focus position of the second imaging condition during the zoom operation by the first control means. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, imaging as intended by the user can be more easily achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an imaging apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4]4A and 4B are diagrams showing examples of cam curves and focus movement. [Diagram 5] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing examples of cam curves and focus movement. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing examples of cam curves and focus movement in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing examples of calculation of focus positions at each zoom position. [Figure 8] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining a method of calculating a focus position. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] Example of focus adjustment range settings for each zoom position. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of focus movable range setting. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] An example of setting up the registration information display for focus lenses and zoom lenses. [Figure 14] An example of setting up the registration information display for focus lenses and zoom lenses. [Figure 15] An example of operation when registering multiple points. [Figure 16] An example of the display when multiple functions are registered. [Figure 17A] An example of switching configuration axes when multiple functions are registered. [Figure 17B] An example of switching configuration axes when multiple functions are registered. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is one example of a means for realizing the present invention, and should be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied and various conditions, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0011] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imaging device 100 including an imaging control device according to this embodiment. The imaging device 100 includes a lens group 101, an optical filter 102, an aperture 103, a color filter 104, an image sensor 105, an AGC 106, an A / D conversion unit 107, and a video signal processing unit 108. The imaging device 100 further includes a video signal output unit 109, an exposure control unit 110, an optical control unit 111, and a control setting unit 112. Moreover, the imaging device 100 is connected to an external setting unit 200 and a monitor (not shown) that displays captured images via a network.

[0012] The lens group 101 is an optical system that collects light incident from a subject onto an image sensor 105. The lens group 101 includes a focus lens that adjusts the focus on the subject, a zoom lens that adjusts the angle of view, and the like. Light that passes through the lens group 101 passes through an optical filter 102, and the amount of light is adjusted by an aperture 103. The optical filter 102 may be, for example, an infrared cut filter (IRCF) or the like. The aperture 103 adjusts the amount of light incident on the image sensor 105. The image information with the adjusted amount of light passes through color filters 104 arranged in a predetermined order for each pixel on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 105, and is received by the image sensor 105.

[0013] The imaging element 105 outputs captured image information of an object as an analog signal. The imaging element 105 may be, for example, a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. The image formed on the imaging element 105 is gain controlled by the AGC 106 to adjust the luminance of the image signal. The A / D converter 107 converts the analog imaging signal of the image luminance-adjusted by the AGC 106 into a digital signal. The video signal processor 108 performs predetermined processing on the digital imaging signal from the A / D converter 107, and outputs a luminance signal and a color signal for each pixel, creating an image to be output and parameters for controlling the camera. The parameters for controlling the camera include, for example, parameters used for aperture control, AF evaluation value which is a frequency component value for focusing, and white balance control for adjusting color tone.

[0014] The video signal output unit 109 outputs the video signal generated by the video signal processing unit 108 to the outside. The exposure control unit 110 calculates luminance information in the imaging screen from the luminance information output from the video signal processing unit 108, and controls the aperture 103 and the AGC 106 to adjust the captured image to a desired brightness. In addition, the brightness may be adjusted by adjusting the shutter speed to adjust the accumulation time of the image sensor 105. The optical control unit 111 controls the lens group 101. Specifically, the optical control unit 111 can change the angle of view by driving a zoom lens. The optical control unit 111 can also change the focus position by driving a focus lens. Focus adjustment (focusing operation) is performed by the optical control unit 111 controlling the lens group 101 so that the AF evaluation value is maximized. Note that high-frequency components are extracted from the video signal created by the video signal processing unit 108, and the value of the high-frequency components is used as focus information (AF evaluation value).

[0015] The control setting unit 112 actually executes control commands sent from the external setting unit 200 to the camera, and performs settings for exposure control, lens control, etc. The control setting unit 112 also performs correction processing associated with operations set by the external setting unit 200. The control setting unit 112 also sets a focusing area for performing a focusing operation, and sets a cropping area (described later) in response to a user instruction.

[0016] The external setting unit 200 is connected to the imaging device 100 via a network, and performs operations on the imaging device 100. For example, the external setting unit 200 performs so-called general camera operations such as focusing, brightness specification, and zoom magnification specification. The external setting unit 200 can be configured, for example, by a personal computer (PC) or the like. The external setting unit 200 may be provided in the imaging device 100 .

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the imaging device 100. As shown in FIG. The imaging device 100 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an HDD (hard disk drive) 14, an input unit 15, an imaging unit 16, and a communication unit 17. Note that the imaging device 100 may further include components other than those described above. The CPU 11 performs overall control of the operation of the imaging device 100. The ROM 12 has a storage area for storing programs and data necessary for the CPU 11 to execute processing. The programs may be stored in the HDD 14 or a removable storage medium (not shown). The RAM 13 functions as the main memory, work area, etc. of the CPU 11. When executing processing, the CPU 11 loads the necessary programs, etc. from the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executes the programs, etc. to realize various functional operations.

[0018] The HDD 14 is used as a permanent storage area for the OS, various programs, various data, etc., and can also be used as a short-term storage area for various data, etc. Note that the HDD 14 may be replaced by another auxiliary storage device such as an SSD. The input unit 15 is composed of a power button, a setting button, and the like, and an operator of the imaging device 100 can give instructions to the imaging device 100 via the input unit 15 . The imaging unit 16 captures an image of a subject and generates a captured image. The imaging unit 16 can be configured to include a color filter 104, an image sensor 105, an AGC 106, an A / D conversion unit 107, and a video signal processing unit 108 shown in FIG. The communication unit 17 transmits and receives data to and from external devices such as the external setting unit 200 via a network.

[0019] Some or all of the functions of the imaging device 100 are realized by the CPU 11 executing a program stored in the ROM 12 or the HDD 14. However, at least some of the functions of the imaging device 100 may be operated as dedicated hardware. In this case, the dedicated hardware operates under the control of the CPU 11.

[0020] The focus operation during the trace function in this embodiment will be described below. First, the trace function will be described with reference to Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the horizontal axis represents the zoom magnification, and the vertical axis represents the subject distance at which the image is in focus (focus position). Two examples of driving methods, a preset method and a trace method, are shown in Fig. 3. Note that, here, a case where an imaging operation is performed to connect a point A to a point B where focus and zoom are adjusted will be described.

[0021] In the case of the preset method, points A and B are registered as preset positions. At this time, the zoom magnification and focus position are registered as the imaging conditions for each point. Then, the zoom lens is moved so that the zoom magnification changes from the zoom magnification at point A to the zoom magnification at point B, and the focus lens is moved so that the focus position changes from the focus position at point A to the focus position at point B. With this preset method, because movement is not restricted by other functions, each function can be moved in the shortest possible time. However, as shown by arrow a in Figure 3, there may be cases where the focus reaches the target position first, with the zoom adjusting later.

[0022] On the other hand, the trace method is the same as the preset method in that it moves the zoom and focus from point A to point B, but it differs in that it allows you to change it while adjusting the drive amount so that each operation is completed simultaneously, as shown by arrow b in Figure 3. In this case, by registering the detailed imaging conditions at each imaging point between A and B, it becomes possible to capture images that reflect the photographer's intentions. However, the above-mentioned tracing method requires detailed settings of multiple imaging conditions between A and B in advance. In particular, focusing often requires detailed operations. This is because the subject distance at which the focus is achieved is determined by the cam curve that indicates the positional relationship between the zoom lens and the focus lens.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a cam curve in the imaging device 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal axis indicates the position on the optical axis of the zoom lens (zoom lens position), and the vertical axis indicates the position on the optical axis of the focus lens (focus lens position). Here, the upper side of the vertical axis is the close side, and the lower side is the infinity side. The cam curve is a curve that shows the correspondence relationship between the zoom lens position and the focus lens position that are in focus at each subject distance, and is also called a tracking curve. In Figure 4, the lens position relationship for focusing at subject distances of 1m, 5m, 10m, 20m, and infinity is shown by solid lines.

[0024] For example, when moving the zoom from WIDE to TELE while continuing to focus on a subject 20 m away, the zoom lens and focus lens are moved along the 20 m cam curve 300. This makes it possible to maintain a focused state while changing the zoom magnification. In this way, even if the subject distance is the same, the focus lens position generally differs depending on the zoom position. A zoom lens generally has the optical characteristics described above.

[0025] Therefore, simply controlling the focus lens position will result in unnatural imaging. For example, when trying to move from point A in Figure 4 to point B where the focus lens position is the same, the zoom magnification is different between points A and B, so it is necessary to change the zoom lens position but it is not necessary to move the focus lens position. However, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 4, if the zoom lens is moved without moving the focus lens, the in-focus subject distance will change cam curves from 10m → 20m → 10m → 5m → 1m, as shown in Figure 4. Therefore, if you want to gradually move the in-focus subject distance in one direction from 10m to 1m, the photographer will end up focusing on a subject that is not intended by the photographer along the way.

[0026] Furthermore, when moving the zoom while performing a so-called autofocus operation that automatically focuses on the subject, the pattern is such that the camera moves while focusing on the subject at point B from the beginning, as shown in FIG. In this case, the lens moves along the cam curve for the target subject distance, so the focus can always be maintained on the target subject. However, if the focus is set on a subject 10 m away at point A, the moment the zoom starts moving, the focus will suddenly shift to a subject 3 m away at point B. Therefore, if you want to gradually move the in-focus subject distance in one direction from 10 m to 1 m, the image will not turn out as intended by the photographer.

[0027] As described above, the imaging methods shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 cannot realize a focusing operation in which the focus is gradually adjusted. Therefore, in this embodiment, a cam curve is calculated that gradually focuses from a subject at point A to a subject at point B, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6, and the lens is operated along the cam curve. The cam curve is correspondence information that indicates the focus lens position relative to the zoom lens position, for changing in one direction from the focus position at point A to the focus position at point B during zooming from the zoom magnification at point A to the zoom magnification at point B. In the following description, the cam curve shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6 is called a trace cam curve.

[0028] Specifically, in this embodiment, the imaging device 100 acquires imaging conditions at point A and point B, calculates a trace cam curve based on the acquired imaging conditions, and performs lens operation along the trace cam curve. Here, the imaging conditions are imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and a focus position. The imaging parameters may include a panning angle and a tilting angle for changing the imaging direction. In the case of the trace cam curve shown by the dashed line in Figure 6, the in-focus subject distance can be gradually moved in one direction from 10 m to 1 m, such as 10 m → 5 m → 1 m → 1 m → 1 m.

[0029] In this embodiment, the imaging device 100 operates as an imaging control device that drives and controls the zoom lens and the focus lens so that the focus gradually moves in one direction during zooming. However, a device other than the imaging device 100 may operate as the imaging control device.

[0030] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating the trace CAM curve shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6. The curve shown by the dashed line in Fig. 7 is the same as the trace CAM curve shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6. 7, that is, a cam curve indicating the relationship between the zoom lens position and the focus lens position set to maintain a focused state according to the subject distance. Then, imaging device 100 acquires the imaging conditions at point A and the imaging conditions at point B, and calculates the trace cam curve indicated by the dashed line based on the amount of change in the zoom magnification and the amount of change in the focus position from point A to point B, and the stored cam curve. At this time, the imaging device 100 first checks the positional relationship between which cam curves the current lens position is located, and then calculates where between the cam curves the current lens position is located.

[0031] For example, if the current position is at the position shown in Fig. 8, it can be calculated that the current position is at a position between cam curves (1) and (2) with a ratio of β / α, where α is the amount of focus lens movement between the cams, and β is the amount of focus lens movement from the reference cam (cam curve (1) in the case of Fig. 8). Then, the imaging device 100 calculates the position where the focus lens should be so that the ratio β / α of the focus lens position changes gradually with the change in the zoom lens position, and performs the lens operation. At this time, when the ratio of the lens position becomes α / α or 0 / α, the reference cam is updated to the next cam, and the lens operation is performed while repeating the calculation of the ratio described above.

[0032] The balloons at each imaging point shown in FIG. 7 show schematic diagrams of the movement when the lens position is calculated using the above calculation method. In the example shown in Fig. 7, point A where the ratio between cam curves (3) and (4) is 5 / 100 is the imaging start position, and point B where the ratio between cam curves (4) and (5) is 50 / 100 is the imaging end position. In this case, the lens position moves from between cam curves (3) and (4) to between cam curves (4) and (5), and does not pass between cam curves (1) and (2) or between cam curves (2) and (3) as in the case of direct drive shown in Fig. 4, for example. In this way, since the ratio of the lens position gradually changes in one direction (the increasing direction in the case of Fig. 7), the focus gradually moves in a constant distance direction (towards the closest position in the case of Fig. 7). The above-mentioned image capturing start and image capturing end may include the lens driving start and lens driving end by the trace function.

[0033] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation in this embodiment. The imaging device 100 can realize each process shown in Fig. 9 by causing the CPU 13 in Fig. 2 to read and execute a necessary program. Hereinafter, the letter S will denote a step in a flowchart. Here, the explanation will be given using the shot function that moves between two points as an example.

[0034] First, in S1, the imaging device 100 registers information about preset position A, which is a position where the imaging device 100 starts moving, and then in S2, the imaging device 100 registers information about preset position B, which is a position where the imaging device 100 ends moving. The preset positions A and B can be specified by the user. The imaging device 100 accepts the specification of the preset positions A and B from the user, and acquires and stores information on the preset positions A and B, respectively. The information stored at this time can be the focus lens position and the zoom lens position. The method of specifying the preset positions is not particularly limited. For example, the user may specify each preset position by directly specifying the focus position (subject position) and the zoom magnification. Also, the user may specify each preset position by adjusting the angle of view and focus by operating the imaging device 100 main body, and pressing a setting button or the like.

[0035] In S3, the imaging device 100 calculates the amount of change in magnification ratio between the preset positions A and B stored in S1 and S2. The amount of change in magnification ratio can be calculated based on the zoom lens position at preset position A and the zoom lens position at preset position B. In S4, imaging device 100 calculates the amount of change in subject distance between preset positions A and B stored in S1 and S2. The amount of change in subject distance is information indicating what the cam curve changes to between preset positions A and B, and what percentage of the cam curve the change is (β / α).

[0036] In S5, imaging device 100 calculates the amount of change in subject distance per unit magnification based on the amount of change in magnification calculated in S3 and the amount of change in subject distance calculated in S4. At this time, imaging device 100 calculates the amount of change in subject distance per unit magnification so that the focusing operation ends at the same timing as the zooming operation. For example, the amount of change (change speed) of another function may be adjusted to match a function that takes time to change. The imaging device 100 can perform lens operation to change the focus position in one direction during zooming by controlling the drive of the focus lens based on the amount of change in subject distance per unit magnification calculated in S5. Specifically, the imaging device 100 calculates the position where the focus lens should be based on the amount of magnification change from the preset position A, and performs lens operation. This makes it possible to realize lens operation that keeps the amount of change in focus position per unit zoom magnification constant. The imaging device 100 can also register the above lens operation in a memory or the like so that it can be recalled. This makes it possible to perform the same lens operation repeatedly.

[0037] Note that, although the subject distance change amount per unit magnification is calculated here, this is not limited to the above. The imaging device 100 only needs to be able to control the speed at which the zoom magnification and the focus position are changed based on the information on each preset position, and may calculate the change amount of each imaging condition per unit time. Furthermore, the imaging device 100 may control the speed of change of the zoom magnification and the speed of change of the focus position based on a target speed specified by the user. Furthermore, the imaging device 100 may control the speed of change of the focus position according to, for example, the degree of the focal depth. Furthermore, the imaging device 100 may control the speed of change of the zoom magnification according to a change in the angle of view caused by the movement of the zoom lens. By performing such a registration operation and calculation operation, it is possible to realize the shot function between the preset positions A and B. Note that, although the operation of the two functions of zoom and focus has been described here, the same applies when the functions of panning, tilting, etc. are operated in combination.

[0038] As described above, the imaging device 100 in this embodiment acquires imaging conditions at point A and imaging conditions at point B. The imaging conditions are set imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and a focus position. The imaging device 100 drives and controls the zoom lens to perform a zooming operation from the zoom magnification at point A to the zoom magnification at point B. During the zooming operation, the imaging device 100 drives and controls the focus lens based on correspondence information indicating the focus lens position relative to the zoom lens position to change the focus position in one direction from the focus position at point A to the focus position at point B.

[0039] This allows the user to see the focus gradually moving in a certain distance direction while zooming. In this way, a natural sense of bokeh can be achieved by realizing focusing operation while maintaining the focal length change in one direction. In addition, the above lens operation can be achieved from the imaging conditions of two points, point A and point B, so the user can more easily achieve the imaging they intend.

[0040] Here, the imaging device 100 can store in advance a cam curve indicating the relationship between the zoom lens position and the focus lens position set to maintain the in-focus state according to the subject distance, for example as shown by the solid line in Fig. 6. In this case, the imaging device 100 can calculate a trace cam curve as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6 based on the amount of change in the zoom magnification and the amount of change in the focus position from point A to point B, and the above-mentioned cam curve. The imaging device 100 can appropriately realize a movement in which the focus is gradually adjusted while zooming from point A to point B by performing lens operation according to the calculated trace cam curve.

[0041] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this second embodiment, assuming an AF (autofocus) operation, a case will be described in which a limit is set on the movable range of the focus lens in order to appropriately realize an operation of changing the focus position in one direction during zooming from point A to point B. Note that since the basic operation is similar to that of the first embodiment described above, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0042] In general cameras, the movable range of the focus lens is set so that the focus can be adjusted from a close distance to infinity. For example, in the example shown in Figure 10, the range from cam curves (1) to (5) is set as the range within which the focus lens can move. If the camera is set to focus on an arbitrary subject like this, it will try to focus on each object one by one, rather than gradually adjusting the focus from point A to point B.

[0043] For example, let us consider the case of adjusting the focus from point A to point B shown in Figure 11. Note that panning is also included in this figure. If a subject 1m away appears at point C between points A and B, the focus will move from 10m to 1m to 3m, even if you want to gradually move the focus from point A to point B from 10m to 3m. Therefore, in this embodiment, the movable range of the focus lens is set so that the focus position is gradually changed to the targeted focus position.

[0044] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation in this embodiment. In FIG. 12, steps that perform the same processes as those shown in FIG. 9 described above are given the same step numbers, and the following description will focus on the differences in the processes. In S11, a focus movable range is set between preset positions A and B, as shown by a thick solid line in Fig. 10. This focus movable range is a movable range of the focus lens limited based on the trace cam curve shown by the dashed line in Fig. 10. Note that the trace cam curve shown by the dashed line in Fig. 10 is the same as the trace cam curve shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6 calculated in the first embodiment described above.

[0045] The focus movement range is gradually changed according to the target subject distance. The narrower the limited range, the closer the movement is to the intended movement, but more detailed settings are required. Conversely, if the limited range is wide, a certain degree of imaging can be performed with a rough movement setting, but the movement may not be what the photographer intended. In this embodiment, the closer the target subject distance is, the wider the focus movement range is set. The width of the focus movable range may be registered in advance in the imaging device 100, or may be set by the user.

[0046] As described above, the AF operation performs focus control based on the AF evaluation value. Therefore, by limiting (making extremely low) the AF evaluation value for a certain subject distance range, it is possible to limit the focus in that subject distance range. In this way, by moving the focus lens within the limited movable range of the focus lens, even when AF operation is assumed, the shot function between the preset positions A and B can be appropriately realized.

[0047] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment allows the user to more easily and visually set the operations of a plurality of imaging functions. As mentioned above, if the operation of two functions for a movement between two points is registered, the user can remember the order of operations and the operation changes. However, if there are multiple movement sections or operation methods, or if the settings are reset after a period of time, it is very difficult for the user to remember the operation contents.

[0048] Therefore, the imaging device 100 in this embodiment performs display control to display a setting screen having axes each having a function (imaging parameter) to be operated as a component on a monitor, etc. Then, the user can set imaging conditions while visually checking how each function works in order. Fig. 14 shows a setting screen for moving two functions, focus and zoom. Here, we will explain the movement between two points, from point A to point B, as the simplest example. In this case, as shown in Fig. 14, the imaging device 100 displays a setting screen having axes each having a zoom magnification and an in-focus subject distance (focus position) as components, and the user specifies the AB2 point on the displayed setting screen. For example, a method of specifying a registration point includes a method of selecting the registration point by clicking on the setting screen. In this case, even if the positional relationship of the AB2 points is simply displayed as shown by the circles in Fig. 14, the user can intuitively grasp the operation of each function.

[0049] When setting two or more registered points, the multiple registered points may be specified in order on the setting screen as shown in Fig. 15. When setting multiple registered points between registered points A and B, for example, the straight line shown by the dotted line connecting registered points A and B may be selected and pulled up to set it as a solid curve as shown in the figure. Furthermore, to enable the user to understand the process of the changes, symbols or numbers showing the order of the changes or arrows showing the movement between the registration points may be displayed. This allows the user to intuitively understand the movement of each function.

[0050] In addition, when setting two or more registered points, as shown in Figure 16, if point C is set after points A and B, it may be possible to choose whether to move the points in the order of registration A → B → C as shown by the solid arrows, or to move the points in the order of registration A → C → B as shown by the dotted arrows. In the case of movement from A to C to B, the change speed between A and C and between C and C may be automatically set so that the movement from A to C to B is performed while maintaining the movement time from A to B. In other words, the change speed of each function may be controlled based on the set time from the start of imaging (start of movement) to the end of imaging (end of movement). This makes it possible to perform imaging while maintaining the initially set time, thereby realizing imaging as intended by the user.

[0051] Furthermore, when moving not only the above two functions of focus and zoom, but also, for example, a panning function for changing the imaging direction, the number of configuration axes may be increased as shown in Fig. 17. This makes it possible to visualize the correspondence at each point. However, since the number of configuration axes increases, the system becomes complicated, a setting screen having fewer axes than the total number of imaging parameters may be displayed. In this case, the components of the axes of the setting screen may be switchable.

[0052] Figures 18A and 18B are two-axis redevelopments of Figure 17. The setting screen shown in Figure 18A has the subject distance and zoom magnification as axial components, while the setting screen shown in Figure 18B has the subject distance and panning angle as axial components. In this way, by displaying a chart that was previously configured with multiple axes using a reduced number of axes, the user can easily recognize the corresponding relationships at each point.

[0053] As described above, the imaging device 100 in this embodiment performs display control to display a setting screen having axes each having an imaging parameter as a component, and acquires the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition designated by the user on the setting screen. At this time, the imaging device 100 may also acquire information indicating the process of changing from the first imaging condition to the second imaging condition. 15, for example, in the case of movement from A to B to C as indicated by the solid arrow, point A is the first imaging condition and point B is the second imaging condition between A and B. Also, point B is the first imaging condition and point C is the second imaging condition between B and C.

[0054] This allows the imaging device 100 to appropriately capture an image as intended by the user. In addition, by allowing the movement between registered points to be set in a schematic manner, the user can set complicated settings more simply and intuitively.

[0055] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0056] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) a first driving means for driving the zoom lens to change the angle of view; a second driving means for driving the focus lens to change the focus position; an acquisition means for acquiring a first imaging condition and a second imaging condition, each of which sets imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and a focus position; a first control means for controlling the first driving means to perform a zooming operation from a zoom magnification of the first imaging condition to a zoom magnification of the second imaging condition; a second control means for controlling the second driving means based on correspondence information indicating a focus lens position relative to a zoom lens position, so as to change the focus lens position in one direction from a focus position under the first imaging condition to a focus position under the second imaging condition during a zooming operation by the first control means; An imaging control device comprising:

[0057] (Configuration 2) a storage means for storing a cam curve indicating a relationship between a zoom lens position and a focus lens position that are set so as to maintain a focused state according to a subject distance; a calculation means for calculating the correspondence information based on a variation amount of a zoom magnification and a variation amount of a focus position from the first imaging condition to the second imaging condition, and the cam curve; The imaging control device according to configuration 1, further comprising:

[0058] (Configuration 3) The imaging control device according to configuration 2, wherein the second control means moves the focus lens within a movable range of the focus lens that is limited based on the correspondence information calculated by the calculation means.

[0059] (Configuration 4) The imaging control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the first control means and the second control means control the speed of change of the zoom magnification and the speed of change of the focus position based on the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition, respectively.

[0060] (Configuration 5) 5. The imaging control device according to configuration 4, wherein the second control means controls the second driving means so that a change amount of the focus position per unit zoom magnification is constant.

[0061] (Configuration 6) The imaging control device according to configuration 4 or 5, wherein the second control means controls the second driving means so that a focusing operation is completed at the same timing as a zooming operation by the first control means.

[0062] (Configuration 7) the acquisition means acquires the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition that are set during a period from a start of imaging to an end of imaging, 7. The imaging control device according to any one of configurations 4 to 6, wherein the first control means and the second control means control the first driving means and the second driving means, respectively, based on a set time from the start of imaging to the end of imaging.

[0063] (Configuration 8) a display control means for displaying a setting screen having axes each having the imaging parameters as components; 8. The imaging control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the acquisition means acquires the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition designated on the setting screen.

[0064] (Configuration 9) The display control means 9. The imaging control device according to configuration 8, wherein when there are a plurality of imaging parameters, the setting screen is displayed having a smaller number of axes than the total number of the imaging parameters.

[0065] (Configuration 10) The display control means 10. The imaging control device according to configuration 9, wherein components of the axes of the setting screen can be switched.

[0066] (Configuration 11) The imaging control device according to any one of configurations 8 to 10, wherein the acquisition means acquires the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition specified on the setting screen, and information indicating a process of changing the first imaging condition specified on the setting screen to the second imaging condition.

[0067] (Configuration 12) The display control means 12. The imaging control device according to configuration 11, wherein information that enables the process of changing from the first imaging condition to the second imaging condition to be read is displayed on the setting screen.

[0068] (Configuration 13) 13. The imaging control device according to claim 12, wherein the information from which the change process can be read includes at least one of a symbol and an arrow indicating the order in which the imaging conditions are changed.

[0069] (Configuration 14) 14. The imaging control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 13, further comprising a registration unit that registers a zooming operation performed by the first control unit and a focusing operation performed by the second control unit.

[0070] (Method 1) acquiring a first imaging condition and a second imaging condition in which imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and a focus position are set, respectively; a step of driving and controlling a zoom lens to perform a zooming operation from a zoom magnification of the first imaging condition to a zoom magnification of the second imaging condition; driving and controlling a focus lens based on correspondence information indicating a focus lens position relative to a zoom lens position, so as to change the focus lens in one direction from a focus position under the first imaging condition to a focus position under the second imaging condition during the zooming operation; 13. An imaging control method comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 100...imaging device, 101...lens group, 102...optical filter, 103...diaphragm, 104...color filter, 105...imaging element, 106...AGC, 107...A / D conversion section, 108...video signal processing section, 109...video signal output section, 110...exposure control section, 111...optical control section, 112...control setting section, 200...external setting section

Claims

1. a first driving means for driving the zoom lens to change the angle of view; a second driving means for driving the focus lens to change the focus position; an acquisition means for acquiring first and second imaging conditions, each of which sets imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and a focus position; a first control means for controlling the first driving means to perform a zooming operation from a zoom magnification of the first imaging condition to a zoom magnification of the second imaging condition; a second control means for controlling the second driving means based on correspondence information indicating a focus lens position relative to a zoom lens position, so as to change the focus lens position in one direction from a focus position under the first imaging condition to a focus position under the second imaging condition during a zooming operation by the first control means; An imaging control device comprising:

2. a storage means for storing a cam curve indicating the relationship between a zoom lens position and a focus lens position, which are set so as to maintain a focused state according to a subject distance; a calculation means for calculating the correspondence information based on a variation amount of the zoom magnification and a variation amount of the focus position from the first imaging condition to the second imaging condition, and the cam curve; The imaging control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. 3. The imaging control device according to claim 2, wherein the second control means moves the focus lens within a movable range of the focus lens that is limited based on the correspondence information calculated by the calculation means.

4. 2. The imaging control device according to claim 1, wherein the first control means and the second control means control the speed at which the zoom magnification is changed and the speed at which the focus position is changed, respectively, based on the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition.

5. 5. The imaging control device according to claim 4, wherein the second control means controls the second driving means so that a change amount of the focus position per unit zoom magnification is constant.

6. 5. The imaging control device according to claim 4, wherein the second control means controls the second driving means so that a focusing operation is completed at the same timing as a zooming operation performed by the first control means.

7. the acquisition means acquires the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition that are set from the start of imaging to the end of imaging, 5. The imaging control device according to claim 4, wherein the first control means and the second control means control the first driving means and the second driving means, respectively, based on a set time from the start of imaging to the end of imaging.

8. a display control means for displaying a setting screen having axes each having the imaging parameters as components; 2. The imaging control device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition means acquires the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition designated on the setting screen.

9. The display control means 9. The imaging control device according to claim 8, wherein, when there are a plurality of imaging parameters, the setting screen is displayed with fewer axes than the total number of the imaging parameters.

10. The display control means 10. The imaging control device according to claim 9, wherein components of the axes on the setting screen can be switched.

11. The imaging control device according to claim 8, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition specified on the setting screen, and information indicating a process of changing from the first imaging condition specified on the setting screen to the second imaging condition.

12. The display control means 12. The imaging control device according to claim 11, wherein information that allows the process of changing from the first imaging condition to the second imaging condition to be read is displayed on the setting screen.

13. 13. The imaging control device according to claim 12, wherein the information from which the change process can be read includes at least one of a symbol and an arrow indicating the order in which the imaging conditions are changed.

14. 2. The imaging control device according to claim 1, further comprising a registration unit that registers the zooming operation performed by said first control unit and the focusing operation performed by said second control unit.

15. 2. The imaging control device according to claim 1, wherein the second control means controls the second driving means based on the focus lens position in the correspondence information calculated based on the focus lens movement amount between cams and the focus lens movement amount from a reference cam.

16. 16. The imaging control device according to claim 15, wherein the second control means updates the reference cam and controls the second drive means when the amount of focus lens movement from the reference cam becomes the amount of focus lens movement between cams or becomes 0.

17. acquiring first and second imaging conditions in which imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and a focus position are set, respectively; a step of driving and controlling a zoom lens to perform a zooming operation from a zoom magnification of the first imaging condition to a zoom magnification of the second imaging condition; driving and controlling a focus lens based on correspondence information indicating a focus lens position relative to a zoom lens position, so as to change the focus lens in one direction from a focus position under the first imaging condition to a focus position under the second imaging condition during the zooming operation; An imaging control method comprising:

18. acquiring first and second imaging conditions in which imaging parameters including a zoom magnification and a focus position are set, respectively; a step of driving and controlling a zoom lens to perform a zooming operation from a zoom magnification of the first imaging condition to a zoom magnification of the second imaging condition; driving and controlling a focus lens based on correspondence information indicating a focus lens position relative to a zoom lens position, so as to change the focus lens in one direction from a focus position under the first imaging condition to a focus position under the second imaging condition during the zooming operation; 2. A program for causing a computer to execute an imaging control method, comprising:

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