Patent ID: 7463302

Claim:
A focus control device, comprising: lens means including a focus lens; a focus lens driving mechanism that moves the focus lens to achieve an in-focus state; focus status detection means for detecting a focus status acquired by the focus lens; drive control means for controlling the focus lens driving mechanism so that the detected focus status is the in-focus state; change detection means for detecting that an evaluation value for focus control has changed from a value corresponding to the in-focus state by a predetermined threshold value or more in accordance with the detected focus status; and execution control means for waiting in a state in which the drive control means does not control the focus lens driving mechanism for a predetermined waiting time starting from a point in time when the change detection means detects that the evaluation value has changed by the predetermined threshold value or more, and for causing the drive control means to control the focus lens driving mechanism when it is recognized that the state in which the evaluation value has changed by the predetermined threshold value or more is maintained until the waiting time has elapsed in accordance with a detection result acquired from the change detection means.