Lens System

Abstract

To control a lens by a simple operation while reducing or avoiding a hand shake.SOLUTION: A lens system (100) comprises: a lens (10); an operation terminal (20) which is separated from the lens (10) and has a touch panel (21); and a controller (30) which controls the lens (10) in accordance with a gesture command input to the touch panel (21).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lens system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the spread of video sharing sites, people are increasingly taking videos. Video shooting can be done in situations where an individual takes a picture of themselves as the subject (a so-called "selfie"), or in situations where a professional cameraman or focus person, separate from the subject, shoots a short movie. In either case, imaging devices that can be easily operated are often preferred.

[0003] As such an imaging device, for example, Patent Document 1 describes an imaging device that includes a touch display means for receiving instructions from a user and executes commands corresponding to touch-down operations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-127524 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, the touch display for inputting a touch-down operation is built into the imaging device, and therefore there is a problem in that the touch-down operation induces camera shake of the lens.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a technique that enables a lens to be controlled with a simple operation while reducing or avoiding camera shake. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a lens system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a lens, an operation terminal separate from the lens, the operation terminal having a touch panel, and a controller that controls the lens in response to gesture commands input to the touch panel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that allows a lens to be controlled with a simple operation while reducing or avoiding camera shake. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a lens system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of a control method executed by the operation terminal shown in FIG. 1 and a controller included in the lens. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of a screen displayed on a touch panel included in the operation terminal shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 2A to 2C are diagrams showing a specific example of gesture commands input to a touch panel for focus control and transitions of screens displayed on the touch panel in the operation terminal shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a gesture command input to a touch panel and a transition of a screen displayed on the touch panel for aperture control in the operation terminal shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 2A to 2C are diagrams showing a specific example of gesture commands input to a touch panel for zoom control and transitions of screens displayed on the touch panel in the operation terminal shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of gesture commands input to a touch panel and transitions of screens displayed on the touch panel for preset storage in the operation terminal shown in FIG. [Figure 8]1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a gesture command input to a touch panel and transition of a screen displayed on the touch panel for restoring a preset in the operation terminal shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0011] (Lens system configuration) The configuration of a lens system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of lens system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Lens system 100 is a system for controlling a lens to obtain a suitable image of a subject in at least one of still image capture and video capture. In this specification, the term "lens" refers to a lens unit having at least one single lens and a lens barrel that surrounds the at least one single lens.

[0012] 1, the lens system 100 includes a lens 10 and an operation terminal 20. The lens 10 and the operation terminal 20 are connected to each other via a communication means so that they can communicate with each other. In this embodiment, the lens 10 and the operation terminal 20 are connected by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable via a communication interface 33 included in the lens 10 and a communication interface 23 included in the operation terminal 20.

[0013] In this embodiment, a USB cable is used as the communication means for connecting the lens 10 and the operation terminal 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. The communication means for connecting the lens 10 and the operation terminal 20 may be either a wired communication means or a wireless communication means as long as it is capable of transmitting and receiving electronic data between the lens and the operation terminal. Specific examples of wireless communication means include Wifi (registered trademark) communication, NFC (Near Field Communication), and Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication. The communication means may directly or indirectly connect the lens and the operation terminal. An example of a network that may be present between the lens 10 and the operation terminal 20 is a local area network (LAN).

[0014] Furthermore, in the present invention, when the communication means connecting the lens 10 and the operation terminal 20 is a cable, the length of the cable is preferably such that vibrations of the operation terminal 20 are not substantially transmitted to the lens 10. The length of the cable is, for example, but not limited to, 0.1 m or more, 0.5 m or more, 1 m or more, 2 m or more, 5 m or more, or 10 m or more, and 100 m or less.

[0015] The operation terminal 20 is configured to allow a user to input gesture commands as instructions to the lens system 100. In this embodiment, a smartphone is used as the operation terminal 20. As shown in FIG. 1 , the operation terminal 20 is separate from the lens 10, and includes a touch panel 21, a processor 22, and a communication interface 23.

[0016] In this specification, a "gesture command" refers to an operation whose content is specified by the trajectory of a finger that touches the touch panel. As long as the shape of the trajectory is the same, it is interpreted as a gesture command with the same content even if the starting point of the trajectory is different. Here, the user may directly touch a touch panel that exists as a device, or may touch a virtual touch panel realized on a computer using a pointing device.

[0017] The touch panel 21 is configured to allow the user to input gesture commands. In this embodiment, the touch panel 21 is an electronic component that integrally combines a touch sensor through which the user inputs gesture commands and a display that displays the control status of the lens system 100 to the user. The conversion method used in the touch sensor can be any known method, such as a resistive film method, a capacitance method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, an image recognition method, or an optical sensor method. The display can be any known display, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display.

[0018] The processor 22 is a component for controlling the overall operation of the operation terminal 20. The processor 22 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a combination thereof. The processor 22 mainly executes the processing on the operation terminal 20 side in the control processing S1 by deploying and executing a control processing program P20 stored in the memory of the operation terminal 20.

[0019] The communication interface 23 is configured to control transmission of various data from the operation terminal 20 and reception of various data by the operation terminal 20. In this embodiment, a USB interface is used as the communication interface 23.

[0020] The operation terminal 20 is not limited to a smartphone, and may be any terminal having a touch panel. Examples of the operation terminal 20 other than a smartphone include a tablet PC (Personal Computer), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and a smart watch.

[0021] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an electronic component in which a touch sensor and a display are integrally combined is used as the touch panel 21, but the present invention is not limited to this. The touch panel 21 may have a separate touch sensor and display. An example of an operation terminal 20 equipped with a touch panel 21 in which the touch sensor and display are separate is a PC equipped with a touchpad. The touch panel 21 may also be a touch sensor only. An example of an operation terminal 20 equipped with a touch panel 21 consisting of only a touch sensor is a gimbal (stabilizer) for a camera equipped with a touch sensor. Furthermore, the touch sensor is not limited to an electronic component that mediates direct input with a finger, but may also be an electronic component that allows indirect input. Examples of electronic components that allow indirect input include a mouse and a touch pen.

[0022] The lens 10 is a lens that can be attached to a camera and is configured to form an image of a subject on an image sensor provided in the camera. In this embodiment, a zoom lens that can be detachably attached to the camera is used as the lens 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the lens 10 includes a controller 30 and an optical system 40 that are built into the lens 10.

[0023] The controller 30 is configured to control the lens 10 in response to gesture commands input by a user. A control process S1 executed by the controller 30 will be described later with reference to different drawings. In this embodiment, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) is used as the controller 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 30 includes a memory 31, a processor 32, and a communication interface 33.

[0024] In the following, a configuration in which the controller 30 is built into the lens 10 will be described, but the controller 30 may also be built into the camera to which the lens 10 is attached. In a configuration in which the controller 30 is built into the camera, the controller 30 is a mount provided in the camera, and is connected to an optical system 40 (described later) so as to be able to communicate with each other by mount communication via the mount to which the lens 10 is attached.

[0025] The memory 31 is configured to store preset information. In this embodiment, the memory 31 includes a primary memory and a secondary memory. The primary memory has a function of volatilely storing the preset information. The secondary memory has a function of non-volatilely storing the control processing program P10. In this embodiment, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is used as the primary memory, and a flash memory is used as the secondary memory. As shown in FIG. 1 , the memory 31 has four storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314 as the functional configuration of the primary memory. Note that the preset information stored in the primary memory may be saved in a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (registered trademark, Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) when the power is off so that the preset information is retained even when the power is off, and may be restored from the EEPROM to the primary memory when the power is on.

[0026] The control processing program P10 may be stored on a remote server, rather than in a secondary memory included in the memory 31. In such a case, the control processing program P10 may be supplied to the controller 30 from the server via any wired or wireless transmission medium. Furthermore, the four storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314 may be included in the memory of the operation terminal 20, rather than in the memory 31 of the controller 30. In such a case, the preset information may be supplied to the controller 30 via the communication interface 23.

[0027] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the memory 31 has four storage areas, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of storage areas in the memory 31 may be one or more, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more. The number of storage areas may be configured so that the user can customize it via the control processing programs P10 and P20 depending on the application. For example, the user may set the number of storage areas to three for one shoot and eight for another shoot.

[0028] The processor 32 is configured to control the overall operation of the lens 10. The processor 32 mainly executes processing on the lens 10 side in the control processing S1 by expanding a control processing program P10 stored in the memory 31. In this embodiment, a CPU is used as the processor 32.

[0029] The communication interface 33 is configured to control transmission of various data from the lens 10 and reception by the lens 10. In this embodiment, the communication interface 33 is a USB interface.

[0030] The optical system 40 is a group of optical elements arranged on an optical axis OA that passes through a subject. As shown in Fig. 1, the optical system 40 has, as optical elements, a focus group 41, a zoom group 42, and an aperture 43. Note that in the optical system 40, the relative positional relationship between the focus group 41, the zoom group 42, and the aperture 43 is not limited to the positional relationship shown in Fig. 1 and can be modified as appropriate.

[0031] The focus group 41 is an optical element for changing the focus position of the entire optical system 40 included in the lens 10. Hereinafter, in this specification, the "focus position of the entire optical system 40 included in the lens 10" may be referred to as the "focus position of the lens 10" or simply as the "focus position." The focus group 41 includes a group of one or more single lenses. The focus group 41 is used in conjunction with a drive system that moves at least a portion of the group along the optical axis OA. In this embodiment, the drive system includes a rail extending along the optical axis OA, a motor that moves the one or more single lenses along the rail, and a sensor that detects the position of the one or more single lenses on the rail and transmits the detected position to the processor 32. In the lens system 100, the focus position of the lens 10 changes when the motor is driven. In this specification, the term "focus control" is intended to include at least changing the focus position.

[0032] The zoom group 42 is an optical element for changing the angle of view (i.e., the zoom magnification) of the entire optical system 40 included in the lens 10. Hereinafter, in this specification, the "angle of view of the entire optical system 40 included in the lens 10" may be referred to as the "zoom magnification of the lens 10" or simply as the "zoom magnification." The zoom group 42 includes a group of two or more single lenses. The zoom group 42 is used in conjunction with a drive system that moves some of the group along the optical axis OA. In this embodiment, the drive system includes a rail extending along the optical axis OA, a motor that moves one or more single lenses along the rail, and a sensor that detects the position of the one or more single lenses on the rail and transmits the detected position to the processor 32. In the lens system 100, the zoom magnification of the lens 10 changes when the motor is driven. In this specification, "zoom control" is intended to include at least changing the zoom magnification.

[0033] The aperture 43 is an optical element that determines the overall light beam diameter of the optical system 40 included in the lens 10, thereby changing the aperture value of the entire optical system 40. Hereinafter, in this specification, the "aperture value of the entire optical system 40 included in the lens 10" may be referred to as the "aperture value of the lens 10" or simply as the "aperture value." The aperture 43 has aperture blades arranged in a ring shape on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis OA. The aperture 43 is used in conjunction with a motor that opens and closes the aperture blades and a sensor that detects the degree of opening and closing of the aperture blades and sends the detected value to the processor 32. In the lens system 100, the aperture value of the lens 10 changes when the motor is driven. In this specification, "aperture control" is intended to include at least changing the aperture value.

[0034] In this specification, the settings of the optical elements included in the optical system 40 may hereinafter be referred to as the "control state of the lens system 100" or simply as the "control state."

[0035] The optical system 40 is not limited to the configuration including the focus group 41, the zoom group 42, and the diaphragm 43. In the present invention, the optical system 40 only needs to have at least one of the focus group 41, the zoom group 42, and the diaphragm 43.

[0036] Furthermore, in the present invention, the focus group 41, the zoom group 42, and the aperture 43 are not limited to the above-described configurations. Each of the focus group 41, the zoom group 42, and the aperture 43 may have a configuration that can change the focus position, zoom magnification, and aperture value of the optical system 40, and a configuration that can transmit the current settings to the processor 32 of the controller 30.

[0037] In the present invention, the lens 10 is not limited to a zoom lens having the above-described configuration. The lens 10 may be configured such that at least one of the optical element groups is drivable. In the present invention, the lens 10 may be detachably attached to a camera, or may be integrally attached to a camera and not detachable from the camera. Examples of the lens 10 detachably attached to a camera include a zoom lens and a fixed focal length lens. Examples of cameras in which the lens 10 is integrally attached to the camera include a compact digital camera, a video camera, a surveillance camera, a far-infrared camera, and a microscope camera.

[0038] (Lens control processing) The control process S1 of the lens 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of a control method executed by the operation terminal 20 shown in Fig. 1 and the controller 30 included in the lens 10. The control process S1 is a process for controlling the lens 10 to obtain a suitable image of the subject.

[0039] 2, the control process S1 includes a detection process S11, a specification process S12, a focus change calculation process S131, an aperture change calculation process S141, a zoom change calculation process S151, a storage area selection process S161, and a storage area selection process S171. In this embodiment, these processes are executed mainly by the processor 22 of the operation terminal 20.

[0040] 2, the control process S1 further includes a focus position calculation process S132, a focus control process S133, an aperture value calculation process S142, an aperture control process S143, a zoom magnification calculation process S152, a zoom control process S153, a preset write process S162, a preset read process S172, an optical system control process S173, a focus mode determination process S174, an allowable range calculation process S181, and an allowable range setting process S182. In this embodiment, these processes are mainly executed by the processor 32 of the controller 30.

[0041] In each process included in the control process S1, the processor 22 displays a graphic user interface (GUI) corresponding to the input gesture command and the process to be executed on the display of the touch panel 21. The gesture command and the displayed screen will be described later with reference to different drawings.

[0042] (Detection process) The detection process S11 is a process for detecting a touch position on the touch panel 21. When the user touches the touch panel 21, the processor 22 detects the touch position. A method in which the user inputs a gesture command in the detection process S11 will be described later with reference to different drawings.

[0043] (Specific processing) The identification process S12 is a process for identifying a gesture command corresponding to the trajectory of the touch positions detected in the detection process S11. The trajectory of the touch positions to be referenced includes information on the direction and amount of movement of the touch positions, as well as the number of touch positions corresponding to the number of fingers. The gesture commands that can be identified in the identification process S12 are as follows:

[0044] (1) Spin gesture (2) Double tap spin gesture (3) Spin gesture from long tap (4) Two-finger swipe gesture (5) Two-finger flick gesture (6) Three-finger flick gesture

[0045] In this embodiment, (1) a spin gesture refers to a gesture command whose trajectory is approximately circular. Specific examples of an approximately circular trajectory include a perfect circle, an ellipse, a spiral trajectory, and combinations of these and similar trajectories. The approximately circular trajectory includes a trajectory in which the touch position moves clockwise and a trajectory in which the touch position moves counterclockwise. A clockwise trajectory and a counterclockwise trajectory are distinguished based on the rotation direction.

[0046] In this embodiment, (2) a spin gesture from a double tap refers to a gesture command that includes a double tap immediately before the spin gesture described above. More specifically, a spin gesture from a double tap is a gesture command that is input in the following order: a first touch, a detach, a second touch, and a spin gesture from the second touch without a detach. In this embodiment, the time interval between the first touch and the second touch is defined by the OS on which the smartphone serving as the operation terminal 20 runs.

[0047] In this embodiment, (3) a spin gesture from a long tap refers to a gesture command that involves a long tap immediately before the above-described spin gesture. More specifically, a spin gesture from a long tap is a gesture command that is input in the following order: touch, long press without moving the touch position from the previous touch, and spin gesture without detaching from the previous long press. In this embodiment, the long press duration is defined by the OS on which the smartphone, which is the operation terminal 20, runs.

[0048] Note that (1) the spin gesture is distinguished from (2) the spin gesture from a double tap and (3) the spin gesture from a long tap in that neither a double tap nor a long tap occurs immediately before the spin gesture.

[0049] In this embodiment, (4) a two-finger swipe gesture refers to a gesture command in which there are two touch positions on a trajectory, and the two touch positions move in a linear sliding manner.

[0050] In this embodiment, (5) a two-finger flick gesture refers to a gesture command in which there are two touch positions on a trajectory, and the two touch positions move linearly in a flicking motion.

[0051] Note that (4) a two-finger swipe gesture and (5) a two-finger flick gesture are distinguished based on the duration that the two touch positions are maintained after moving.

[0052] In this embodiment, (6) a flick gesture with three fingers refers to a gesture command in which there are three touch positions on a trajectory, and the three touch positions move linearly in a flicking motion.

[0053] (4) Two-finger swipe gesture, (5) two-finger flick gesture, and (6) three-finger flick gesture are further classified based on the swipe direction or the flick direction. In this embodiment, for example, (4) two-finger swipe gesture is further classified into leftward, upward, rightward, or downward swipe gestures based on the swipe direction.

[0054] Each of the criteria defined by the OS described above may be defined by a control processing program P20 stored in the memory of the operation terminal 20, instead of the OS. Furthermore, each of the criteria may be customizable by the user via the control processing program P20.

[0055] (Focus change calculation process) In the identification process S12, if (1) a spin gesture is identified, the processor 22 executes a focus change calculation process S131. The focus change calculation process S131 is a process for calculating the amount of change in the focus position of the lens 10. The processor 22 calculates the amount of change in the focus position from the current focus position by referring to the rotation direction of the spin gesture and the amount of movement of the touch position (i.e., the length of the trajectory). Here, the amount of change includes the direction and amount of movement.

[0056] In this embodiment, when a clockwise or counterclockwise spin gesture is input by the user, the processor 22 determines the movement direction of the focus position as the infinity direction (INF direction) or the closest direction (MOD direction), respectively. Also, the larger the movement amount of the touch position, the larger the value calculated by the processor 22 as the movement amount of the focus position.

[0057] The processor 22 of the operation terminal 20 transmits the calculation result of the amount of change in the focus position to the processor 32 of the controller 30.

[0058] (Focus position calculation process) The focus position calculation process S132 is a process for calculating a target focus position of the lens 10. The processor 32 of the controller 30 refers to the calculation result of the amount of change in the focus position received from the processor 22 of the operation terminal 20 and the positions of one or more single lenses on the rail received from the sensor of the focus group 41. Specifically, the processor 32 adds the calculation result of the amount of change in the focus position to the current focus position corresponding to the positions of one or more single lenses received from the sensor, and calculates the target focus position.

[0059] (Focus control processing) The focus control process S133 is a process for changing the focus position of the lens 10. The processor 32 drives the motor of the focus group 41 to change the focus position to the target focus position. In this way, the focus position of the lens 10 is controlled by the controller 30 in response to the spin gesture.

[0060] (Aperture change calculation process) In the identification process S12, if (2) a spin gesture from a double tap is identified, the processor 22 executes an aperture change calculation process S141. The aperture change calculation process S141 is a process for calculating the amount of change in the aperture value of the lens 10. In this embodiment, if the user inputs a clockwise or counterclockwise spin gesture from a double tap, the processor 22 determines that the change in aperture value is in the close direction or the open direction, respectively. The process executed by the processor 22 is similar to the process in the focus change calculation process S131 except that the amount of change in aperture value is calculated instead of the amount of change in focus position, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] The processor 22 of the operation terminal 20 transmits the calculation result of the amount of change in the aperture value to the processor 32 of the controller 30.

[0062] (Aperture value calculation process) The aperture value calculation process S142 is a process for calculating a target aperture value of the lens 10. The process executed by the processor 32 is similar to the process in the focus position calculation process S132 except that a target aperture value is calculated instead of a target focus position, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0063] (Aperture control processing) The aperture control process S143 is a process for changing the aperture value of the lens 10. The processor 32 drives the motor of the aperture 43 to change the aperture value to the target aperture value. In this way, the aperture value of the lens 10 is controlled by the controller 30 in response to the spin gesture.

[0064] (Zoom change calculation process) In the identification process S12, when (3) a spin gesture from a long tap is identified, the processor 22 executes a zoom change calculation process S151. The zoom change calculation process S151 is a process for calculating a change amount of the zoom magnification of the lens 10. In this embodiment, when a clockwise or counterclockwise spin gesture from a long tap is input by the user, the processor 22 determines that the change in zoom magnification is to the telephoto side (Tele direction) or the wide-angle side (Wide direction), respectively. The process executed by the processor 22 is similar to the process in the focus change calculation process S131 except that a change amount of the zoom magnification is calculated instead of a change amount of the focus position, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0065] The processor 22 of the operation terminal 20 transmits the calculation result of the amount of change in the zoom magnification to the processor 32 of the controller 30.

[0066] (Zoom magnification calculation process) The zoom magnification calculation process S152 is a process for calculating a target zoom magnification of the lens 10. The process executed by the processor 32 is similar to the process in the focus position calculation process S132 except that a target zoom magnification is calculated instead of a target focus position, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] (Zoom control processing) The zoom control process S153 is a process for changing the zoom magnification of the lens 10. The processor 32 drives the motor of the zoom group 42 to change the zoom magnification to the target zoom magnification. In this way, the zoom magnification of the lens 10 is controlled by the controller 30 in response to the spin gesture.

[0068] (Selection of focus control process, aperture control process, and zoom control process) The focus control process S133, aperture control process S143, and zoom control process S153 described above are all executed in response to a spin gesture by the user. That is, the controller 30 executes the focus control process S133, aperture control process S143, or zoom control process S153 of the lens 10 in response to the spin gesture.

[0069] Note that which control process the controller 30 executes among the focus control process S133, the aperture control process S143, and the zoom control process S153 is determined depending on the presence or type of a gesture command input immediately before the spin gesture. Specifically, if the spin gesture is not immediately preceded by either a double tap or a long tap, the processor 32 executes the focus control process S133. If the spin gesture is immediately preceded by a double tap, the processor 32 executes the aperture control process S143. If the spin gesture is immediately preceded by a long tap, the processor 32 executes the zoom control process S153.

[0070] It should be noted that the processor 22 executes the detection process S11, the identification process S12, and the processes that follow them from the time the user first touches the screen, not after the user completes an operation including the spin gesture and detaches.

[0071] Specifically, in each of the detection process S11 and the identification process S12, the processor 22 detects and identifies a double tap or a long tap alone, i.e., before a spin gesture is input. When the processor 22 identifies a double tap or a long tap, it selects an aperture value or a zoom magnification as a target for calculating the amount of change in the subsequent process. Next, when the processor 22 identifies a spin gesture input immediately after the double tap or the long tap, it executes an aperture change calculation process S141 or a zoom change calculation process S151, depending on the selected target. Furthermore, when the processor 22 identifies a spin gesture that is not accompanied by a double tap or a long tap, it executes a focus change calculation process S131.

[0072] In the subsequent focus change calculation process S131, aperture change calculation process S141, or zoom change calculation process S151, the processor 22 calculates the amount of change at regular intervals based on the rotation direction of the spin gesture and the amount of movement of the touch position. For example, if the amount of movement within a certain period of time (e.g., 0.01 seconds, 0.05 seconds, or 0.1 seconds) is large, the processor 22 calculates a large value as the amount of change and transmits the calculation result to the processor 32 at regular intervals. Therefore, the faster the user moves the touch position, the faster the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification changes. Here, the spin gesture input by the user is a substantially circular trajectory as a whole, but the trajectory input within a certain period of time, i.e., a portion of the spin gesture, may be a linear trajectory.

[0073] (Storage area selection process) In the identification process S12, when (4) a two-finger swipe gesture is identified, the processor 22 executes a storage area selection process S161. The storage area selection process S161 is a process for determining a storage area into which preset information is written according to the swipe direction.

[0074] In this specification, preset information refers to information in which at least one parameter of the control state of the lens system 100 and the value of the parameter are associated with each other. In this embodiment, the preset information is written and read in the form of electronic data. As a specific example, "writing the current aperture value of the lens 10 to memory as preset information" refers to storing preset information, which is electronic data including (X) information indicating that the preset information includes an aperture value as a parameter, and (Y) information indicating the value of the parameter (e.g., "F2.8"), in any one of storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314 of memory 31.

[0075] The processor 22 selects one of the storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314 of the memory 31 based on a predetermined correspondence relationship and referring to the swipe direction. In this embodiment, the control processing program P20 defines the predetermined correspondence relationships of (left direction and storage area 311), (up direction and storage area 312), (right direction and storage area 313), and (down direction and storage area 314). For example, when the user inputs a right swipe gesture, the processor 22 selects the storage area 313 as the storage area into which the preset information is written.

[0076] The processor 22 of the operation terminal 20 transmits the result of the selection of the storage area to the processor 32 of the controller 30.

[0077] (Preset writing process) The preset writing process S162 is a process for writing the current focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification of the lens 10 as preset information into the memory in response to a swipe gesture.

[0078] In this embodiment, the control processing program P10 defines which of the focus position, aperture value, and zoom magnification will be stored as preset information in each of the four storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314. In this embodiment, the following correspondence is defined: (storage area 311, zoom magnification), (storage area 312, aperture value), (storage area 313, focus position), and (storage area 314, zoom magnification and aperture value). Note that the present invention is not limited to this correspondence.

[0079] The processor 32 acquires the current values ​​of the parameters corresponding to the storage area selected in the storage area selection process S161 from at least one corresponding sensor among the sensors of the focus group 41, the zoom group 42, and the aperture 43. Then, the processor 32 writes the acquired parameter values ​​to the selected storage area.

[0080] For example, when the storage area 313 is selected in the storage area selection process S161, the processor 32 acquires the value of the focus position from the sensor of the focus group 41 and writes the acquired value into the storage area 313.

[0081] (Storage area selection process) In the identification process S12, when (5) a two-finger flick gesture is identified, the processor 22 executes a storage area selection process S171. The storage area selection process S171 is a process for determining a storage area from which preset information is to be read out in accordance with the flick direction.

[0082] The processor 22 of the operation terminal 20 selects one of the storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314 of the memory 31 based on the predetermined correspondence relationship and referring to the swipe direction. In this embodiment, the predetermined correspondence relationship is the same as the correspondence relationship in the storage area selection process S161 described above. For example, when the user inputs a rightward flick gesture, the processor 22 selects the storage area 313 as the storage area from which to read the preset information.

[0083] The processor 22 of the operation terminal 20 transmits the result of the selection of the storage area to the processor 32 of the controller 30.

[0084] (Preset reading process) The preset reading process S172 is a process for reading the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification of the lens 10 stored as preset information from the storage area 311, 312, 313, or 314. The processor 32 reads the preset information from one storage area selected in the storage area selection process S171. For example, if the storage area 313 is selected in the storage area selection process S171, the processor 32 reads the focus position stored in the storage area 313 as preset information.

[0085] (Optical system control processing) The optical system control process S173 is a process for setting the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification of the lens 10 based on the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification read from the memory 31 as preset information in response to a flick gesture.

[0086] The processor 32 drives the corresponding optical elements included in the optical system 40 so that the current parameter values ​​match the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification value included in the preset information read in the preset reading process S172. In this way, the processor 32 sets the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification. For example, if the focus position is read as preset information in the preset reading process S172, the processor 32 drives the motor of the focus group 41, thereby setting the current focus position so that the value of the current focus position matches the value of the focus position read from the storage area 313.

[0087] (Focus mode determination process) The focus mode determination process S174 is a process for determining the focus mode of the lens 10. If the focus position has been set in the optical system control process S173 and the focus mode of the lens 10 is autofocus (AF) mode (if "YES" in the focus mode determination process S174), the processor 32 further executes the allowable range calculation process S181. The allowable range calculation process S181 will be described later. If the focus position has not been set in the optical system control process S173 and the focus mode of the lens 10 is manual focus (MF) mode (if "NO" in the focus mode determination process S174), the processor 32 ends the control process S1.

[0088] (Tolerance range calculation process) If (6) a three-finger flick gesture is identified in the identification process S12, the processor 22 transmits the identification result to the processor 32, and the processor 32 executes the allowable range calculation process S181. Also, if the focus mode determination process S174 returns "YES," the processor 32 executes the allowable range calculation process S181. The allowable range calculation process S181 is a process for calculating the allowable range of the focus position of the lens 10 in autofocus mode based on the current focus position of the lens 10.

[0089] If the focus mode determination process S174 has not been executed before the allowable range calculation process S181, the processor 32 refers to (6) the flick direction of the three-finger flick gesture and reads the allowable change amount of the focus position from the memory 31. In this case, the allowable change amount of the focus position is defined by the control processing program P10 in association with the flick direction.

[0090] If the focus mode determination process S174 is executed before the allowable range calculation process S181, the processor 32 reads the allowable change amount of the focus position from the memory 31. In this case, the allowable change amount of the focus position is defined by the control processing program P10 in association with the existence of the focus mode determination process S174.

[0091] Here, the allowable change amount of the focus position refers to the range within which the focus position can be moved in autofocus mode, with an arbitrary focus position as the reference. As a specific example of the allowable change amount of the focus position, a range of 5 m before and after the arbitrary focus position as the reference, that is, 5 m toward the closest point to 5 m toward infinity, may be defined by the control processing program P10. As another specific example, a range excluding the arbitrary focus position, for example, 10 m toward infinity to 20 m toward infinity, may be defined by the control processing program P10. The allowable change amount of the focus position can be customized by the user via the control processing program P10.

[0092] Next, processor 32 adds the read-out allowable change amount of the focus position to the current focus position to calculate the allowable range of the focus position. As a specific example of the allowable range of the focus position, if the current focus position is 10 m away from lens 10 and the read-out allowable change amount of the focus position is 5 m toward the closest point to 5 m toward infinity, the allowable range of the focus position is calculated to be 5 m to 15 m from lens 10.

[0093] (Tolerance setting process) The allowable range setting process S182 is a process for setting an allowable range of the focus position of the lens 10 in autofocus mode based on the current focus position of the lens 10, depending on the flick gesture and the number of fingers performing the flick gesture. This process changes or maintains the mode of the focus group 41 to the autofocus mode, and sets the allowable range of the focus position of the lens 10 in autofocus mode to the allowable range of the focus position calculated in the allowable range calculation process S181.

[0094] (How to enter gesture commands) A method for inputting a gesture command will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 21 included in the operation terminal 20 shown in Fig. 1. The screen G10 shown in Fig. 3 is a screen displayed on the display of the touch panel 21. The GUI on the screen G10 is controlled by the processor 22 of the operation terminal 20 as the processing main body. As shown in Fig. 3, the screen G10 includes a control status display section G11 and a feedback display section G12.

[0095] The control status display unit G11 is a group of GUIs that explain to the user the control status of the lens system 100. Each GUI included in the control status display unit G11 is displayed by the processor 22 based on information that the processor 32 of the controller 30 acquires from a sensor included in the optical system 40 or from the memory 31 and transmits to the processor 22 of the operation terminal 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the control status display unit G11 includes a zoom magnification display unit G111, a focus position display unit G112, an aperture value display unit G113, and a preset display unit G114.

[0096] The zoom magnification display section G111 is a GUI for explaining the current zoom magnification of the lens 10 to the user. In the zoom magnification display section G111, a bar extending horizontally explains the current zoom magnification in meter form. In this embodiment, the bar explains that the further the bar extends to the right, the higher the zoom magnification. Also, the bar explains that the shorter the bar, the lower the zoom magnification.

[0097] The focus position display section G112 is a GUI for explaining the current focus position of the lens 10 to the user. In the focus position display section G112, a bar extending horizontally explains the current focus position in meter form. In this embodiment, the bar explains that the further the bar extends to the right, the closer the focus position is to infinity. Also, the bar explains that the shorter the bar, the closer the focus position is to the closest point.

[0098] The aperture value display section G113 is a GUI for displaying the current aperture value of the lens 10 to the user. In the aperture value display section G113, the current aperture value is displayed in a numerical format. For example, in FIG. 3, "F2.8" in the aperture value display section G113 indicates that the current aperture value (F-number) is 2.8.

[0099] The preset display section G114 is a GUI for explaining to the user the preset information stored in the storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314. In Fig. 3, the circled numbers "1," "2," "3," and "4" respectively represent the preset information stored in the storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314. For example, in Fig. 3, the two circled "4"s indicate that the storage area 314 stores, as preset information, a zoom magnification corresponding to the length of the bar in the zoom magnification display section G111 and an aperture value of 3.5.

[0100] For the sake of understanding this embodiment of the present invention, in FIG. 3, the arrows at the bottom right and the circled numbers are illustrated to explain the correspondence between the swipe direction and flick direction on the screen G10 and the circled numbers on the preset display section G114.

[0101] The feedback display unit G12 is a GUI for providing the user with feedback on the gesture command being input by the user. The feedback display unit G12 may be displayed by the processor 22 based on the gesture command detected and identified by the processor 22. As a specific example, FIG. 3 illustrates a GUI that is displayed when the user inputs a spin gesture to the touch panel 21 and the processor 22 executes a focus change calculation process S131 in response to the input. In FIG. 3, the feedback display unit G12 uses a circular arrow in the center to inform the user that focus control is being performed in the lens system 100. Furthermore, in FIG. 3, the feedback display unit G12 uses arrows on both sides to explain the operation method to the user. The clockwise arrow displayed on the right side of the feedback display unit G12 informs the user that a clockwise spin gesture corresponds to moving the focus position toward infinity (INF direction). Conversely, the counterclockwise arrow displayed on the left explains to the user that a counterclockwise spin gesture corresponds to moving the focus position toward the closest point (MOD direction).

[0102] In this embodiment, the user touches any position on the screen G10 to perform input. The touch position that the user first touches may be within the area of ​​the screen G10, such as the area of ​​the control status display section G11 or the feedback display section G12, or may be any other area.

[0103] (How to input spin gesture) A method for inputting a spin gesture will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the spin gesture corresponds to focus control. This figure shows a specific example of a gesture command input to the touch panel 21 for focus control in the operation terminal 20 shown in FIG. 1, and transitions of screens displayed on the touch panel 21. Screens G13A, G13B, and G13C shown in FIG. 4 are screens that are displayed on the display of the touch panel 21 while transitioning in this order while the above-mentioned detection process S11, identification process S12, focus change calculation process S131, focus position calculation process S132, and focus control process S133 are being executed. Hand H shown in FIG. 4 is the hand of the user who inputs the gesture command.

[0104] 4, screens G13A, G13B, and G13C are screens that are displayed immediately after a gesture command of the hand H shown together with the screen is input. For example, screen G13A is a screen that is displayed after a clockwise spin gesture is input, and screen G13C is a screen that is displayed after the spin gesture is stopped. Also, in FIGS. 5 to 8, gesture commands and screens are illustrated in a similar relationship.

[0105] On screen G13A, the user touches any area on screen G13A and then slides the touch position clockwise on a substantially circular orbit, thereby inputting a clockwise spin gesture. The processor 22 displays, as feedback display section G12, a GUI (a circular arrow in the center and a black arrow on the right) that explains that the focus position is being moved toward infinity (INF direction) in response to the clockwise spin gesture. Note that, although not illustrated, in this embodiment, no GUI is displayed as feedback display section G12 before this GUI is displayed.

[0106] On screen G13B, the user continues to input a clockwise spin gesture. The processor 22 changes the display of the focus position display section G112, and displays a GUI in the focus position display section G112 that explains that the focus position has moved toward infinity (INF direction).

[0107] On screen G13C, the user looks at the display of the focus position display section G112, and when the user confirms that the focus position has moved to the desired focus position, stops the spin gesture. The processor 22 changes the feedback display section G12 to display a GUI (circular arrow in the center) explaining that focus control is in a standby state, and a GUI (gray arrows on both sides) explaining how to operate focus control.

[0108] Although not illustrated, in this embodiment, when the user removes the hand H from the screen, i.e., detaches the hand H, the processor 22 stops displaying the feedback display section G12. As a result, nothing is displayed as the GUI of the feedback display section G12.

[0109] 4 illustrates only a clockwise spin gesture, the user may input a combination of a clockwise spin gesture and a counterclockwise spin gesture at any time. For example, the user may start inputting a counterclockwise spin gesture after stopping the spin gesture on screen G14C. In this case, processor 22 moves the focus position toward the closest point (MOD direction) in response to the counterclockwise spin gesture.

[0110] (How to input a spin gesture from a double tap) A method for inputting a spin gesture from a double tap will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In this embodiment, a spin gesture from a double tap corresponds to aperture control. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a gesture command input to touch panel 21 for aperture control and transition of screens displayed on touch panel 21 in operation terminal 20 shown in FIG. 1. Screens G14A, G14B, G14C, and G14D shown in FIG. 5 are screens that are displayed on the display of touch panel 21, transitioning in this order while the above-mentioned detection process S11, identification process S12, aperture change calculation process S141, aperture value calculation process S142, and aperture control process S143 are being executed.

[0111] On screen G14A, the user double-tap any area of ​​screen G14A. The processor 22 displays a GUI (a ring imitating an aperture blade) explaining that aperture control is in a standby state, and a GUI (gray arrows on both sides) explaining how to operate aperture control.

[0112] On screen G14B, the user slides the touch position clockwise on the approximately circular orbit, thereby inputting a clockwise spin gesture. The processor 22 displays, as the feedback display section G12, a GUI (a clockwise black arrow on the right) explaining that the diaphragm is being driven in the close direction.

[0113] On screen G14C, the user continues to input a clockwise spin gesture. The processor 22 changes the display of the aperture value display section G113, and displays, as the aperture value display section G113, a GUI explaining that the aperture has been driven in the closing direction (close direction). In Fig. 5, the processor 22 changes the display of the aperture value display section G113 from "F2.8" on screen G14B to "F8.0" on screen G14C.

[0114] On screen G14D, the user looks at the display in the aperture value display section G113, and when they confirm that the aperture value has changed to the desired aperture value, they stop the spin gesture. The processor 22 changes the feedback display section G12 to display a GUI (a ring imitating aperture blades) explaining that aperture control is in a standby state, and a GUI (gray arrows on both sides) explaining how to operate aperture control.

[0115] (How to input a spin gesture from a long tap) A method for inputting a spin gesture from a long tap will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In this embodiment, a spin gesture from a long tap corresponds to zoom control. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of a gesture command input to the touch panel 21 for zoom control and transition of screens displayed on the touch panel 21 in the operation terminal 20 shown in FIG. 1. Screens G15A, G15B, G15C, and G15D shown in FIG. 6 are screens displayed on the display of the touch panel 21, transitioning in this order while the above-mentioned detection process S11, identification process S12, zoom change calculation process S151, zoom magnification calculation process S152, and zoom control process S153 are being executed.

[0116] On screen G15A, the user long-tap any area of ​​screen G15A. The processor 22 displays a GUI (a ring resembling a magnifying glass) explaining that zoom control is in a standby state, and a GUI (gray arrows on both sides) explaining how to operate zoom control.

[0117] On screen G15B, the user slides the touch position counterclockwise on the approximately circular orbit, thereby inputting a counterclockwise spin gesture. The processor 22 displays, as the feedback display section G12, a GUI (a counterclockwise black arrow on the left) explaining that the zoom magnification is being changed to the wide-angle side (Wide direction).

[0118] On screen G15C, the user continues to input a counterclockwise spin gesture. The processor 22 changes the display of the zoom magnification display section G111, and displays a GUI in the zoom magnification display section G111 that explains that the zoom magnification has been changed to the wide-angle side (Wide direction).

[0119] On screen G15D, the user looks at the display in the zoom magnification display section G111, and when the user confirms that the zoom magnification has changed to the desired zoom magnification, the user stops the spin gesture. The processor 22 changes the feedback display section G12 to display a GUI (a ring resembling a magnifying glass) explaining that zoom control is in a standby state, and a GUI (gray arrows on both sides) explaining how to operate the zoom control.

[0120] (How to input two-finger swipe gestures) A method for inputting a two-finger swipe gesture will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In this embodiment, a two-finger swipe gesture corresponds to preset storage. This figure shows a specific example of a gesture command input to the touch panel 21 for preset storage in the operation terminal 20 shown in FIG. 1, and a transition of screens displayed on the touch panel 21. Screens G16A, G16B, G16C, and G16D shown in FIG. 7 are screens that are displayed on the display of the touch panel 21, transitioning in this order while the above-described detection process S11, identification process S12, storage area selection process S161, and preset write process S162 are being executed.

[0121] On screen G16A, the user touches any area of ​​screen G16A with two fingers and then slides the touched position linearly to the right, thereby inputting a two-finger swipe gesture. The processor 22 displays, as feedback display section G12, a GUI (a circled "3") explaining the number corresponding to the rightward swipe direction, a GUI (a dark gray "Move") explaining that preset restoration is on standby, and a GUI (a light gray "Rec") explaining that preset storage is on standby.

[0122] On screen G16B, the user does not move hand H, i.e., maintains the slid touch position. Processor 22 displays a GUI ("Move") explaining that preset restoration is on standby and a GUI ("Rec") explaining that preset storage is on standby, and alternates between these two GUIs in different shades, depending on the duration of the state in which the touch position is maintained. That is, processor 22 changes the GUI of feedback display unit G12 so that the color of the text for "Move" gradually becomes lighter and the color of the text for "Rec" gradually becomes darker.

[0123] On screen G16C, the user continues to maintain the slid touch position, and the processor 22 continues to change the GUI of the feedback display section G12.

[0124] On screen G16D, after the duration of the state in which the touch position is maintained exceeds a threshold and the color of the text "Rec" becomes darker than the color of the text "Move," the user detaches the touch screen. The processor 22 stops displaying the feedback display unit G12. The processor 22 also displays, as the preset display unit G114, a GUI explaining that the current focus position has been stored as preset information in the storage area 313 corresponding to the number "3." For example, in FIG. 7, the processor 22 changes the position of the circled "3" from the position of "3" on screen G16C to the position of the right end of the bar in the focus position display unit G112 on screen G16C.

[0125] (How to input a two-finger flick gesture) A method for inputting a two-finger flick gesture will be described with reference to FIG. 8. In this embodiment, a two-finger flick gesture corresponds to a preset restoration. This figure shows a specific example of a gesture command input to the touch panel 21 for a preset restoration in the operation terminal 20 shown in FIG. 1, and a transition of screens displayed on the touch panel 21. Screens G17A, G17B, and G17C shown in FIG. 8 are screens that are displayed on the display of the touch panel 21, transitioning in this order while the above-described detection process S11, identification process S12, storage area selection process S171, preset reading process S172, and optical system control process S173 are being executed.

[0126] On screen G17A, the user touches any area of ​​screen G17A with two fingers, and then moves the touch position in a linear manner to the right, thereby inputting a two-finger flick gesture. The processor 22 displays, as feedback display section G12, a GUI (a circled "3") explaining the number corresponding to the rightward flick direction, a GUI (a dark gray "Move") explaining that preset restoration is on standby, and a GUI (a light gray "Rec") explaining that preset storage is on standby.

[0127] On screen G17B, the user either maintains the slid touch position or detaches the touch. For convenience, a case where the user maintains the slid touch position will be described here. The processor 22 displays a GUI ("Move") explaining that preset restoration is in a standby state and a GUI ("Rec") explaining that preset storage is in a standby state, and alternates the shading of the GUI depending on the duration of the state in which the touch position is maintained. That is, the processor 22 changes the GUI of the feedback display unit G12 so that the color of the text for "Move" gradually becomes lighter and the color of the text for "Rec" gradually becomes darker.

[0128] On screen G17C, the user detaches before the color of the text "Rec" becomes darker than the color of the text "Move." The processor 22 stops displaying the feedback display unit G12. The processor 22 also displays, as the focus position display unit G112, a GUI explaining that the current focus position has been moved so that it matches the focus position read as preset information from the storage area 313 corresponding to the number "3." For example, in FIG. 8, the processor 22 changes the position of the right end of the bar on the focus position display unit G112 from the position of the right end of the bar on screen G17B to the position of "3" on screen G17B.

[0129] Note that, on screen G17B, the user may immediately detach without maintaining the touch position. If the user detaches before the color of the text "Rec" becomes darker than the color of the text "Move," the storage area selection process S171, the preset reading process S172, and the optical system control process S173 are executed, and the corresponding GUIs are displayed.

[0130] (How to input a three-finger flick gesture) The method for inputting a three-finger flick gesture is the same as the method for inputting a two-finger flick gesture described above, except that input is performed with three fingers instead of two fingers, so a description with reference to the drawings will be omitted.

[0131] When the user inputs a flick gesture with three fingers, the processor 22 displays a GUI indicating that the allowable range of the focus position has been set as the focus position display section G112.

[0132] (Effects of this embodiment) As described above, the lens system 100 according to this embodiment includes the lens 10, the operation terminal 20 which is separate from the lens 10 and has a touch panel 21, and the controller 30 which controls the lens 10 in accordance with gesture commands input to the touch panel 21.

[0133] This configuration realizes a technology that allows the lens 10 to be controlled with a simple operation while reducing or avoiding camera shake. For example, the propagation of vibrations of the touch panel 21 caused by inputting gesture commands to the lens 10 is reduced or avoided, thereby reducing or avoiding camera shake of the lens 10. Furthermore, the user can operate the lens 10 using gesture commands without having to memorize the actions required to operate the lens 10, such as rotating a ring, pressing a button, or switching a switch. Furthermore, operations using gesture commands do not require an operation that uses a specific position on the touch panel 21 as the initial touch position (i.e., the base point) (for example, an operation of touching a virtual button, switch, or lever displayed as a GUI on the touch panel 21). Therefore, the user can take a photograph while focusing only on the subject, without looking at the GUI on the touch panel 21. Such a lens system 100 can be suitably used as a tool for photography by a small group of people (for example, one person). For example, the user can hold the operation terminal 20 in his / her hand and operate the lens 10 placed in any position and in any direction (for example, 10 m away from the user, facing the user).

[0134] In the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, the lens 10 is a lens that can be attached to a camera, and the controller 30 is built into the lens 10 or the camera.

[0135] According to this configuration, the controller 30 is built into the lens 10 itself or into a camera equipped with the lens 10. Therefore, gesture commands by the user are reflected in the control of the lens 10 without delay, and the lens system 100 can be suitably used as a tool for video shooting, which requires user operations at any time even during shooting.

[0136] Furthermore, in the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, the controller 30 executes focus control, aperture control, or zoom control of the lens 10 in response to a spin gesture.

[0137] This configuration enables manual control of the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification of the lens 10 through simple operations. In small-group photography, lenses are often automatically controlled. However, automatic control has the drawback of causing the lens to perform operations unintended by the user. Take, for example, pupil autofocus (AF), in which the focus group is automatically controlled to track the focus position of a subject's pupil. When pupil AF is used, even if the user wishes to focus on an object without pupils, the focus position automatically tracks a person with pupils. Therefore, during video shooting, the user may be required to take the unintentional action of covering their pupils with their hands in order to ignore people with pupils and focus on a subject without pupils. Due to these drawbacks, even in small-group photography, the user may be required to manually control the lens. The lens system 100 of this embodiment allows the user, who is both the photographer and the subject, to manually control the lens 10 through simple operations while holding the operation terminal 20 in their hand, thereby enabling the user to perform photography without the unintentional actions described above.

[0138] Furthermore, this configuration enables continuous control of the lens 10. Among common inputs to a touch panel, gesture commands that involve linear movement of one finger, such as swipe gestures and flick gestures, are unsuitable for continuous input by a user on a touch panel because their trajectory is linear and intermittent. Pinch gestures (gesture commands that change the distance between two touch positions) and rotation gestures (gesture commands that change the positional relationship between a touch position that serves as the rotation axis and a touch position that rotates) also require two fingers, making them unsuitable for long-term input. In contrast, a spin gesture with a substantially circular trajectory allows a user to repeatedly rotate, pause, or reverse a touch position on the touch panel. Therefore, the spin gesture allows a user to continuously input data on the touch panel 21 without interruption. Furthermore, fine adjustment of the operation speed is possible by varying the speed at which the fingers are moved. Furthermore, since the spin gesture is input using one finger, the user is less likely to experience stress from the input operation even when performing the input for a long period of time. Therefore, lens system 100 can be used as a suitable tool for still image capture or video capture, which require continuous and fine adjustment of the optical system, and for video capture, which requires long-term adjustment of the optical system.

[0139] Furthermore, in this embodiment, gesture commands corresponding to focus control, aperture control, and zoom control are input with one finger, while gesture commands corresponding to preset storage, preset restoration, and tolerance range setting are input with two or more fingers. This configuration allows inputs with one finger to be distinguished from inputs with two or more fingers with high accuracy. Therefore, even if the trajectory of a spin gesture is partially linear, erroneous recognition in the identification process S12 is reduced or avoided.

[0140] Furthermore, in the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, which of the focus control, aperture control, and zoom control the controller 30 will execute is determined depending on the presence or type of a gesture command input immediately before the spin gesture.

[0141] With this configuration, a user can easily select an object to be controlled. In a typical input to a touch panel, to control a specific one of multiple objects, the user must either change the mode by touching a GUI such as a button to change the control object, or assign a different gesture to each of the multiple objects. However, when changing the mode by touching the GUI, the user must visually check the GUI on the screen. Furthermore, when assigning a different gesture to each of the multiple objects, the user must memorize multiple gestures depending on the number of objects. The lens system 100 determines the control object by referring to the gesture command immediately before the spin gesture. This allows the user to change the mode without looking at the GUI and eliminates the need to memorize multiple gestures.

[0142] Furthermore, in the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, the controller 30 writes the current focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification of the lens 10 into the memory 31 as preset information in response to a swipe gesture.

[0143] With this configuration, the user can first store the current control state of the lens system 100 as preset information in the memory 31, and then later perform shooting using the stored preset information. Furthermore, since the swipe gesture is an intermittent operation, it is suitable as a command gesture for instructing writing of preset information, which is a one-off process.

[0144] Furthermore, in the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, the memory 31 has a plurality of storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314, and the storage area into which the controller 30 writes the preset information is determined depending on the swipe direction.

[0145] With this configuration, the user can store multiple pieces of preset information in the memory 31 and capture images using the multiple pieces of preset information. Furthermore, since a swipe gesture is a linear operation and misrecognition of the swipe direction is unlikely to occur, selecting a storage area according to the swipe direction reduces the chance of an erroneous operation.

[0146] Furthermore, in the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, the controller 30 sets the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification of the lens 10 based on the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification read from the memory 31 as preset information in response to a flick gesture.

[0147] With this configuration, the user can easily restore the control state of the lens system 100, which was previously stored in the memory 31 as preset information, at any time. For example, a method for restoring a predetermined control state to track a subject can be achieved by using an additional tool such as a follow focus. However, a follow focus requires the user to operate the camera without leaving the camera and to mark the corresponding ring position to record the intended control state. However, with the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, if the user previously stores the intended control state as preset information, the user can leave the camera and easily restore the control state without looking at the GUI of the operation terminal 20. Furthermore, the lens system 100 according to this embodiment does not require additional tools, which enables the camera, including the lens 10, to be lighter, less expensive, and easier to install, as well as reducing control loss due to gears included in the additional tool.

[0148] Furthermore, in the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, the controller 30 sets the focus position of the lens 10 in accordance with the flick gesture, and further sets the allowable range of the focus position of the lens 10 in autofocus mode based on the set focus position in accordance with the number of fingers performing the flick gesture.

[0149] With this configuration, the user can combine manual control of focus position restoration and automatic control of autofocus to control the lens 10. In particular, with this configuration, the autofocus range can be limited to an intended range, making it possible, for example, to intentionally shift the focus position from the subject or to focus the position on only some of multiple subjects.

[0150] Furthermore, in the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, the memory 31 has a plurality of storage areas 311, 312, 313, and 314, and the storage area from which the controller 30 reads the preset information is determined depending on the flick direction.

[0151] With this configuration, the user can easily restore a specific one of the multiple control states of the lens system 100 stored in advance as preset information in the memory 31 at any timing. For example, the user can operate the lens system 100 sequentially from any control state to a first control state stored as preset information, and then to a second control state stored as preset information. This effect is particularly effective when shooting video that employs transitions in focus position, aperture value, and zoom magnification.

[0152] Furthermore, in the lens system 100 according to this embodiment, the controller 30 sets the allowable range of the focus position of the lens 10 in autofocus mode based on the current focus position of the lens 10, depending on the flick gesture and the number of fingers performing the flick gesture.

[0153] Such a configuration realizes a technique that can control the lens 10 with simple operations while reducing or avoiding camera shake.

[0154] (Modification of this embodiment) In the present embodiment, an embodiment in which an electronic component included in a smartphone is used as the touch panel 21 has been described above. However, in the present invention, the touch panel 21 may be a virtual one realized on a computer. In such a configuration, a user can input gesture commands to the virtual touch panel 21 using a pointing device. Examples of pointing devices include a mouse, a touch pen, and a touch pad.

[0155] In the present embodiment, (1) a spin gesture and focus control, (2) a spin gesture and aperture control from a double tap, and (3) a spin gesture and zoom control from a long tap correspond to each other as a set. However, in the present invention, these correspondences can be changed, and any spin gesture may correspond to any one, two, or three of the control processes. For example, (1) a spin gesture may correspond to a set with focus control and aperture control. Also, for example, (1) a spin gesture and (2) a spin gesture from a double tap may correspond to a set with zoom control. These pairs may be customizable by the user depending on the application.

[0156] In addition, in the present embodiment, (4) a two-finger swipe gesture and preset storage, (5) a two-finger flick gesture and preset restoration, and (6) a three-finger flick gesture and tolerance range setting correspond to each other as a set. However, in one embodiment of the present invention, these sets can be arbitrarily changed. For example, (4) a two-finger swipe gesture and preset restoration may also be used as a set.

[0157] Furthermore, in the present invention, the correspondence between the rotation direction of the spin gesture and the direction of change of the focus position, aperture value, and zoom magnification can be customized by the user.

[0158] In the present invention, the time required from when a two-finger flick gesture is detected in the detection process S11 and the identification process S12 until the focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification is set in the optical system control process S173 may be customizable by the user depending on the application. This time may be extremely short (for example, 0.1 seconds), or it may be 1 second, 2 seconds, or more. By customizing this time, the user can select the effect of video shooting.

[0159] In the present invention, the processing entity that executes each of the identification process S12, the focus change calculation process S131, the focus position calculation process S132, the aperture change calculation process S141, the aperture value calculation process S142, the zoom change calculation process S151, the zoom magnification calculation process S152, the storage area selection processes S161 and S171, and the allowable range calculation process S181 may be the operation terminal 20 or the controller 30. For example, the operation terminal 20 may transmit information about the touch position detected in the detection process S11 to the controller 30, and the controller 30 may calculate the amount of change based on the touch position.

[0160] In the present invention, the focus control process S133, the aperture control process S143, and the zoom control process S153 may be executed without executing the focus position calculation process S132, the aperture value calculation process S142, and the zoom magnification calculation process S152. For example, the controller 30 may execute the focus control process S133 by changing the focus position by the amount calculated in the focus change calculation process S131 without calculating the target focus position.

[0161] In the present invention, the camera and the operation terminal 20 may be connected to each other directly or indirectly via the lens 10 so as to be able to communicate with each other. In such a configuration, the processor 22 included in the operation terminal 20 may transmit any command signal to the camera, such as to turn on or off the shutter or power. The processor included in the camera may also transmit a moving image captured by the camera to the operation terminal 20, and the processor 22 included in the operation terminal 20 may display the captured moving image on the display of the touch panel 21. In one embodiment, the captured moving image may be displayed as the background of the control status display unit G11 and the feedback display unit G12 described above. According to such an embodiment, the user can operate the lens 10 while checking the captured moving image using the operation terminal 20 at hand.

[0162] (Additional notes) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0163] 10 Lenses 20 Operation terminal 21 Touch Panel 30 Controllers 31 memory 100 Lens System 311,312,313,314 storage area

Claims

1. Lenses and an operation terminal separated from the lens and having a touch panel; a controller that controls the lens in response to a gesture command input to the touch panel, the controller performs focus control, aperture control, or zoom control of the lens in response to a spin gesture; which control the controller will execute among focus control, aperture control, and zoom control is determined depending on the presence or type of a gesture command input immediately before the spin gesture; The type of the gesture command input immediately before the spin gesture is a double tap or a long tap. A lens system characterized by:

2. the controller writes the current focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification of the lens into a memory as preset information in response to the swipe gesture; 2. The lens system of claim 1.

3. Lenses and an operation terminal separated from the lens and having a touch panel; a controller that controls the lens in response to a gesture command input to the touch panel, the controller writes the current focus position, aperture value, or zoom magnification of the lens into a memory as preset information in response to the swipe gesture; A lens system characterized by:

4. The lens is a lens that can be attached to a camera, The controller is built into the lens or the camera.

4. The lens system according to claim 1, wherein the lens system comprises:

5. the controller performs focus control, aperture control, or zoom control of the lens in response to a spin gesture; 4. The lens system of claim 3.

6. Which control among focus control, aperture control, and zoom control the controller will execute is determined depending on the presence or absence of a gesture command input immediately before the spin gesture or the type of the gesture command.

6. The lens system of claim 5.

7. the memory has a plurality of storage areas, The storage area into which the controller writes the preset information is determined according to the swipe direction.

4. A lens system according to claim 2 or 3.

8. the controller sets a focus position, an aperture value, or a zoom magnification of the lens based on the focus position, the aperture value, or the zoom magnification read from the memory as the preset information in response to a flick gesture; 4. A lens system according to claim 2 or 3.

9. The controller setting a focus position of the lens in response to the flick gesture; further setting an allowable range of the focus position of the lens in an autofocus mode based on the set focus position in accordance with the number of fingers performing the flick gesture; 9. The lens system of claim 8.

10. the memory has a plurality of storage areas, The storage area from which the controller reads the preset information is determined depending on the flick direction.

10. A lens system according to claim 8 or 9.

11. the controller sets an allowable range of a focus position of the lens in an autofocus mode based on a current focus position of the lens, in accordance with a flick gesture and the number of fingers performing the flick gesture; 11. The lens system according to claim 1, wherein the lens system comprises:

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