Imaging device, control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique that allows a user to use a plurality of functions related to predetermined processing according to purposes with one operating unit capable of a plurality of depressing operations, and can reduce operational moves.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus has: imaging means; processing means that performs predetermined processing on a subject in an image picked up by the imaging means; a first operating unit to perform a photographing instruction; a second operating unit different from the first operating unit; and control means that performs control to execute the predetermined processing on a first subject in the image according to a first depressing operation on the second operating unit, and to switch a target of the predetermined processing according to a second depressing operation following the first depressing operation on the second operating unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for operating an imaging device.

Background Art

[0002] An imaging device such as a digital camera can assign a desired function (e.g., autofocus) to a predetermined operation member and execute the desired function by operating the predetermined operation member at the time of shooting. The imaging device is provided with not only autofocus but also a variety of functions, and the functions that can be assigned to the operation member by the user are also increasing.

[0003] While the user can assign a desired function to an operation member, when executing another function after executing the desired function, it is necessary to operate a plurality of operation members, so the order of operations may increase or the operation may become difficult. For example, after executing autofocus by operating an operation member on a certain subject, if you want to execute autofocus again on a different subject, it is necessary to operate a plurality of operation members, and the focus on the changed subject may not be in time, which may cause a loss of shooting opportunity.

[0004] In response to such problems, Patent Document 1 describes a method that enables different functions to be executed according to different operations on one operation member, and Patent Document 2 describes a method for determining the subject to be autofocused based on the user's line-of-sight detection position and the subject position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In Patent Document 1, video recording can be executed by half - pressing an operation member (shutter button), and still - image shooting can be executed by fully pressing it. However, there may be a case where the shutter button is intended to be fixed as a still - image shooting function. In such a case, if the function executed as in Patent Document 1 is changed, the original still - image shooting becomes impossible. Further, when performing an auto - focus operation using an operation member different from the shutter button, the user cannot obtain the effect of reducing the operation sequence just by not operating the shutter button.

[0007] In Patent Document 2, there is a possibility that the object of auto - focus is determined automatically against the user's will.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to realize a technology that can properly use a plurality of functions related to predetermined processing by one operation unit capable of a plurality of pressing operations and can reduce the operation sequence.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] To solve the above problems and achieve the object, the imaging device of the present invention includes imaging Unit and processing means for performing predetermined processing on a subject in the image captured by the imaging by the unit a first operation unit for giving a shooting instruction, a second operation unit different from the first operation unit, control means for executing the predetermined processing on a first subject in the image in response to a first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and for controlling to switch the target of the predetermined processing in response to a second pressing operation following the first pressing operation on the second operation unit. and the first pressing operation on the second operation unit is a half-pressing operation on the second operation unit, and the second pressing operation on the second operation unit is a full-pressing operation on the second operation unit .

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a plurality of functions related to predetermined processing can be properly used by one operation unit capable of a plurality of pressing operations, and the operation sequence can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the imaging device of the present invention is applied to a digital single-lens reflex camera capable of taking still images and recording moving images will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, an example in which the imaging device of the present invention is applied to a digital camera will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this example and can be applied to any device equipped with a camera function. That is, the present invention can also be applied to tablet devices equipped with a camera function, mobile phones and smartphones which are a type of mobile phone, music players, game machines, e-book readers, and the like.

[0014] [First Embodiment] <Device Configuration> With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration and functions of the digital camera 100 of this embodiment will be described.

[0015] FIG. 1(a) is a front perspective view of the digital camera 100 with the lens unit 200 removed, and FIG. 1(b) is a rear perspective view of the digital camera 100.

[0016] In FIG. 1, the rear display unit 101 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel provided on the back of the camera body outside the viewfinder, which displays images and various information so that the user can view them. The rear display unit 101 also has functions of still image playback after still image shooting, moving image display during recording, and live view display. A touch panel 270a is provided on the rear display unit 101. The touch panel 270a is touch detection means capable of detecting contact (touch operation) with the display surface of the rear display unit 101 (the operation surface of the touch panel 270a). The outside-of-viewfinder display unit 243 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel provided on the upper surface of the camera body, and displays various setting values of the camera such as shutter speed and aperture.

[0017] The shutter button 102 is a push-button type operation member for giving a shooting instruction. The mode switch 103 is a dial type operation member for switching various modes. The mode switch 103 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 201 to any one of a still image shooting mode, a moving image recording mode, and a playback mode. The still image shooting mode includes, for example, an auto shooting mode, an auto scene discrimination mode, a manual mode, an aperture priority mode (Av mode), a shutter speed priority mode (Tv mode), a program AE mode (P mode). Further, the still image shooting mode includes, for example, various scene modes which are shooting settings according to the shooting scene, a program AE mode, a custom mode, and the like.

[0018] Directly switch to any one of a plurality of modes included in the still image shooting mode with the mode switch 103. Alternatively, after once switching to the still image shooting mode with the mode switch 103, it may be switched to any one of a plurality of modes included in the still image shooting mode using another operation member. Similarly, a plurality of modes may be included in the moving image recording mode and the playback mode.

[0019] The terminal cover 104 is a cover member for protecting a connector (not shown) for connecting the external device and the digital camera 100 via a cable such as USB. The main electronic dial 105 is a rotary operation member included in the operation unit 270 described later in FIG. 2. By turning the main electronic dial 105, set values such as the shutter speed and the aperture can be changed.

[0020] The power switch 106 is an operation member for switching the power of the digital camera 100 on / off. The sub electronic dial 107 is a rotary operation member for moving a selection frame, advancing an image, and the like. The cross key 108 is a movement instruction member capable of performing an operation according to the pressed portion of the cross key 108 by pressing any one of the four direction buttons consisting of up, down, left, and right. The SET button 109 is a push-button type operation member mainly used for determining a selected item and the like.

[0021] The recording button 110 is a push-button type operation member that switches the on / off of the live view display in the still image shooting mode and is used to instruct the start and stop of video shooting (recording) in the video recording mode. The zoom button 111 is a push-button type operation member used to switch the on / off of the zoom display during live view and to change the zoom ratio during zoom display. Also, the zoom button 111 is used to enlarge the playback image and increase the zoom ratio in the playback mode. After turning on the zoom display, the main electronic dial 105 can be operated to zoom in or out the live view. Also, in the playback mode, it functions as a zoom button for enlarging the playback image and increasing the zoom ratio. The AE lock button 112 is a push-button type operation member that can fix the exposure state by pressing it in the shooting standby state.

[0022] The playback button 113 is a push-button type operation member used to switch between the shooting mode and the playback mode. By pressing the playback button 113 during the shooting mode, the user can shift to the playback mode and display the latest image recorded on the recording medium 250 on the rear display unit 101. The menu button 114 is a push-button type operation member that, when pressed, displays various configurable menu screens on the rear display unit 101. The user can intuitively perform various settings using the menu screens displayed on the rear display unit 101, the cross keys 108, the SET button 109, or the multi-controller 115.

[0023] The AF on button 116 is an operation member capable of instructing the execution of AE (automatic exposure) processing and AF (autofocus) processing for a predetermined subject in the live view image, and the execution of a function of switching the subject of the AF processing to the subject designated by the user's line-of-sight input. Similar to the shutter button 102 described later, the AF on button 116 turns on during the operation (half-press) and generates a first AF on signal SW3 at the first stage, and turns on when the operation is completed (full-press) and generates a second AF on signal SW4 at the second stage. It is a push-button type operation member capable of two-stage operation. When the first operation of the AF on button 116 to the first stage is performed, the system control unit 201 executes AE processing and AF processing on the subject, and when the operation to the second stage following the first stage is performed, it executes the function of switching to the subject designated by the user's line-of-sight input. The functions executed according to the half-press and full-press operations of the AF on button 116 can be assigned using the setting screen described later in FIG. 6, the cross keys 108, the SET button 109, or the multi-controller 115. In addition, it is also possible to assign functions other than AE processing, AF processing, and switching of the subject based on line-of-sight input to the half-press and full-press operations of the AF on button 116. Note that not only the AF on button 116 but also other operation members may be configured so that the user can set the functions to be executed. Also, for the shutter button 102, the function executed by the half-press operation may be changeable. For example, whether to execute AE processing and AF processing in response to the half-press operation of the shutter button 102 may be changeable by user settings. However, if the function assigned to the full-press operation of the shutter button 102, which is the function of the shooting recording process, is changed, shooting will become impossible. Therefore, the function (assigned function) executed by the full-press operation of the shutter button 102 shall not be changeable by the user.

[0024] The rear display unit 101 and the in-finder display unit 229 described later are controlled for display by the system control unit 201 according to the various operation modes described above as an electronic viewfinder (hereinafter, EVF).

[0025] The eyepiece unit 216 is a peeping type viewfinder. The user can visually recognize the image displayed on the in-finder display unit 229 through the eyepiece unit 216, and can check the focus and composition of the subject image captured through the lens unit 200.

[0026] The eyepiece detection unit 217 is disposed in the vicinity of the eyepiece unit 216 and can detect the approach of any object to the eyepiece unit 216. For example, an infrared proximity sensor is used as the eyepiece detection unit 217.

[0027] The communication terminal 210 is an electrical contact for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens unit 200 (FIG. 2). The lid 118 is a member that opens and closes a slot for attaching and detaching the recording medium 250 to and from the digital camera 100. The grip portion 117 has a shape that is easy to hold with the right hand when the user holds the digital camera 100. With the grip portion 117 held by the little finger, ring finger, and middle finger of the right hand, the shutter button 102 and the main electronic dial 105 are arranged at positions operable by the index finger of the right hand. Also, in the same state, the sub electronic dial 107 is arranged at a position operable by the thumb of the right hand.

[0028] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the internal configurations of the digital camera 100 and the lens unit 200 of the present embodiment will be described. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given to the configurations common to FIG. 1.

[0029] In FIG. 2, the lens unit 200 is equipped with a photographing lens 207 and is detachable from the digital camera 100. The photographing lens 207 is usually composed of a plurality of lenses, but here it is simply shown as only one lens. The communication terminal 206 is an electrical contact for the lens unit 200 to communicate with the digital camera 100. The communication terminal 210 is an electrical contact for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens unit 200. The lens unit 200 communicates with the system control unit 201 via the communication terminal 206, and the built-in lens control unit 204 controls the aperture drive circuit 202 to drive the aperture 205 and controls the AF drive circuit 203 to displace the position of the photographing lens 207 to focus.

[0030] The focal plane shutter 221 can freely control the exposure time in the imaging unit 222 according to the instruction of the system control unit 201. The imaging unit 222 is an image sensor composed of an imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS that converts a subject image into an electrical signal. The A / D converter 223 converts an analog signal of one pixel output from the imaging unit 222 into a digital signal of, for example, 10 bits.

[0031] The image processing unit 224 performs resizing processes such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction, and color conversion processes on the data from the A / D converter 223 or the data from the memory control unit 215. Also, in the image processing unit 224, predetermined arithmetic processes for photometry processing and distance measurement processing are performed using the captured image data, and the system control unit 201 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the arithmetic results. Thereby, AF processing, AE processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing in the TTL (through-the-lens) method are performed. In the image processing unit 224, further, predetermined arithmetic processes for white balance processing are performed using the captured image data, and AWB (auto white balance) processing in the TTL method is also performed based on the arithmetic results. Also, the image processing unit 224 performs subject detection processing for detecting the type, part, and state (category) of the subject, the position and size (area) of the subject, etc. using the captured image data. Also, the image processing unit 224 enables face AF and pupil AF. Face AF means performing AF on the face in the image detected by the subject detection processing. Pupil AF means performing AF on the pupil included in the face in the image detected by the subject detection processing. Also, the system control unit 201 determines a predetermined subject automatically or by user operation from one or more subjects detected by the image processing unit 224, and displays a frame indicating that the predetermined subject is the target of AE processing and AF processing.

[0032] The memory control unit 215 controls the transfer of data among the A / D converter 223, the image processing unit 224, and the memory 232. The digital data output from the A / D converter 223 is written directly into the memory 232 via the image processing unit 224 and the memory control unit 215, or via the memory control unit 215. The memory 232 stores the image data obtained from the imaging unit 222 and the A / D converter 223, and the image display data for display on the rear display unit 101 or the in-finder display unit 229. The memory 232 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, a moving image for a predetermined time, and audio. Also, the memory 232 serves as an image display memory (video memory).

[0033] The D / A converter 219 converts the image display data stored in the memory 232 into an analog signal and supplies it to the rear display unit 101 or the in-finder display unit 229. The image data for display written in the memory 232 is displayed by the rear display unit 101 or the in-finder display unit 229 via the D / A converter 219. The rear display unit 101 and the in-finder display unit 229 perform display according to the analog signal from the D / A converter 219 on the display device. In this way, by converting the digital signal stored in the memory 232 into an analog signal, sequentially transferring it to the rear display unit 101 or the in-finder display unit 229, and displaying it, it functions as an EVF that performs live view display (through-image display).

[0034] On the external-finder display unit 243, various setting values of the camera such as shutter speed and aperture are displayed via the external-finder display unit drive circuit 244.

[0035] The non-volatile memory 256 is electrically erasable and recordable, such as an EEPROM. In the non-volatile memory 256, constants, programs, etc. for the operation of the system control unit 201 are stored. Here, the program refers to the program for executing the flowchart described later.

[0036] The system control unit 201 includes a CPU or MPU that comprehensively controls the entire digital camera 100, and realizes each process of the flowchart described later by executing the program stored in the non-volatile memory 256. The system memory 252 is a RAM or the like, and is also used as a work memory for expanding constants, variables, programs read from the non-volatile memory 256, etc. for the operation of the system control unit 201. Further, the system control unit 201 also performs display control by controlling the memory 232, the D / A converter 219, the rear display unit 101, the in-finder display unit 229, etc. The system timer 253 is a timing unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of the built-in clock.

[0037] The first shutter switch 211 turns on during the operation of the shutter button 102 of the digital camera 100, that is, during a so-called half-press (preparation instruction for shooting), and generates a first shutter switch signal SW1. The system control unit 201 receives the first shutter switch signal SW1 and causes the image processing unit 224 to start AE processing, AF processing, AWB processing, EF processing, etc.

[0038] The second shutter switch 212 turns on when the operation of the shutter button 102 is completed, that is, during a so-called full-press (shooting instruction), and generates a second shutter switch signal SW2. The system control unit 201 starts a series of recording processes from reading the signal from the imaging unit 222 to writing the image data to the recording medium 250 based on the second shutter switch signal SW2.

[0039] The operation unit 270 consists of operation members such as various switches and buttons that receive various operations from the user and notify the system control unit 201, and includes at least the following operation members. Shutter button 102, mode switch 103, main electronic dial 105, power switch 106, sub electronic dial 107, cross key 108, SET button 109, recording button 110, zoom button 111, AE lock button 112, playback button 113, menu button 114, multi-controller 115, AF on button 116.

[0040] Note that for each operation member included in the operation unit 270, a desired function can be assigned using the menu screen and the cross key 108, SET button 109, or multi-controller 115.

[0041] The power control unit 280 is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching the energized block, etc., and detects the presence or absence of battery installation, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Further, the power control unit 280 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control unit 201, and supplies the necessary voltage to each part including the recording medium 250 for the necessary period.

[0042] The power supply unit 230 consists of a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li-ion battery, and an AC adapter. The recording medium I / F 218 is an interface with a recording medium 250 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 250 is a recording medium such as a memory card for recording the captured images and is composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, etc.

[0043] The communication unit 254 is communicably connected to an external device via a wireless antenna or a wired cable and transmits and receives images and sounds. The communication unit 254 can also be connected to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. The communication unit 254 can transmit the image data (including the live view image) captured by the imaging unit 222 and the image files recorded on the recording medium 250 to an external device, and can also receive image data and other various information from the external device. Note that the communication unit 254 may use not only a wireless LAN but also a wireless communication module such as infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy, WirelessUSB, or a wired connection means such as a USB cable, HDMI (registered trademark), or IEEE1394.

[0044] The attitude detection unit 255 detects the attitude of the digital camera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity. Based on the attitude detected by the attitude detection unit 255, it is possible to determine whether the image captured by the imaging unit 222 is an image captured with the digital camera 100 held horizontally or vertically. The system control unit 201 can add orientation information corresponding to the attitude detected by the attitude detection unit 255 to the image file of the image captured by the imaging unit 222, or rotate and record the image. As the attitude detection unit 255, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, etc. can be used. The attitude detection unit 255 can also detect the movement (pan, tilt, lift, stationary, etc.) of the digital camera 100 by using an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor.

[0045] Note that, as one of the operation units 270, it has a touch panel 270a capable of detecting a touch operation on the rear display unit 101. The touch panel 270a and the rear display unit 101 can be integrally configured. For example, the touch panel 270a is configured so that the light transmittance does not interfere with the display of the rear display unit 101, and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the rear display unit 101. Then, the input coordinates on the touch panel 270a are associated with the display coordinates of the rear display unit 101. Thereby, a GUI can be configured as if the user can directly operate the screen displayed on the rear display unit 101. The system control unit 201 can detect the following operations or states on the touch panel 270a.

[0046] · The finger or pen that was not touching the touch panel 270a newly touches the touch panel 270a. That is, the start of a touch (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Down).

[0047] · The state of touching the touch panel 270a with a finger or pen (hereinafter referred to as Touch-On).

[0048] · Moving while touching the touch panel 270a with a finger or pen (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Move).

[0049] · The finger or pen that was touching the touch panel 270a is released. That is, the end of a touch (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Up).

[0050] · The state of not touching anything on the touch panel 270a (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Off).

[0051] When a touch-down is detected, it is also detected that it is a touch-on at the same time. After a touch-down, unless a touch-up is detected, usually a touch-on is continuously detected. A touch-move is also detected while a touch-on is detected. Even if a touch-on is detected, if the touch position does not move, a touch-move is not detected. After it is detected that all fingers and pens that were touching have touched up, it becomes a touch-off.

[0052] These operations and states, and the position coordinates where a finger or pen is touching the touch panel 270a are notified to the system control unit 201 through the internal bus. The system control unit 201 determines what kind of operation (touch operation) has been performed on the touch panel 270a based on the notified information.

[0053] Regarding a touch-move, the moving direction of the finger or pen moving on the touch panel 270a can also be determined for each vertical component and horizontal component of the touch panel 270a based on the change in the position coordinates. If it is detected that a touch-move has been made over a predetermined distance, it is determined that a slide operation (drag) has been performed. An operation of quickly moving a finger a certain distance while touching the touch panel 270a and then leaving it as it is is called a flick. In other words, a flick is an operation of quickly tracing the touch panel 270a as if pushing it away with a finger. If it is detected that a touch-move has been made over a predetermined distance at a predetermined speed or more and a touch-up is detected as it is, it can be determined that a flick has been performed (it can be determined that there has been a flick following a drag). Furthermore, a touch operation of touching multiple locations (for example, two points) simultaneously and bringing the touch positions closer to each other is called a pinch-in, and a touch operation of moving the touch positions away from each other is called a pinch-out. The pinch-out and pinch-in are collectively called a pinch operation (or simply a pinch).

[0054] The touch panel 270a may use any of various types of touch panels, such as the resistive film type, capacitive type, surface acoustic wave type, infrared type, electromagnetic induction type, image recognition type, optical sensor type, etc. Depending on the type, there are methods for detecting a touch when there is contact with the touch panel, and methods for detecting a touch when a finger or pen approaches the touch panel, but any method may be used.

[0055] The eye detection unit 217 detects the approach (eye contact) and separation (eye release) of the eye (object) to / from the eyepiece unit 216 (approach detection). The system control unit 201 switches the display (display state) / non-display (non-display state) of the rear display unit 101 and the in-finder display unit 229 according to the state detected by the eye detection unit 217. When at least in the shooting mode and the switching of the display destination is automatic, the system control unit 201 sets the display destination to the rear display unit 101 and the in-finder display unit 229 is non-displayed when not in eye contact. Also, when in eye contact, the display destination is set to the in-finder display unit 229 and the rear display unit 101 is non-displayed.

[0056] When an object approaches, the infrared light irradiated from the light projecting unit (not shown) of the eye detection unit 217 is reflected and enters the light receiving unit (not shown) of the infrared proximity sensor. Based on the incident light amount of the infrared light received by the infrared proximity sensor, it is possible to detect the approach of any object to the eyepiece unit 216 and determine how close the object has approached the eyepiece unit 216 (eye contact distance). When the approach of an object to the eyepiece unit 216 is detected, the system control unit 201 can start the display of the in-finder display unit 229. As a result, when the user looks into the eyepiece unit 216, the in-finder display unit 229 can be displayed with as little delay as possible.

[0057] In addition, when the eyepiece detection unit 217 detects an object approaching within a predetermined distance from the non-eyepiece state (non-approaching state) to the eyepiece unit 216, it determines that the eyepiece has been detected and sends an eyepiece detection notification to the system control unit 201. Further, when an object that has been detected as approaching moves away by a predetermined distance or more from the eyepiece state (approaching state), it determines that the eye has left and sends an eye-leaving detection notification to the system control unit 201. The threshold for detecting the eyepiece and the threshold for detecting the eye leaving may be different, for example, by providing hysteresis. Also, after detecting the eyepiece, it is considered to be in the eyepiece state until the eye leaves is detected. After detecting the eye leaving, it is considered to be in the non-eyepiece state until the eyepiece is detected. Thereby, the system control unit 201 performs display control of the rear display unit 101 and the in-finder display unit 229 according to the eyepiece state or the eye-leaving state detected by the eyepiece detection unit 217.

[0058] Note that the eyepiece detection unit 217 is not limited to an infrared proximity sensor, and other sensors may be used as long as they can detect the approach of an eye or an object that can be regarded as an eyepiece.

[0059] The gaze detection unit 260 includes the following dichroic mirror 262, imaging lens 263, gaze detection sensor 264, gaze detection circuit 265, and infrared light emitting element 266, and detects not only the presence or absence of the user's gaze with respect to the in-finder display unit 229 but also the position and movement of the gaze.

[0060] The digital camera 100 of this embodiment detects the line of sight by a method called the corneal reflection method using the line-of-sight detection unit 260. The corneal reflection method is a method of detecting the position and direction of the line of sight based on the positional relationship between the reflected light obtained by reflecting the infrared light emitted from the infrared light-emitting element 266 on the eyeball (eye) 261 (particularly the cornea) and the pupil of the eyeball (eye) 261. In addition, there are various methods of detecting the position and direction of the line of sight, such as a method called the scleral reflection method that utilizes the difference in the light reflectance between the black eye and the white eye. As long as it is a method capable of detecting the position and direction of the line of sight, a line-of-sight detection method other than the above may be used. In the digital camera 100 of this embodiment, the display setting of the line-of-sight pointer when the line-of-sight input function is on can be set by the menu screen illustrated in FIG. 12. The user can operate the operation unit 270 on the display setting screen of the line-of-sight pointer in FIG. 12 to select and set the display setting of the line-of-sight pointer from among "Do", "Only during shooting standby", and "Do not". When the display setting of the line-of-sight pointer is set to "Do", the system control unit 201 controls to superimpose a line-of-sight pointer indicating the line-of-sight position detected by the line-of-sight detection unit 260 on the live view image and display it on the finder internal display unit 229 when the line-of-sight input function is on. By displaying the line-of-sight pointer, the user can grasp the currently detected line-of-sight position and can confirm in advance which position will be specified when specifying a position using the line-of-sight input function. When the display setting of the line-of-sight pointer is set to "Do not", the system control unit 201 controls not to display the line-of-sight pointer indicating the line-of-sight position. When "Only during shooting standby" is set, the system control unit 201 controls to display the line-of-sight pointer when the line-of-sight input function is on. However, while the shooting preparation processes such as AF processing and AE processing are being executed by fully pressing the shutter button 102 or half-pressing the shutter button 102, etc., the line-of-sight pointer is not displayed even if the line of sight is detected by the line-of-sight detection unit 260. That is, it is controlled to display the line-of-sight pointer only when the AF processing and AE processing are not being executed.During the execution of AF processing and AE processing, the user may view the live view image to check if the subject is in focus. However, when the gaze pointer is displayed at the gaze position, it becomes difficult to check the subject. Therefore, a setting of "only during shooting standby" is provided where the gaze pointer is not displayed during the execution of the shooting preparation process.

[0061] The infrared light emitting element 266 is a diode that emits infrared light for detecting the user's gaze position within the viewfinder screen, and irradiates the user's eyeball (eye) 261 with infrared light toward the vicinity of the center of the eyepiece 216. The infrared light irradiated from the infrared light emitting element 266 is reflected by the eyeball (eye) 261, and the reflected infrared light reaches the dichroic mirror 262. The dichroic mirror 262 has a function of reflecting only infrared light and transmitting visible light, and the reflected infrared light whose optical path has been changed forms an image on the imaging surface of the gaze detection sensor 264 via the imaging lens 263.

[0062] The imaging lens 263 is an optical member that constitutes the gaze detection optical system. The gaze detection sensor 264 includes an image sensor composed of a CCD, a CMOS, or the like. The gaze detection sensor 264 photoelectrically converts the incident reflected infrared light into an electrical signal and outputs it to the gaze detection circuit 265. The gaze detection circuit 265 detects the user's gaze position from the movement of the user's eyeball (eye) 261 and the position of the pupil based on the output signal of the gaze detection sensor 264, and outputs the detected information to the system control unit 201. Since the gaze detection sensor 264 can detect the pupil of a person's eye, even if another object approaches or touches the eyepiece 216, it does not detect that a person's gaze is being input. Thereby, the eyepiece 216 has a function as a gaze operation unit, but the gaze detection unit may have a different configuration. Note that the enable / disable of the gaze input function by the gaze detection unit 260 can be set by the user via, for example, the menu screen.

[0063] The system control unit 201 can detect the following operations or states to the eyepiece 216 based on the detection result of the gaze detection unit 260. · That a new gaze of the user who has put the eyepiece to the eyepiece 216 has been input (detected) (start of gaze input) · The user who is looking through the eyepiece part 216 is in a state of making a line-of-sight input. · The user who is looking through the eyepiece part 216 is in a state of gazing. · The user who was looking through the eyepiece part 216 has removed the line of sight that was input (end of line-of-sight input). · The user who is looking through the eyepiece part 216 is in a state of not making any line-of-sight input. These operations, states, and the line-of-sight input position on the eyepiece part 216 are notified to the system control unit 201, and the system control unit 201 can determine what kind of operation (line-of-sight operation) has been performed on the eyepiece part 216 based on the notified information.

[0064] Note that gazing refers to the case where the user's line-of-sight position does not exceed a predetermined movement amount within a predetermined time. That is, based on the detection information received from the line-of-sight detection circuit 265, the system control unit 201 determines that the user is gazing at a certain area when the period during which the user's line of sight is fixed in a certain area exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Therefore, it can be said that the said area is the gazing position (gazing area) where gazing has been performed. Note that "being fixed in a certain area where the line of sight exists" means that, for example, until a predetermined period elapses, the average position of the movement of the line of sight is within the said area and the variation (dispersion) is less than a predetermined value.

[0065] <Control Process>Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, the control process of the digital camera 100 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0066] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are flowcharts showing the control processes of the digital camera 100 according to the first embodiment. The process in FIG. 3 is realized by the system control unit 201 expanding and executing the program stored in the nonvolatile memory 256 in the system memory 252 and controlling each component when the power of the digital camera 100 is turned on. Note that the process in FIG. 3 may be performed not only immediately after the digital camera 100 is activated but also immediately after shifting to the still image shooting mode or the video recording mode and starting the display of the live view image. The process in FIG. 3 only extracts the process related to the operation of the AF on button 116 in the shooting standby state (a state in which the shooting recording process is not executed due to the shutter button 102 being fully pressed in the shooting mode). That is, separately from the process in FIG. 3, the processes described in the device configuration are also executed. That is, the system control unit 201 executes shooting preparation processes such as AE processing, AF processing, AWB processing, and EF processing in response to a half-press (SW1 on) of the shutter button 102. In addition, the system control unit 201 executes a recording process in response to a full-press (SW2 on) of the shutter button 102.

[0067] In step S301, the system control unit 201 sequentially updates the live view image captured by the imaging unit 222 and displays it on the rear display unit 101. The display process of the live view image is continuously executed during the process in FIG. 3.

[0068] In step S302, the system control unit 201 performs a subject detection process on the live view image by the image processing unit 224.

[0069] In step S303, the system control unit 201 determines whether a predetermined subject has been detected by the subject detection process of the image processing unit 224. If it is determined that a predetermined subject has been detected, the process proceeds to step S304. If it is determined that a predetermined subject has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S305.

[0070] In step S304, the system control unit 201 receives the position information of a predetermined subject detected in step S302 from the image processing unit 224, and displays a subject frame so as to surround the predetermined subject in the image displayed on the rear display unit 101. Note that when the subject to be AF-targeted is selected by the user's operation, for example, an operation to determine the AF position at the line-of-sight position by fully pressing the AF on button 116 or an operation to specify the AF position by a touch operation on the rear display unit 101, a subject frame indicating that it is a selected subject may be displayed. Then, in the case of a subject automatically selected by the system control unit 201 rather than a subject selected by the user, a normal single-line subject frame is displayed, and in the case of a subject selected by the user, a double-line subject frame is displayed, and they may be displayed in different display forms (such as shape and color) so that it can be identified that they are selected subjects. Also, a subject once selected by the user may be tracked by the image processing unit 224, and a subject frame may be displayed at the tracked subject position.

[0071] In step S305, the system control unit 201 displays a fixed AF frame of a certain size with respect to the AF position specified by the user using the cross keys 108, the SET button 109, or the multi-controller 115 in the image displayed on the rear display unit 101. Note that when no subject is detected in step S302, the system control unit 201 may skip the process of step S305 and proceed to the process of step S306.

[0072] In step S306, the system control unit 201 receives the information on the line-of-sight position of the user detected by the line-of-sight detection unit 260, and displays the line-of-sight position in the image displayed on the rear display unit 101. Note that when the line-of-sight input function of the digital camera 100 is disabled, the process of step S306 may be omitted.

[0073] In step S307, the system control unit 201 determines whether the AF on button 116 is half-pressed. When the system control unit 201 detects the first AF on signal SW3 from the AF on button 116, it determines that the AF on button 116 is half-pressed. If the system control unit 201 determines that the AF on button 116 is half-pressed, the process proceeds to step S308. If it determines that the AF on button 116 is not half-pressed, the process returns to step S301.

[0074] In step S308, the system control unit 201 executes AE processing by performing exposure control based on the photometric operation result obtained by the image processing unit 224.

[0075] In step S309, the system control unit 201 determines the subject frame or the fixed AF frame determined as the AF target in the processes from S303 to S305 by the image processing unit 224 to the AF position. In the digital camera 100 according to the first embodiment, during steps S301 to S306 when the AF on button 116 is not operated, AE / AF processing is not performed, and AE / AF processing is executed at the timing when a half-press operation or a full-press operation is performed on the AF on button 116. Also, AE / AF processing is executed at the timing when the shutter button 102 is half-pressed.

[0076] In step S310, the system control unit 201 executes AF processing by distance measurement control based on the distance measurement operation result of the AF position determined in step S309 obtained by the image processing unit 224, and displays an AF frame indicating the result of the executed AF processing on the rear display unit 101. By displaying the AF frame in a color and shape different from that of the subject frame and the fixed frame, the AF frame indicating the result of the executed AF processing is displayed. When the AF operation setting can be set on the menu screen, if the AF operation setting is set to one-shot (single-point) AF, the system control unit 201 controls to execute the AF processing only once at the timing when the AF on button 116 is half-pressed. When the AF operation setting is set to servo AF, the system control unit 201 continuously executes the AF processing for the determined AF position and controls to update the display of the AF frame indicating the AF result. When the AF operation setting is set to servo AF on the menu screen and subject tracking is further set, the system control unit 201 executes subject tracking and controls to execute the AF processing with the tracked subject position as the AF position.

[0077] In step S311, the system control unit 201 determines whether the half-press of the AF on button 116 has been released, that is, whether the AF on button 116 is not being operated. The system control unit 201 determines that the half-press of the AF on button 116 has been released when the first AF on signal SW3 is no longer detected from the AF on button 116. When the system control unit 201 determines that the half-press of the AF on button 116 has been released, it returns the process to step S301. When the system control unit 201 determines that the half-press of the AF on button 116 has not been released, it advances the process to step S312.

[0078] In step S312, the system control unit 201 determines whether the AF on button 116 has been fully pressed. When the system control unit 201 detects the second AF on signal SW4 from the AF on button 116, it determines that the AF on button 116 has been half or fully pressed. If the system control unit 201 determines that the AF on button 116 has been fully pressed, the process proceeds to step S313. If the system control unit 201 determines that the AF on button 116 has not been fully pressed, the process returns to step S311.

[0079] In step S313, the system control unit 201 determines whether the gaze input function of the digital camera 100 is valid. If it determines that the gaze input function is valid, the process proceeds to step S314. If it determines that the gaze input function is not valid, the process returns to step S311.

[0080] In step S314, the system control unit 201 determines the gaze position detected by the gaze detection unit 260.

[0081] In step S315, the system control unit 201 determines the gaze position determined in step S314 as the AF position.

[0082] In step S316, the system control unit 201 executes AE processing and AF processing on the subject at the AF position determined in step S315 by the image processing unit 224, and displays the AF frame on the rear display unit 101. Note that in step S316 as well, similar to step S310, the system control unit 201 switches whether to execute the AF process only once or continue to execute the AF process according to whether the AF operation setting is one-shot (single point) or servo AF. Further, the system control unit 201 updates the display of the AF frame indicating the AF result, and if subject tracking is set, controls to execute subject tracking and execute the AF process with the tracked subject position as the AF position.

[0083] In step S317, the system control unit 201 determines whether the full press of the AF on button 116 has been released, that is, whether the AF on button 116 has entered the half-press state. When the system control unit 201 no longer detects the second AF on signal SW4 from the AF on button 116, it determines that the full press of the AF on button 116 has been released. The system control unit 201 waits until it is determined that the full press of the AF on button 116 has been released, and when it is determined that the AF on button 116 has been released, the process proceeds to step S318.

[0084] In step S318, the system control unit 201 determines whether the shooting operation has ended, such as when the operation mode of the digital camera 100 is changed. If it is determined that the shooting operation has ended, the process ends. If it is determined that the shooting operation has not ended, the process returns to step S311.

[0085] Note that when it is determined in step S317 that the full press of the AF on button 116 has been released, the process may proceed to step S308, and AE processing and AF processing may be executed again at the position of the subject frame or the fixed AF frame.

[0086] Also, when the gaze input function is invalid, even if the AF on button 116 is fully pressed in step S312, AE processing and AF processing may be continued at the position of the subject frame or the fixed AF frame from steps S308 to S310.

[0087] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the control process when the gaze input function of the digital camera 100 of the first embodiment is invalid will be described.

[0088] In FIG. 3, when the gaze input function is invalid in step S313, the state was such that AF was executed at the position of the subject frame or the fixed AF frame by half-pressing the AF on button 116 from steps S307 to S310, but the control process shown in FIG. 4(a) or FIG. 4(b) may be executed.

[0089] FIG. 4(a) shows the process of switching between pupil AF / face AF when the gaze input function is invalid in step S313 of FIG. 3.

[0090] In steps S401 and S312, the same processes as steps S301 to S312 of FIG. 3 are performed.

[0091] In step S313, when it is determined that the gaze input function of the digital camera 100 is valid, the system control unit 201 executes the processes of steps S314 and S315, and when it is determined that the gaze input function is not valid, the process proceeds to step S402.

[0092] In step S402, the system control unit 201 determines whether the AF process (pupil AF function) for the pupil of the subject is valid. When it is determined that the pupil AF function is valid, the process proceeds to step S403, and when it is determined that the pupil AF function is not valid, the process proceeds to step S405.

[0093] In step S403, the system control unit 201 invalidates the pupil AF function and enables the AF process (face AF function) for the face (entire face) of the subject.

[0094] In step S404, the system control unit 201 detects the face of the subject by the image processing unit 224, determines the detected face position as the AF position, and performs AE processing and AF processing at the determined AF position in step S407, and displays the AF frame on the rear display unit 101. Note that in step S404, instead of the face of the subject, a rectangular area including the entire subject may be detected.

[0095] In step S405, the system control unit 201 enables the pupil AF function.

[0096] In step S406, the system control unit 201 detects the subject's pupil for the subject within the subject frame by the image processing unit 224, determines the detected pupil position as the AF position, proceeds to step S407 with respect to the determined AF position, executes AE processing and AF processing (step S316), and displays the AF frame on the rear display unit 101.

[0097] In step S407, the same processing as steps S316 to S322 in FIG. 3 is performed.

[0098] Note that in steps S402 to S406, each time the full press of the AF on button 116 is repeated (after the full press of the AF on button 116 is released and then the full press is executed again), the enable / disable of the pupil AF function is switched. Therefore, it is possible to execute AF processing while switching whether the AF position is the subject's face or the pupil. Note that instead of switching whether the AF position is the subject's face or the pupil each time the full press of the AF on button 116 is repeated, it may be switched whether the AF position is the subject's face, right eye, or left eye. Alternatively, each time the full press of the AF on button 116 is repeated, it may be switched between the right eye and the left eye of the subject for the AF position.

[0099] Note that in steps S402 to S406, the pupil AF function may always be disabled, and the pupil AF function may be enabled only while the AF on button 116 is fully pressed to execute AF processing on the subject's pupil.

[0100] FIG. 4(b) shows the process of switching the AF target subject when the gaze input function is disabled.

[0101] In steps S401 and S351, the same processing as steps S301 to S312 in FIG. 3 is performed.

[0102] In step S313, if it is determined that the gaze input function of the digital camera 100 is valid, the system control unit 201 executes the processes of steps S314 and S315, and if it is determined that the gaze input function is not valid, the process proceeds to step S408.

[0103] In step S408, the system control unit 201 searches for the subject detected in S303, and displays a subject frame for a subject different from the subject determined to be at the AF position in step S309.

[0104] In step S409, the system control unit 201 determines the subject frame displayed in step S408 as the AF position, and performs AE processing and AF processing on the determined AF position in step S407, and displays the AF frame on the rear display unit 101. Note that in step S408, a rectangular area including the entire subject rather than the face of the subject may be detected.

[0105] In step S407, the same processing as steps S316 to S322 in FIG. 3 is performed.

[0106] Note that from steps S408 to S409, while the half-press and full-press of the AF on button 116 are repeated, the AF target subject may be sequentially switched to another subject.

[0107] Furthermore, in FIG. 4, when the AF on button 116 is fully pressed and the gaze input function is invalid, the processes of steps S402 to S406 or steps S408 to S409 are executed, but it may be executed without determining the validity / invalidity of the gaze input function.

[0108] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the control process of the first embodiment will be described using the live view screen.

[0109] On the screen of Fig. 5(a), a live view image is displayed on the rear display unit 101, a subject 501 is detected by the image processing unit 224, and a subject frame 502 is displayed at the position of the face of the subject 501. Also, on the screen of Fig. 5(a), a gaze icon 503 is displayed at the gaze position detected by the gaze detection unit 260.

[0110] In the example of Fig. 5(a), the user's gaze is near the upper left of the screen. Note that when the gaze input function is invalid, the gaze icon 503 may not be displayed.

[0111] In the example of Fig. 5(a), a subject frame 502 is displayed for the subject 501, but when the subject cannot be detected, a fixed AF frame 510 may be displayed at the position specified by the user, or the fixed AF frame 510 may be displayed simultaneously with the subject frame 502. Note that the size of the fixed AF frame 510 can be arbitrarily specified by the user.

[0112] The screen of Fig. 5(b) illustrates a state where the user has half-pressed the AF on button 116 from the screen of Fig. 5(a).

[0113] The system control unit 201 performs AE processing and AF processing on the subject frame 502 of the subject 501 by the image processing unit 224, and changes the subject frame 502 to an AF frame 504.

[0114] When the subject cannot be detected, AE processing and AF processing are performed on the frame 510 of Fig. 5(a), and the AF frame 504 is displayed at the position of the fixed AF frame 510.

[0115] During the above processing, the gaze detection process by the gaze detection unit 260 can always be executed, and the position of the gaze icon 503 is updated according to the user's gaze position.

[0116] In the example of Fig. 5(b), it illustrates a state where the user's gaze is in the same position as in Fig. 5(a).

[0117] The screen in Fig. 5(c) illustrates a state where the user's line of sight has been changed to the subject 505 from the state in Fig. 5(b).

[0118] Similar to the example in Fig. 5(b), the line-of-sight detection process by the line-of-sight detection unit 260 can always be executed for the time from Fig. 5(b) to Fig. 5(c).

[0119] Different from the example in Fig. 5(a), in the example of Fig. 5(c), the position of the line-of-sight icon 503 has moved near the subject 505, and the user's line of sight has been changed from the subject 501 to another subject 505.

[0120] The screen in Fig. 5(d) illustrates a state where the user has fully pressed the AF on button 116 from the state in Fig. 5(c).

[0121] The system control unit 201 determines the line-of-sight position detected by the line-of-sight detection unit 260 as the position of the subject 505.

[0122] The system control unit 201 executes AE processing and AF processing on the subject 505 at the determined line-of-sight position by the image processing unit 224, and displays the AF frame 504.

[0123] Note that even after executing AF processing on the subject at the line-of-sight position in the state of Fig. 5(d), the line-of-sight detection by the line-of-sight detection unit 260 may continue, and the line-of-sight icon 503 may continue to be displayed.

[0124] The screen in Fig. 5(e) illustrates a state where the pupil AF function is enabled and AE processing and AF processing are executed on the pupil of the subject 501 when the AF on button 116 is fully pressed.

[0125] In the example of Fig. 5(e), a pupil AF icon 506 indicating that the pupil AF function is valid is displayed. When the pupil AF function is invalid, the pupil AF icon 506 may not be displayed, or an icon indicating that the pupil AF function is invalid may be displayed.

[0126] In the example of FIG. 5(e), a pupil AF frame 507 indicating that AE processing and AF processing have been performed on the pupil of the subject 501 is displayed.

[0127] When the gaze input function is invalid in step S402 of FIG. 4, the system control unit 201 enables the pupil AF function in step S405 and displays the pupil AF icon 506.

[0128] The system control unit 201 performs AE processing and AF processing on the pupil of the subject 501 detected by the image processing unit 224, and displays the pupil AF frame 507.

[0129] When the pupil AF function is disabled in step S403 of FIG. 4, the system control unit 201 causes the image processing unit 224 to perform AE processing and AF processing on the face of the subject 501 in step S406 of FIG. 4, and displays an AF frame 504 on the face of the subject 501.

[0130] Note that in the state of FIG. 5(e), not limited to the enable / disable state of the gaze input function, the pupil AF function may be executed on the subject 501.

[0131] The screen of FIG. 5(f) illustrates a state in which when the AF on button 116 is fully pressed, the subject is changed from the state where the AF on button 116 is half-pressed, and AE processing and AF processing are executed.

[0132] In the example of FIG. 5(f), a dotted line frame 508 is displayed on the face of the subject 501 that was at the AF position when the AF on button 116 was half-pressed in steps S307 to S310 of FIG. 4.

[0133] Thereafter, when the AF on button 116 is fully pressed in step S312 of FIG. 4, the system control unit 201 searches for candidates for a subject different from the subject 501 from the subjects detected by the image processing unit 224. And suppose a subject 509 different from the subject 501 is found.

[0134] In this case, the system control unit 201 causes the image processing unit 224 to perform AE processing and AF processing on the face of the subject 509, and displays the AF frame 504.

[0135] As described above, the user can switch the AF target subject by simply pressing the AF on button 116 fully.

[0136] Specifically, when the gaze input function is enabled, the user can switch the AF target subject according to the gaze position of the user by simply pressing the AF on button 116 fully. Also, when the gaze input function is disabled, the user can switch to pupil AF or face AF, or switch the AF target subject by simply pressing the AF on button 116 fully.

[0137] Note that by repeatedly pressing the AF on button 116 halfway and fully, the AF target subject can be sequentially switched to perform AE processing and AF processing.

[0138] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a method of assigning functions to the operation members included in the operation unit 270 of the first embodiment will be described.

[0139] FIG. 6 illustrates a setting screen for assigning functions to the AF on button 116 of the first embodiment.

[0140] Hereinafter, as an example of assigning functions to the operation members included in the operation unit 270, a method of setting the functions that can be executed when the AF on button 116 is pressed halfway or fully will be described.

[0141] FIG. 6(a) illustrates a setting screen 601 that displays a list of functions that can be assigned to the AF on button 116 and functions assigned to other operation members.

[0142] In the display area 602, the name of the operation member corresponding to the position of the cursor 604 moved by the user using the cross key 108 or the multi-controller 115 and the functions that can be assigned to the operation member are displayed.

[0143] In the display area 603, the name of the operation member and the simple name of the function assigned to the operation member are displayed.

[0144] In the example of FIG. 6(a), the AF on button 116 is selected, the name of the AF on button 116 and the name of the current function are displayed in the display area 602, and the cursor 604 is displayed in the display area 603 of the AF on button 116.

[0145] When the display area 603 at the position of the cursor 604 is touched or the SET button 109 is operated with the display area 603 at the position of the cursor 604 selected, a setting screen 605 (FIG. 6(b)) for setting the function assigned to the AF on button 116 is displayed.

[0146] FIG. 6(b) illustrates the setting screen 605 that is displayed when the SET button 109 is operated with the AF on button 116 selected in the screen of FIG. 6(a).

[0147] In the display area 606, the names (Set1 to Set5) of the functions that can be executed when the AF on button 116 is pressed halfway or fully and the content of the functions are displayed.

[0148] In the display area 607, options indicating combinations of functions to be executed by pressing the AF on button 116 halfway and fully that can be assigned to the AF on button 116 are simply displayed.

[0149] When any of the options in the display area 607 is touched or the SET button 109 is operated with any of the options in the display area 607 selected, a screen 611 for setting the functions to be executed by pressing the AF on button 116 halfway and fully is displayed.

[0150] Also, when the cursor is moved from the option 607a to the option 607b in the display area 607, the simple name of the function corresponding to the option 607b and the function name are updated in the display area 606.

[0151] When setting the functions that can be executed by a half - press and a full - press on the AF on - button 116, with the cursor 604 placed on the option 607a, touching the INFO button 609 will display the setting screen 611 in Fig. 6(c).

[0152] Fig. 6(c) illustrates the setting screen 611 for setting the functions that can be executed by a half - press and a full - press on the AF on - button 116.

[0153] On the screen 611, a half - press function display area 612 and a full - press function display area 613 of the AF on - button 116 are displayed, and the cursor 604 can be moved and selected using the multi - controller 115 or the cross - key 108.

[0154] In the function display area 612, the function to be executed when the AF on - button 116 is half - pressed can be confirmed, and in the function display area 613, the function to be executed when the AF on - button 116 is fully pressed can be confirmed.

[0155] In the example of Fig. 6(c), "AE processing and AF processing" is set as the function to be executed when the AF on - button 116 is half - pressed, and "AF frame movement by sight line" is set as the function to be executed when the AF on - button 116 is fully pressed.

[0156] When the cursor 604 is placed on the function display area 612 and the function selection touch button 614 is touched or the SET button 109 is operated, the screen 615 for selecting the function to be executed as shown in Fig. 6(d) is displayed.

[0157] Fig. 6(d) illustrates the screen for selecting the function to be executed by a half - press on the AF on - button 116.

[0158] When the cursor 604 is placed on the function display area 613 on the screen of FIG. 6(c) and the function selection touch button 614 or the SET button 109 is operated, a screen for selecting a function to be executed by fully pressing the AF on button 116 similar to FIG. 6(d) is displayed.

[0159] In the example of FIG. 6(d), the cursor is hitting the option 616, and "AE processing and AF processing" of the option 616 is selected by pressing the AF on button 116 halfway.

[0160] For example, on the screen 615 of FIG. 6(d), when the cursor is moved to "Function A" of the option 617, it can be set to execute "Function A" of the option 617 by pressing the AF on button 116 halfway.

[0161] In the first embodiment, when the cursor 604 is moved on the screen 601 of FIG. 6(a) to select the AF on button 116, the screen 605 of FIG. 6(b) is displayed, and the combination of functions to be executed by pressing halfway and fully pressing the AF on button 116 that can be assigned to it can be selected. However, from the screen 601 of FIG. 6(a), the screen 611 of FIG. 6(c) may be displayed without going through the screen 605 of FIG. 6(b).

[0162] FIG. 6(e) illustrates a screen for setting the gaze input function to be enabled or disabled.

[0163] When "Enabled" of the option 617 is selected, the gaze input function is enabled, and gaze detection by the gaze detection unit 260 can be executed. When "Disabled" of the option 618 is selected, the gaze input function is disabled, and gaze detection by the gaze detection unit 260 can be made not to be executed.

[0164] In the first embodiment, when the option 618 is selected, since the gaze input function is disabled even when the AF on button 116 is fully pressed, as described in FIG. 4, the enabling or disabling of the pupil AF function can be switched, or the AF target subject can be switched, and AE processing and AF processing can be executed.

[0165] As described above, according to the first embodiment, by half-pressing or fully pressing the AF on-button 116, it is possible to selectively use the function of performing AF (autofocus) processing and AE (autoexposure) processing on the subject in the live view image, and the function of switching the AF target to the subject designated by the user's gaze input. In this way, different functions related to AF can be indicated by the half-press operation and the full-press operation of the AF on-button 116, and the number of operation steps can be reduced.

[0166] [Second Embodiment] In the second embodiment, not only the function executed by fully pressing the AF on-button 116 but also the function executed by half-pressing the AF on-button 116 can be set by the user. The device configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and since the control processing of the second embodiment partially overlaps with that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same processing and the description thereof is omitted.

[0167] With reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, the assignment of the function of the AF on-button 116 by the menu screen will be described.

[0168] FIG. 7(a) illustrates a function assignment setting screen 700 for the AF on-button 116.

[0169] On the function assignment setting screen 700 for the AF on-button 116, each of the items 721 to 727 is displayed as a setting item for which the function of the AF on-button can be assigned. Further, a cursor 701 indicating the selected item, a setting content display area 710 for the selected item, a detailed setting icon 702, and an OK icon 703 are displayed.

[0170] In the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button 116, the user can operate the cross key 108 to move the cursor 701 to any of the items 721 to 727 and change the selected item. The items 721 to 727 respectively correspond to AFON1 to AFON7, and for the half-press and full-press of the AF on button 116, the combinations of functions assigned to AFON1 to AFON7 are each predetermined as shown in Fig. 7(b). However, for the half-press of the AF on button for AFON1 and the full-press of the AF on button for AFON2, which are set as "User Setting" in Fig. 7(b), "Metering·AF Start" is set as the default setting, but the function assigned by user selection can be changed. Since the user can set the functions assigned to the half-press and full-press of the AF on button from the combinations of AFON1 to AFON7, the functions assigned to the two operations can be easily set.

[0171] In the setting content display area 710, the function 711 assigned to the half-press of the AF on button and the function 712 assigned to the full-press of the AF on button when the selected item is set are respectively displayed. The display of the function 711 and the function 712 is distinguished by normal display for functions that can be changed by user settings and grayed-out display for functions that cannot be changed. In this embodiment, functions that cannot be changed are distinguished by grayed-out display, but they may also be distinguished by other methods (for example, adding an icon indicating that it can be changed when it can be changed, etc.).

[0172] In Fig. 7(a), AFON1 (item 721) is selected by the cursor 701. For AFON1, the half-press of the AF on button is "User Setting" and the full-press of the AF on button is "Invalid". Therefore, the item 712 is displayed in gray as "Invalid". Since the user can select the function assigned to the half-press of the AF on button for the item 711, it is displayed in normal display instead of grayed-out display. Also, the function name "Metering·AF Start", which is the default setting in user settings, is displayed.

[0173] The detailed setting icon 702 indicates that by pressing the INFO button (not shown) of the digital camera 100, the user can proceed to the detailed settings, and by touching the detailed setting icon 702, the user can also proceed to the detailed settings. When the INFO button is pressed or the detailed setting icon 702 is touched, a detailed setting screen for the selected item is displayed. The detailed setting screen will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0174] The OK icon 703 indicates that by pressing the SET button 109 or touching the OK icon 703, the functions assigned to the half-press and full-press of the AF-ON button can be set.

[0175] When the SET button 109 is pressed or the OK icon 703 is touched, the system control unit 201 assigns the function corresponding to the selected item, that is, the function displayed in the setting content display area 710, to the half-press and full-press of the AF-ON button.

[0176] FIGS. 8(a) and (b) illustrate the detailed setting screen of AF ON1 (item 721).

[0177] Basically, on the detailed setting screens of AF ON1 to AF ON7, there are displayed the item name 801 to be detailedly set, the function 802 assigned to the half-press of the AF-ON button and the function 803 assigned to the full-press of the AF-ON button when the item to be detailedly set is set, the cursor 804, the detailed setting icon 805, and the back icon 806.

[0178] Figs. 8(a) and 8(b) show the detailed settings screen of AFON1. Therefore, an icon indicating AFON1 is displayed in item name 801. For the half-press function 802, the "metering / AF start" function, which is the default setting, is displayed. For the full-press function 803, "disabled" is displayed. Since the half-press function 802 of AFON1 can be changed by user settings, it is normally displayed. In contrast, "disabled" for the full-press function 803 cannot be changed and is a fixed setting, so it is grayed out. The cursor 804 indicates which of the half-press function 802 or the full-press function 803 is being selected, and the selection of the half-press function 802 or the full-press function 803 can be changed by operating the cross keys 108 or by a touch operation. When the INFO button is pressed or the detailed settings icon 805 is touched, if the function selected by the cursor 804 can be changed by user settings, the screen transitions to the function change screen in Fig. 8(c). That is, as shown in Figs. 8(a) and 8(b), in the case of AFON1, when the INFO button is pressed or the detailed settings icon 805 is touched while selecting the half-press function 802 that allows user settings as shown in Fig. 8(a), the screen transitions to the function change screen. However, as shown in Fig. 8(b), even if the INFO button is pressed while selecting the full-press function 803 that does not allow user settings, the screen does not transition to the function change screen. When an item that does not allow user settings is selected, since the screen cannot transition to the function change screen, the detailed settings icon 805 may be hidden as shown in Fig. 8(b). Also, in the detailed settings screen, when the menu button 114 is pressed or a touch operation is performed on the back icon 806, the settings of the detailed settings screen are confirmed and (for the setting target), the screen returns to the previous screen (the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button 116). The confirmation of the settings on the detailed settings screen means that for the item 801 to be set, when the item 801 is set, the functions assigned to the half-press of the AF on button and the full-press of the AF on button are set to the functions 802 and 803, respectively.

[0179] FIG. 8(c) illustrates a function change screen 810, which is a screen for changing the function assigned to the operation unit by user operation. An item 811 indicates the operation unit to which the function selected on the function change screen 810 is set. In the example of FIG. 8(c), it shows that it is a function change screen for setting the function assigned to the half-press of the AF-ON button. On the function change screen 810, function icons corresponding to assignable functions are displayed, a cursor 813 is displayed for the currently selected function icon, and characters indicating the function are displayed in an item 812 for the selected function. When the SET button 109 is pressed or a touch operation is performed on the OK icon 815, the settings on the function change screen 810 are confirmed, and the function selected on the function change screen 810 is displayed on the detailed setting screen 800 in a state where it is set for the operation unit 811 to be set. For some of the functions displayed on the function change screen 810, there are functions for which further detailed settings are possible. When a function for which detailed settings are possible is selected, a detailed setting icon 814 is displayed, and by pressing the INFO button or the detailed setting icon 814, a function detailed setting screen 820 is displayed.

[0180] FIG. 8(d) illustrates a function detailed setting screen 820 for the photometry / AF start function. On the function detailed setting screen 820, a function name 821 to be the target of detailed setting, an initial setting icon 822 for returning to the initial settings, a return icon 823 for confirming the settings and returning to the previous screen (function change screen 810), setting items for detailed settings, etc. are displayed. By performing a touch operation on the initial setting icon 822, the function detailed settings can be returned to the initial settings. When the MENU button 114 is pressed or a touch operation is performed on the return icon 823, for the function 821 to be the target of detailed setting, the settings on the function detailed setting screen 820 are reflected, and it returns to the function change screen 810 (switches to the display of the function change screen 810).

[0181] FIG. 9 illustrates function change screens for AFON2 to AFON7.

[0182] Figure 9(a) illustrates the function change screen of AFON2. In AFON2, "disabled" is set for a half-press of the AF-ON button, and a full-press of the AF-ON button can be user-configured. Therefore, initially, "metering / AF start" with the default value is displayed. Thus, on the function change screen of AFON2, "disabled" for a half-press of the AF-ON button is displayed in a faded-out manner as it cannot be changed, and a full-press of the AF-ON button is displayed normally as it can be user-configured.

[0183] Figure 9(b) illustrates the function change screen of AFON3. In AFON3, "metering / AF start" is set for a half-press of the AF-ON button, and "AF frame movement by line of sight" is set for a full-press of the AF-ON button. Therefore, on the function change screen of AFON3, both a half-press and a full-press of the AF-ON button are displayed in grayed-out as they cannot be user-configured.

[0184] Figure 9(c) illustrates the function change screen of AFON4. In AFON4, "metering / AF start" is set for a half-press of the AF-ON button, and "pupil AF" is set for a full-press of the AF-ON button. Therefore, on the function change screen of AFON4, both a half-press and a full-press of the AF-ON button are displayed in grayed-out as they cannot be user-configured.

[0185] Figure 9(d) illustrates the function change screen of AFON5. In AFON5, "metering / AF start" is set for a half-press of the AF-ON button, and "AF stop" is set for a full-press of the AF-ON button. Therefore, on the function change screen of AFON5, both a half-press and a full-press of the AF-ON button are displayed in grayed-out as they cannot be user-configured.

[0186] Fig. 9(e) illustrates the function change screen of AFON6. In AFON6, "Metering · AF start" is set for a half - press of the AF - ON button, and "Subject selection change" is set for a full - press of the AF - ON button. Therefore, on the function change screen of AFON6, for both a half - press and a full - press of the AF - ON button, since they cannot be user - set, both are displayed in grayed - out state.

[0187] Fig. 9(f) illustrates the function change screen of AFON7. In AFON7, "Metering · AF start" is set for a half - press of the AF - ON button, and "ONE SHOT / SERVO switching" is set for a full - press of the AF - ON button. Therefore, on the function change screen of AFON7, for both a half - press and a full - press of the AF - ON button, since they cannot be user - set, both are displayed in grayed - out state.

[0188] Also, as shown in Figs. 9(b) to (f), for AFON3 to AFON7, "Metering · AF start" is set for a half - press of the AF - ON button and cannot be changed. However, "Metering · AF start" is a function with detailed settings available. Therefore, a detailed - setting icon is displayed on the function change screens of AFON3 to 7, and by touching the detailed - setting icon or pressing the INFO button, a function detailed - setting screen 820 as shown in Fig. 8(d) can be displayed to enable detailed setting of the function.

[0189] Figs. 10 and 11 are flowcharts showing the control processing of the digital camera 100 of the second embodiment.

[0190] The processes in FIGS. 10 and 11 are realized by the system control unit 201 expanding and executing the program stored in the non-volatile memory 256 in the system memory 252 and controlling each component. Note that the processes in FIGS. 10 and 11 only extract the processes related to the operation of the AF ON button 116 in the shooting standby state (a state where the shooting recording process is not executed due to the shutter button 102 being fully pressed in the shooting mode). Also, since the processes in FIGS. 10 and 11 are partly common to the control processes (FIGS. 3 and 4) of the first embodiment, the same numbers are assigned to the same processes and the description is omitted.

[0191] First, immediately after the digital camera 100 is activated, or immediately after shifting to the still image shooting mode or the video recording mode and the display of the live view image is started, the control process is started, and the processes from steps S301 to S306 are executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0192] In step S307, if the system control unit 201 determines that the AF ON button 116 is half-pressed, the process proceeds to step S1001. If it determines that the AF ON button 116 is not half-pressed, the process returns to step S301 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0193] In step S1001, the system control unit 201 determines whether the function assigned to the half-press of the AF ON button is "metering / AF start" according to the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF ON button 116. If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to the half-press of the AF ON button is "metering / AF start", the process proceeds to step S308. If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to the half-press of the AF ON button is not "metering / AF start", the process proceeds to step S1002.

[0194] In step S308, the system control unit 201 executes the processes from steps S308 to S311, which are the same as those in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment.

[0195] In step S1002, the system control unit 201 determines whether the function assigned to the half-press of the AF-ON button 116 is "invalid" according to the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF-ON button 116. Here, the case where the function assigned to the half-press of the AF-ON button is "invalid" means that no function to be executed in response to the half-press of the AF-ON button is assigned. When the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to the half-press of the AF-ON button is "invalid", that is, when it determines that no function is assigned, the process proceeds to step S311, and control is performed so that no process is executed for the half-press operation of the AF-ON button 116. When the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to the half-press of the AF-ON button is not "invalid", the process proceeds to step S1003.

[0196] In step S1003, the system control unit 201 executes the function assigned to the half-press of the AF-ON button and advances the process to step S311.

[0197] In step S311, the system control unit 201 determines whether the half-press of the AF-ON button 116 has been released. When the system control unit 201 determines that the half-press of the AF-ON button 116 has been released, the process returns to step S301. When the system control unit 201 determines that the half-press of the AF-ON button 116 has not been released, the process proceeds to step S312.

[0198] In step S312, the system control unit 201 determines whether the AF-ON button 116 has been fully pressed. When the system control unit 201 determines that the AF-ON button 116 has been fully pressed, the process proceeds to step S1101. When the system control unit 201 determines that the AF-ON button 116 has not been fully pressed, the process returns to step S311.

[0199] In step S1101, the system control unit 201 determines, based on the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button 116, whether the function assigned to pressing the AF on button fully is "AF frame movement by line of sight". If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to pressing the AF on button fully is "AF frame movement by line of sight", the process proceeds to step S314.

[0200] In step S314, the system control unit 201 executes the processes of steps S314 to S318 similar to those in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment.

[0201] In step S316, the system control unit 201 performs AE processing and AF processing on the subject at the AF position determined in step S315, and displays an AF frame on the subject at the AF position. If the system control unit 201 determines in step S1101 that the function assigned to pressing the AF on button fully is not "AF frame movement by line of sight", the process proceeds to step S1102.

[0202] In step S1102, the system control unit 201 determines, based on the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button, whether the function assigned to pressing the AF on button fully is "pupil AF". If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to pressing the AF on button fully is "pupil AF", the process proceeds to step S402.

[0203] In step S402, the system control unit 201 executes the processes of steps S402 to S406 similar to those in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment, and then the process proceeds to step SS316. In step S316, the system control unit 201 performs AE processing and AF processing on the subject at the AF position determined in step S404 or S406, displays an AF frame on the subject at the AF position, and the process proceeds to step S317. If the system control unit 201 determines in step S1102 that the function assigned to pressing the AF on button fully is not "pupil AF", the process proceeds to step S1103.

[0204] In step S1103, the system control unit 201 determines, based on the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF-ON button, whether the function assigned to pressing the AF-ON button fully is "subject selection change". If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to pressing the AF-ON button fully is "subject selection change", the process proceeds to step S1104. If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to pressing the AF-ON button fully is not "subject selection change", the process proceeds to step S1105.

[0205] In step S1104, the system control unit 201 determines a subject different from the currently set AF position as the new AF position based on the subject detection result for the live view image by the image processing unit 224. That is, the subject to be AF-targeted is changed from the currently selected subject to another subject. If only one subject is detected by the subject detection process, the AF-targeted subject may not be changed. Also, if two or more subjects are detected, each time the AF-ON button is pressed fully, the detected subjects are changed in the order based on the size of the subject, the position of the subject, the priority, etc., so that the subject selection is changed. Then, the system control unit 201 proceeds with the process to step S316, and performs AE processing and AF processing on the subject at the AF position (the AF-targeted subject) determined in S1104, and displays an AF frame on the subject at the AF position. After that, the system control unit 201 proceeds with the process to step S317.

[0206] In step S1105, the system control unit 201 determines, based on the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button, whether the function assigned to pressing the AF on button completely is "ONE SHOT / SERVO switching". If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to pressing the AF on button completely is "ONE SHOT / SERVO switching", the process proceeds to step S1106. If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to pressing the AF on button is not "ONE SHOT / SERVO switching", the process proceeds to step S1107.

[0207] In step S1106, if the current AF operation setting is one-shot AF, the system control unit 201 changes it to servo AF, and if the current AF operation setting is servo AF, it switches to one-shot AF. Then, the system control unit 201 proceeds with the process to step S316 and executes AE processing and AF processing with the AF operation setting switched in step S1106.

[0208] In step S1107, the system control unit 201 determines, based on the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button, whether the function assigned to pressing the AF on button completely is "AF stop". If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to pressing the AF on button completely is "AF stop", the process proceeds to step S1108. If the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to pressing the AF on button completely is not "AF stop", the process proceeds to step S1109.

[0209] In step S1108, when the AF operation setting is servo AF, the system control unit 201 temporarily stops the servo AF process. In the case of one-shot AF, since the AF process is not continuously executed, this process is not executed. While the AF on button is fully pressed, the system control unit 201 temporarily stops the servo AF process in step S1107, and resumes the servo AF process in response to the release of the operation on the AF on button. Alternatively, when the function of "metering / AF start" is assigned to the half-press of the AF on button, the system control unit 201 resumes the servo AF process in response to the release of the full-press of the AF on button 116, even if the AF on button 116 was half-pressed. And when other functions are assigned to the half-press of the AF on button, the servo AF process may be resumed in response to the release of both the full-press and the half-press of the AF on button 116.

[0210] In step S1109, the system control unit 201 determines whether the function assigned to the full-press of the AF on button is "invalid" according to the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button. Here, the case where the function assigned to the full-press of the AF on button is "invalid" means that no function is assigned to be executed in response to the full-press of the AF on button. When the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to the full-press of the AF on button is "invalid", that is, when it determines that no function is assigned, the process proceeds to step S317, and the system control unit 201 controls not to execute the process for the full-press of the AF on button. When the system control unit 201 determines that the function assigned to the full-press of the AF on button is not "invalid", the process proceeds to step S1110.

[0211] In step S1110, the system control unit executes the function assigned to the full-press of the AF on button according to the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button, and the process proceeds to step S317.

[0212] In step S317, the system control unit 201 determines whether the full press of the AF on-button 116 has been released. The system control unit 201 waits until it is determined that the full press of the AF on-button 116 has been released, and when it is determined that the AF on-button 116 has been released, the process proceeds to step S318.

[0213] In step S318, the system control unit 201 determines whether the shooting operation has ended due to, for example, a change in the operation mode of the digital camera 100. When it is determined that the shooting operation has ended, the process ends. When it is determined that the shooting operation has not ended, the process returns to step S311.

[0214] As described above, according to the second embodiment, functions can be assigned to the half-press operation and the full-press operation of the AF on-button 116 by the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on-button 116. As the functions to be assigned to the AF on-button 116, as shown in FIG. 7(b), they can be set in a predetermined combination. Since the AF on-button 116 is basically an operation unit provided for giving an instruction of "metering / AF start", in each of the settings of AFON3 to AFON7, the "metering / AF start" function is set for the half-press operation. For AFON3 to AFON7 in which the "metering / AF start" function is set for the half-press operation, for the full-press operation, since the operability is improved by assigning the process related to the "metering / AF start" function executed by the half-press operation, a function related to the AF process is set for the full-press operation. In addition, since it is often the case that an operation to change the subject to be AF-targeted is performed after the "metering / AF start" function is executed, for AFON3, 4, and 6, a function for changing the subject to be AF-targeted is assigned to the full-press operation.

[0215] When the "metering / AF start" function is set for the half-press operation of the AF on-button 116 and the "AF frame movement by line of sight" is set for the full-press operation, that is, when AFON3 is set in the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on-button 116, the following processing is performed for the display of the line-of-sight pointer. When AFON3 is set, the system control unit 201 controls to display the line-of-sight pointer regardless of the setting in the display setting screen of the line-of-sight pointer while the AF on-button 116 is pressed, that is, while the AF process and the AE process (metering process) are being performed. When the "metering / AF start" function is set for the half-press operation of the AF on-button 116 and the display settings of the line-of-sight pointer are set to "not do" and "only during shooting standby", normally, the line-of-sight pointer is not displayed while the AF on-button 116 is pressed. However, when the "AF frame movement by line of sight" is set for the full-press operation of the AF on-button 116, if the line-of-sight pointer is not displayed before the full-press operation of the AF on-button 116, the user will not be able to grasp in advance which subject the frame will move to by the full-press. Therefore, when the "AF frame movement by line of sight" is set for the full-press operation of the AF on-button 116, the system control unit 201 controls to display the line-of-sight pointer in response to the half-press operation of the AF on-button 116 even if the setting is such that the line-of-sight pointer is not displayed during the half-press operation of the AF on-button 116. Note that the line-of-sight pointer may be displayed only during the half-press operation of the AF on-button 116, or may be displayed during both the half-press and full-press operations of the AF on-button 116.

[0216] In the second embodiment, “AF stop” is set for a full press of the AF on button 116 of the AFON5, but it may be set to “start / stop of global tracking”. In this case, the AFON5 is set on the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF on button, and when the AF on button 116 is fully pressed, the following operations are performed. When the function assigned to the full press operation of the AF on button 116 is “start / stop of global tracking”, the system control unit 201 determines whether the AF process (face AF function) for the face of the subject is valid. When the AF process (face AF function) for the face of the subject is valid, the AF process for the fixed frame is changed to be valid and the process proceeds to the steps after step S316 in FIG. 11. Otherwise, the AF process (face AF function) for the face of the subject is made valid and the process proceeds to the steps after step S316 in FIG. 11. Each time the full press of the AF on button 116 is repeated (after the full press of the AF on button 116 is released and then the full press is executed again), it is possible to alternately switch whether to make the AF process (face AF function) for the face of the subject valid or to make the AF process for the fixed frame valid. Therefore, it is possible to execute the AF process while switching whether the AF position is the face of the subject or the position of the fixed frame. When the pupil AF function is valid, each time the full press of the AF on button 116 is repeated, it may be possible to switch whether the AF position is the pupil of the subject or the position of the fixed frame. In this way, the user can properly use the function of executing the AF (auto focus) process and the AE (auto exposure) process in the live view image by pressing the AF on button 116 halfway or fully, and the function of switching whether the AF target is the face or pupil of the subject or the position of the fixed frame. By assigning “start / stop of global tracking” to the full press of the AF on button 116, when the AF is performed on the face of an unintended subject, an operation such as changing the AF target to the originally desired position while switching the AF target to the position of the fixed frame can be performed with a small number of operation steps.

[0217] Furthermore, it may be possible to set "zoom in / out" for a full press of the AF ON button 116 of the AFON5. In this case, set the AFON5 in the function assignment setting screen 700 of the AF ON button 116. When the AF ON button 116 is fully pressed, the following operations are performed. If the function assigned to the full press operation of the AF ON button 116 is "zoom in / out", the system control unit 201 enlarges the live view image with respect to the position of the subject's face, pupil, or fixed frame (hereinafter referred to as the zoom position) while maintaining the AE processing result and AF processing result, and proceeds to the processing after step S317 in FIG. 11. Note that "zoom in / out" is effective when the AF operation is one-shot AF. When the AF operation is servo AF, since the zoom position always continues to move, the process proceeds to the processing after step S317 in FIG. 11 without doing anything. Each time the full press of the AF ON button 116 is repeated (after the full press of the AF ON button 116 is released and then the full press is executed again), it may be possible to switch the enable / disable (equal magnification) of the enlargement of the live view image with respect to the zoom position in the live view image. Also, each time the full press of the AF ON button 116 is repeated (after the full press of the AF ON button 116 is released and then the full press is executed again), the magnification may be changed and displayed in the order of 5 times, 10 times, equal magnification, etc. with respect to the zoom position in the live view image. In the second embodiment, although the magnification is set to 5 times and 10 times, the changeable magnification is not limited to this. Also, the order of changing the magnification may be freely changed. In this way, by pressing the AF ON button 116 halfway or fully, it is possible to properly use the function of performing AF (auto focus) processing and AE (auto exposure) processing in the live view image and the function of zooming in / out the display with respect to the zoom position in the live view image. By assigning "zoom in / out" to the full press of the AF ON button 116, the user can enlarge the live view image by fully pressing the AF ON button 116 and confirm whether the AF is in focus with fewer operation steps.

[0218] In the above-described embodiment, the function assignment setting screen 700 enables setting any one of AFON1 to AFON7 as the function assigned to the half-press and full-press operations of the AF on button 116. However, different functions may be set for the half-press and full-press operations of the AF on button 116, respectively, in the shooting mode and the playback mode. Also, the functions set for each of the items (AFON1 to AFON7) that can be set on the function assignment setting screen 700 may be made different between the shooting mode and the playback mode. Further, the number of items (AFON1 to AFON7 in FIG. 7) that can be set on the function assignment setting screen 700 may be changed between the shooting mode and the playback mode.

[0219] [Other Embodiments] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or device to read and execute the program. Further, it can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0220] Also, the above-described embodiments may be combined and implemented.

[0221] The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

[0222] The disclosure of this specification includes the following imaging device, control method, and program. [Configuration 1] Imaging means, Processing means for performing predetermined processing on a subject in an image captured by the imaging means, A first operation unit for giving a shooting instruction, A second operation unit different from the first operation unit, Control means for executing the predetermined process on a first subject in an image in response to a first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and controlling to switch the target of the predetermined process in response to a second pressing operation following the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, wherein the imaging device is characterized by having the control means. [Configuration 2] It has a line-of-sight detection means for detecting the user's line-of-sight position. The control means according to Configuration 1, wherein in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, the control means executes the predetermined process on a first subject in an image, and in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit, the control means controls to switch the target of the predetermined process to a subject corresponding to the user's line-of-sight position. [Configuration 3] The control means according to Configuration 1, wherein in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, the control means executes the predetermined process on a first subject in an image, and in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit, the control means controls to switch the target of the predetermined process to either the entire face or the pupil of the first subject. [Configuration 4] The imaging device according to Configuration 3, wherein the control means executes the predetermined process on a first subject in an image in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and controls to switch the target of the predetermined process to either the entire face, the right eye, or the left eye of the first subject in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit. [Configuration 5] The imaging device according to Configuration 1, wherein the control means executes the predetermined process on a first subject in an image in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and controls to switch the target of the predetermined process to either the right eye or the left eye of the first subject in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit. [Configuration 6] The first pressing operation on the second operation unit is a half-pressing operation on the second operation unit, and the second pressing operation on the second operation unit is a full-pressing operation on the second operation unit. The imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that. [Configuration 7] It has a subject detection means for detecting a subject from the image captured by the imaging means, The first subject is the subject determined by the subject detection means or the subject designated by the user. The imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 6, characterized in that. [Configuration 8] It has means for setting the line-of-sight input function based on the detection of the line of sight by the line-of-sight detection means to be effective or ineffective, When the line-of-sight input function is set to be ineffective, the control means does not switch the subject of the predetermined process according to the user's line-of-sight position in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit, and performs the predetermined process on the pupil of the first subject. The imaging device according to Configuration 2, characterized in that. [Configuration 9] When the line-of-sight input function is set to be ineffective and the first pressing operation and the second pressing operation on the second operation unit are repeated, the control means switches the subject of the predetermined process to either the pupil of the first subject or the face of the first subject each time the second pressing operation is performed on the second operation unit. The imaging device according to Configuration 8, characterized in that. [Configuration 10] It has means for setting the line-of-sight input function based on the detection of the line of sight by the line-of-sight detection means to be effective or ineffective, When the line-of-sight input function is set to be ineffective and the second pressing operation is performed on the second operation unit, the control means performs the predetermined process on a subject different from the first subject and determined regardless of the user's line-of-sight position. The imaging device according to Configuration 2, characterized in that. [Configuration 11] When the first pressing operation and the second pressing operation on the second operation unit are repeated, the control means switches the subject of the predetermined process each time the second pressing operation is performed on the second operation unit. The imaging device according to configuration 10, characterized in that. [Configuration 12] After the second pressing operation is performed on the second operation unit, when the control means returns to the state where the first pressing operation is performed, the control means performs the predetermined process on the subject of the predetermined process switched according to the second pressing operation. The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 11, characterized in that it is executed. [Configuration 13] The control means executes the predetermined process on the subject in the image according to the first pressing operation on the first operation unit, and controls to execute a recording process of imaging and recording an image by the imaging means according to the second pressing operation on the first operation unit. The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 12, characterized in that. [Configuration 14] The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 13, characterized in that it has an assignment means for assigning, according to a user operation, a first function executed according to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit and a second function executed according to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit. [Configuration 15] It has an assignment means for assigning, according to a user operation, a function executed according to an operation on the operation unit of the imaging device, The control means executes the predetermined process on the subject in the image according to the first pressing operation on the first operation unit, and controls to execute a recording process of imaging and recording an image by the imaging means according to the second pressing operation on the first operation unit. The assignment means enables the function to be executed in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit to be assignable according to a user operation, and disables the assignment according to a user operation of the function to be executed in response to the second pressing operation on the first operation unit. The imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 13, characterized in that. [Configuration 16] When the second operation unit is not operated, the control means does not execute the predetermined process, and controls to execute the predetermined process in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit. The imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 15, characterized in that. [Configuration 17] The predetermined process is a process of performing photometry on a subject in the image and focusing. The imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 16, characterized in that. [Configuration 18] The first operation unit is a shutter button. The imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 17, characterized in that. [Configuration 19] A control method for an imaging device, The imaging device includes imaging means, processing means for performing a predetermined process on a subject in an image captured by the imaging means, a first operation unit for giving a shooting instruction, a second operation unit different from the first operation unit, and The control method includes a step of executing the predetermined process on a first subject in the image in response to a first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and controlling to switch the target of the predetermined process in response to a second pressing operation following the first pressing operation on the second operation unit. A control method characterized by that. [Configuration 20] A program for causing a computer to function as the imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 18.

Explanation of Signs

[0223] 100…Digital camera, 101…Rear display unit, 116…AF on button, 201…System control unit, 222…Imaging unit, 224…Image processing unit, 260…Gaze detection unit

Claims

Claim 1 An imaging unit; processing means for performing predetermined processing on a subject in an image captured by the imaging unit; a first operation unit for giving a shooting instruction; a second operation unit different from the first operation unit; control means for executing the predetermined processing on a first subject in the image in response to a first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and switching the target of the predetermined processing in response to a second pressing operation following the first pressing operation on the second operation unit; and The imaging device, wherein the first pressing operation on the second operation unit is a half-pressing operation on the second operation unit, and the second pressing operation on the second operation unit is a full-pressing operation on the second operation unit. Claim 2 having a gaze detection unit for detecting the gaze position of the user; The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control means executes the predetermined processing on a first subject in the image in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and controls to switch the target of the predetermined processing to a subject according to the gaze position of the user in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit. Claim 3 The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control means executes the predetermined processing on a first subject in the image in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and controls to switch the target of the predetermined processing to either the entire face or the pupil of the first subject in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit. Claim 4 The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the control means executes the predetermined processing on a first subject in the image in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and controls to switch the target of the predetermined processing to either the entire face, the right eye, or the left eye of the first subject in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit. Claim 5 The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control means executes the predetermined processing on a first subject in the image in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and controls to switch the target of the predetermined processing to either the right eye or the left eye of the first subject in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit. Display control means for controlling to display, on a display unit, an index indicating a line-of-sight position detected by the line-of-sight detection unit together with an image captured by the imaging unit; Assignment means for assigning, according to a user operation, a second function to be executed in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit; Setting means for setting, according to a user operation, whether or not to display an index indicating the line-of-sight position; and further comprising: When a function of switching a subject of the predetermined process to a subject corresponding to a user's line-of-sight position detected by the line-of-sight detection unit is assigned as the second function to be executed in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit, even if it is set by the setting means not to display an index indicating the line-of-sight position, the display control means controls to display an index indicating the line-of-sight position. The imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that.

7. Subject detection means for detecting a subject from an image captured by the imaging unit; The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first subject is a subject determined by the subject detection means or a subject designated by a user.

8. Means for setting whether to enable or disable a line-of-sight input function based on detection of a line of sight by the line-of-sight detection unit; When the line-of-sight input function is set to be disabled, the control means, in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit, does not switch the subject of the predetermined process according to the user's line-of-sight position, but executes the predetermined process on the pupil of the first subject. The imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that.

9. When the line-of-sight input function is set to be disabled and the first pressing operation and the second pressing operation on the second operation unit are repeated, the control means, each time the second pressing operation is performed on the second operation unit, switches the subject of the predetermined process to either the pupil of the first subject or the face of the first subject. The imaging device according to claim 8, characterized in that.

10. Means for setting whether to enable or disable a line-of-sight input function based on detection of a line of sight by the line-of-sight detection unit; When the second pressing operation is performed on the second operation unit while the line-of-sight input function is set to be invalid, the control means executes the predetermined process on a subject different from the first subject and determined regardless of the user's line-of-sight position. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2.

11. When the first pressing operation and the second pressing operation on the second operation unit are repeated, the control means switches the subject of the predetermined process each time the second pressing operation is performed on the second operation unit. The imaging apparatus according to claim 10.

12. After the second pressing operation is performed on the second operation unit, when the control means returns to the state where the first pressing operation is performed, the control means executes the predetermined process on the subject of the predetermined process switched according to the second pressing operation. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1.

13. The control means executes the predetermined process on a subject in an image in response to the first pressing operation on the first operation unit, and controls to execute a recording process of capturing and recording an image by the imaging unit in response to the second pressing operation on the first operation unit. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an assignment means for assigning, according to a user operation, a first function executed in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit and a second function executed in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit.

15. Having an assignment means for assigning, according to a user operation, a function executed in response to an operation on the operation unit of the imaging apparatus, The control means executes the predetermined process on a subject in an image in response to the first pressing operation on the first operation unit, and controls to execute a recording process of capturing and recording an image by the imaging unit in response to the second pressing operation on the first operation unit. The assignment means enables the function executed in response to the second pressing operation on the second operation unit to be assigned according to a user operation, and disables the assignment according to the user operation of the function executed in response to the second pressing operation on the first operation unit. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1.

16. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the control means does not execute the predetermined process when the second operation unit is not operated, and controls to execute the predetermined process in response to the first pressing operation on the second operation unit.

17. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process is a process of performing photometry on a subject in the image and focusing.

18. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first operation unit is a shutter button.

19. A control method for an imaging device, wherein the imaging device includes an imaging unit, a processing means for performing a predetermined process on a subject in an image captured by the imaging unit, a first operation unit for giving a shooting instruction, and a second operation unit different from the first operation unit, and the control method includes a step of controlling to execute the predetermined process on a first subject in the image in response to a first pressing operation on the second operation unit, and switching the target of the predetermined process in response to a second pressing operation following the first pressing operation on the second operation unit, wherein the first pressing operation on the second operation unit is a half-pressing operation on the second operation unit, and the second pressing operation on the second operation unit is a full-pressing operation on the second operation unit.

20. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

Images