Patent ID: 7596310

Claim:
A focus control device comprising: timing generating means for generating a periodic vertical synchronizing signal that corresponds to an end of an exposure period during which an imager is exposed to generate a single captured image, and generating an image signal reading timing signal to read an image signal portion corresponding to a to-be-detected region of the single captured image, at a focus lens position for acquiring a predetermined evaluated value; signal reading means for reading the image signal portion corresponding to the to-be-detected region of the single captured image generated by the imager during the exposure period during which the imager is exposed to generate the single captured image and while at the focus lens position based on the image signal reading timing signal generated by said timing generating means; evaluated value acquiring means for generating and acquiring an evaluated value for use in focus control from the image signal portion of the single captured image before the end of the exposure period during which the imager is exposed to generate the single captured image; and focusing lens movement control means for moving a focusing lens to the focus lens position for acquiring the evaluated value.