Autofocus system

Abstract

The present invention provides an autofocus system comprising: a lens device interchangeably attached to a camera and provided with an autofocus device which controls focus so that a subject within a predetermined AF area range within the image-taking range of the camera is focused; a controller which is connected to the lens device as an accessory device and which gives AF area information specifying the AF area range to the autofocus device, the autofocus system; an AF area information acquisition device which acquires the AF area information given to the autofocus device from the controller; and an AF area display device which visibly displays the AF area range in a picture taken by the camera based on the AF area information acquired by the AF area information acquisition device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a TV camera system in which an auto-focus system according to the present invention is incorporated;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of processing blocks mainly related to an AF function in the TV camera system in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an external configuration diagram of a focus & AF area demand;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram used for describing an AF area; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the image of an AF frame displayed in a view finder.

Claims

1. An autofocus system comprising: a lens device interchangeably attached to a camera and provided with an autofocus device which controls focus so that a subject within a predetermined AF area range within the image-taking range of the camera is focused;a controller which is connected to the lens device as an accessory device and which gives AF area information specifying the AF area range to the autofocus device, the autofocus system;an AF area information acquisition device which acquires the AF area information given to the autofocus device from the controller; andan AF area display device which visibly displays the AF area range in a picture taken by the camera based on the AF area information acquired by the AF area information acquisition device.

2. The autofocus system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is provided with a connector to be connected to the lens device and a connector for giving the AF area information to the AF area information acquisition device separately.

3. The autofocus system according to claim 1, wherein the AF area display device includes: a picture signal acquisition device which acquires, from the camera, a picture signal indicating the picture taken by the camera;a synthesis device which, by synthesizing the image signal of an AF frame indicating the AF area range on the picture signal acquired by the picture signal acquisition device based on the AF area information acquired by the AF area information acquisition device, generates a synthesized image in which the AF frame image indicating the AF area range in the image taken by the camera is synthesized on the taken image; andan output device which outputs a picture signal indicating the synthesized image generated by the synthesis device to a monitor.

4. The autofocus system according to claim 2, wherein the AF area display device includes: a picture signal acquisition device which acquires, from the camera, a picture signal indicating the picture taken by the camera;a synthesis device which, by synthesizing the image signal of an AF frame indicating the AF area range on the picture signal acquired by the picture signal acquisition device based on the AF area information acquired by the AF area information acquisition device, generates a synthesized image in which the AF frame image indicating the AF area range in the image taken by the camera is synthesized on the taken image; andan output device which outputs a picture signal indicating the synthesized image generated by the synthesis device to a monitor.

5. The autofocus system according to claim 3, wherein the monitor to which the output device outputs the picture signal is a view finder for displaying an image taken by the camera.

6. The autofocus system according to claim 4, wherein the monitor to which the output device outputs the picture signal is a view finder for displaying an image taken by the camera.

7. The autofocus system according to claim 3, wherein the AF area information acquisition device, the picture signal acquisition device, the synthesis device and the output device are provided in one apparatus separate from the lens device, the camera, the controller and the monitor, and the apparatus includes a connector to be connected to the camera to acquire the picture signal of a picture taken by the camera, a connector to be connected to the controller to acquire the AF area information from the controller and a connector to be connected to the monitor to give the picture signal of the synthesized image to the monitor.

8. The autofocus system according to claim 4, wherein the AF area information acquisition device, the picture signal acquisition device, the synthesis device and the output device are provided in one apparatus separate from the lens device, the camera, the controller and the monitor, and the apparatus includes a connector to be connected to the camera to acquire the picture signal of a picture taken by the camera, a connector to be connected to the controller to acquire the AF area information from the controller and a connector to be connected to the monitor to give the picture signal of the synthesized image to the monitor.

9. The autofocus system according to claim 5, wherein the AF area information acquisition device, the picture signal acquisition device, the synthesis device and the output device are provided in one apparatus separate from the lens device, the camera, the controller and the monitor, and the apparatus includes a connector to be connected to the camera to acquire the picture signal of a picture taken by the camera, a connector to be connected to the controller to acquire the AF area information from the controller and a connector to be connected to the monitor to give the picture signal of the synthesized image to the monitor.

10. The autofocus system according to claim 6, wherein the AF area information acquisition device, the picture signal acquisition device, the synthesis device and the output device are provided in one apparatus separate from the lens device, the camera, the controller and the monitor, and the apparatus includes a connector to be connected to the camera to acquire the picture signal of a picture taken by the camera, a connector to be connected to the controller to acquire the AF area information from the controller and a connector to be connected to the monitor to give the picture signal of the synthesized image to the monitor.

11. The autofocus system according to claim 1, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the AF area range at the center of the image-taking range when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

12. The autofocus system according to claim 2, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the AF area range at the center of the image-taking range when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

13. The autofocus system according to claim 3, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the AF area range at the center of the image-taking range when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

14. The autofocus system according to claim 5, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the AF area range at the center of the image-taking range when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

15. The autofocus system according to claim 7, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the AF area range at the center of the image-taking range when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

16. The autofocus system according to claim 1, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the position, size and form of the AF area at a predetermined state when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

17. The autofocus system according to claim 2, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the position, size and form of the AF area at a predetermined state when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

18. The autofocus system according to claim 3, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the position, size and form of the AF area at a predetermined state when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

19. The autofocus system according to claim 5, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the position, size and form of the AF area at a predetermined state when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.

20. The autofocus system according to claim 7, further comprising: an AF area fixation device which fixes the position, size and form of the AF area at a predetermined state when the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with an AF area display function of displaying the AF area range in a taken picture; anda release device which releases fixation of the AF area by the AF area fixation device when detecting that the AF area information acquisition device has been connected to the controller, even if the camera to which the lens device is attached is not provided with the AF area display function.