IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS, SEMICONDUCTOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AND IMAGE PICKUP METHOD

摘要

An image pickup apparatus disclosed herein comprises: an image pickup device; a lens optical system including a focus lens; a driving unit that drives either the image pickup device or the focus lens so as to change the distance between the image pickup device and the focus lens; a displacement control unit that is adapted to output a command to the driving unit, thereby controlling the displacement of the driven image pickup device or focus lens on the basis of predetermined displacement patterns; and a synchronizing unit that is adapted to control the displacement control unit on the basis of a timing of exposure of the image pickup device. The predetermined displacement patterns includes first and second types of displacement patterns in which the image pickup device or the focus lens is displaced in different ranges each between a first in-focus position of the image pickup device or focus lens at which focus is achieved for a first subject distance in a captured scene and a second in-focus position of the image pickup device or focus lens at which focus is achieved for a second subject distance in the captured scene. The first and second types of displacement patterns are alternately repeated.