Auto/manual camera employing common lens focusing data

In a photographic camera having automatic and manual focusing modes of operation and including an adjustable lens displaceable over a given focusing range, ranging means for determining the distance between the camera and a subject within the scene and for producing a signal indicative of a lens position selected in correspondence with the determined subject distance, energizeable drive means for displacing said lens through its focusing range, sensing means responsive to lens displacement from a reference position for sensing progressive lens positions, follow focus means for controlling one or more camera functions other than lens focusing in accordance with the lens position, means for selecting an automatic or manual focusing mode, means for initiating a camera cycle, and control means responsive to initiation of said camera cycle, when said automatic focusing is selected, for energizing said drive means to automatically displace said lens from said reference position to the range selected position in correspondence with said signal and, when said manual focusing mode is selected, for precluding displacement of the lens to said range selected position, the improvement wherein said follow focus means is responsive to said sensing means, and said control means includes means operable in the manual focusing mode for energizing said drive means to displace said lens from the manually selected position to the reference position and back to said manually selected position, whereby said sensing means and its responsive follow focus means are operative in both said automatic and manual focusing modes of operation.

In a photographic camera having automatic and manual focusing modes of operation and including means for defining an image plane, an adjustable focus lens displaceable over a given focusing range for focusing scene light on said image plane, ranging means for determining the distance between the camera and a subject within the scene and for producing a signal indicative of a lens position selected in correspondence with the determined subject distance, energizeable drive means for displacing said lens through its focusing range, sensing means responsive to lens displacement from a reference position for sensing progressive lens positions, follow focus means for controlling one or more camera functions other than lens focusing in accordance with the lens position, a mode switch actuatable between an automatic and manual focusing position, a camera switch actuatable for initiating a camera cycle, means coupled to said lens for facilitating manual positioning thereof, and control means responsive to actuation of said camera switch, when said mode switch is in its automatic focusing position, for energizing said drive means to automatically displace said lens from said reference position to the range selected position in correspondence with said signal and, when said mode switch is in its said manual focusing position, for precluding displacement of the lens to said range selected position, the improvement wherein said follow focus means is responsive to said sensing means, and said control means includes means for energizing said drive means to displace said lens from a manually selected position to its reference position and back to said manually selected position, when said mode switch is in its said manual position, whereby said sensing means and its responsive follow focus means is operative in both said automatic and manual focusing modes of operation.

A photographic camera having automatic and manual focusing modes of operation, comprising:

• means for defining an image plane;
• an adjustable focus lens displaceable over a given focusing range for directing scene light along a given optical path to said image plane;
• energizable distance sensing means for determining the distance between said camera and the position of a particular subject within said lens focusing range and for producing a signal indicative of said particular subject distance;
• mode select means actuatable between first and second states for selecting the manual or automatic focusing modes of operation;
• a manually actuatable sequence initiating switch actuatable between first and second states;
• manually actuatable drive means coupled to said lens for manually positioning said lens to a desired focus position;
• and
• energizable drive means responsive to said second state of said sequence initiating means, said first state of said mode switch and said particular subject distance signal for positioning said lens to a focus position that will focus an image of said subject at said image plane, and responsive to said second state of said sequence initiating means and said second state of said mode switch and not responsive to said subject distance signal, for positioning said lens from an initial focus position to a known reference position and then back to said initial focus position and for generating an electrical signal representative of said initial lens focus position.