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US 5,313,245 AGranted
Automatic focusing device
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorKazuki Konishi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic focusing device in which a plurality of points in a picture frame are measured in distance to form focusing information. The device is provided with weighting means for laying an emphasis on a substantially central portion of the picture frame and another emphasis on the near object distance when forming the above-described focusing information.
Claims210
An automatic focusing device capable of measuring distances to objects corresponding to plurality of points in a picture frame, comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for measuring the distances to the objects corresponding to the plurality of points in the picture frame to produce a plurality of distance measuring information values of said respectively plurality corresponding to points;
- (B) focusing information forming means for forming focusing information on the basis of an output of said distance measuring means;
- and
- (C) operation means for operating said focusing information forming means on the basis of a value obtained by factoring said distance measuring information values with exclusion of those which are farther than a distance measuring information value of a substantially central point in said picture frame into said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point to form said focusing information.
1 more element
An automatic focusing device capable of measuring distances to objects corresponding to a plurality of points in a picture frame, comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for measuring the distances to the objects corresponding to the plurality corresponding to points in the picture frame to produce distance measuring information values of said plurality of points;
- (B) focusing information forming means for forming focusing information on the basis of an output of said distance measuring means;
- and
- (C) operation means for operating and focusing information forming means on the basis of a value obtained by shifting a distance measuring information value of a substantially central point in said picture frame toward the near distance side by the distance of 1/2 of the difference between
- (i) one of the distance measuring information values of said plurality of points in said picture frame with exclusion of those which are farther than said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point and
- (ii) said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point to form said focusing information.
3 more elements
An automatic focusing device capable of measuring distances of objects corresponding to a plurality of points in a picture frame, comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for measuring the distances to objects corresponding to a plurality of points in the picture frame to produce, distance measuring information values corresponding to said plurality of points;
- (B) focusing information forming means for forming focusing information on the basis of an output of said distance measuring means;
- and
- (C) operation means for, when, among said distance measuring information values, one average value of
- (i) an average value of a distance measuring information value of a substantially central point in the picture frame and a distance measuring information value of a marginal point and
- (ii) an average value of said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point in the picture frame and a distance measuring information value of another marginal point in the picture frame which, is indicative of a nearer distance and is above a predetermined value, operating said focusing information forming means on the basis of the average value of the nearer distance to form said focusing information.
3 more elements
An automatic focusing device capable of measuring distances of objects corresponding to a plurality of points in a picture frame, comprising:
- (A distance measuring means for measuring the distance to objects corresponding to the plurality of points in the picture frame to produce distance measuring information values corresponding to said plurality of points;
- (B) focusing information forming means for forming focusing information on the basis of an output of said distance measuring means;
- and
- (C) operation means for, when, among said distance measuring information values, one of
- (i) an average value of a distance measuring information value of a substantially central point in the picture frame and a distance measuring information value of a marginal point and
- (ii) an average value of said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point and a distance measuring information value of another marginal point in the picture frame, is indicative of a nearer distance and is not above a predetermined value, operating said focusing information forming means on the basis of one of said average values which is indicative of a farther distance to form said focusing information.
3 more elements
An automatic focusing device capable of measuring distances of objects corresponding to a plurality of points in a picture frame, comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for measuring the distance to the objects corresponding to the plurality of points in the picture frame to produce distance measuring information values corresponding to said plurality of points;
- (B) focusing information forming means for forming focusing information on the basis of an output of said distance measuring means;
- and
- (C) operation means for, when, among said distance measuring information values, one of
- (i) a center-weighted average value of a distance measuring information value of a substantially central point in the picture frame and a distance measuring information value of a marginal point and
- (ii) a center-weighted average value of said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point and a distance measuring information value of another marginal point in the picture frame, is indicative of a nearer distance and is above a predetermined value, operating said focusing information forming means on the basis of the center-weighted average value of said nearer distance to form said focusing information.
3 more elements
An automatic focusing device capable of measuring distances of objects corresponding to a plurality of points in a picture frame, comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for measuring the distances to the objects corresponding to the plurality of points in the picture frame to produce distance measuring information values corresponding to the plurality of points;
- (B) focusing information forming means for forming focusing information on the basis of an output of said distance measuring means;
- and
- (C) operation means for, when, among said distance measuring information values, one of
- (i) a center-weighted average value of a distance measuring information value of a substantially central point in the picture frame and a distance measuring information value of a marginal point and
- (ii) a center weighted average value of said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point and a distance measuring information value of another marginal point in the picture frame which, is indicative of a nearer distance and is not above a predetermined value, operating said focusing information forming means on the basis of one of said center-weighted average values which is indicative of a farther distance to form said focusing information.
3 more elements
An automatic focusing device capable of measuring distances of objects corresponding to a plurality of points in a picture frame, comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for measuring the distances to the objects corresponding to the plurality of points in the picture frame to produce distance measuring information values corresponding to the plurality of points;
- (B) focusing information forming means for forming focusing information on the basis of an output of said distance measuring means;
- and
- (C) operation means for, when, among said distance measuring information values, an
- (i) average value of a distance measuring information value of a substantially central point in the picture frame and a distance measuring information value of a marginal point and
- (ii) an average value of said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point and a distance measuring information value of another marginal point in the picture frame, both lie within a predetermined range, operating said focusing information forming means on the basis of an average value of both said average values (i) and (ii) to form said focusing information.
3 more elements
An automatic focusing device capable of measuring distances of objects corresponding to a plurality of points in a picture frame, comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for measuring the distances to the objects corresponding to the plurality of points in the picture frame to produce distance measuring information values corresponding to said plurality of points;
- (B) focusing information forming means for forming focusing information on the basis of an output of said distance measuring means;
- and
- (C) operation means for, when, among said distance measuring information values of said plurality of points in the picture frame,
- (i) a center-weighted average value of a distance measuring information value of a substantially central point in the picture frame and a distance measuring information value of a marginal point and
- (ii) a center-weighted average value of said distance measuring information value of said substantially central point and a distance measuring information value, of another marginal point in the picture frame, both lie within a predetermined range, operating said focusing information forming means on the basis of an average value of both said center-weighted average values (i) and (ii) to form said focusing information.
3 more elements
A focus adjustment device comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for detecting and obtaining a distance information value for each of a plurality of objects in a picture frame by projecting a signal to each of said plural objects and receiving the signals reflected by the objects;
- and
- (B) processing means for forming focus adjustment information on the basis of (i) a relative positional relationship of the plurality of objects in the picture frame, said relative positional relationship being in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the picture frame, and (ii) a relative distance relationship among said plurality of objects based on the detection results for plural objects obtained by said distance measuring means.
A focus adjustment device, comprising:
- (A) light receiving means for detecting signals corresponding to distance for each of a plurality of objects in a picture frame by receiving light from said plurality of objects;
- and
- (B) processing means for forming focus adjustment information on the basis of (i) a relatively positional relation of the plurality of objects in the picture frame, said relative positional relation being in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the picture frame, and (ii) a relative distance relation of the plurality of objects based on the detection result for plural objects detected by said light receiving means.
A device according to claim 76, wherein said processing means includes second selection means for, when the distance information value compared by said second comparison means is above said predetermined distance, selecting that distance information value.
A camera comprising:
- (A) distance measuring means for detecting and obtaining a distance information value for each of plural objects in a picture frame by projecting a signal to each of said plural objects and receiving the signals reflected by the objects;
- and
- (B) processing means for forming focus adjustment information on the basis of (i) a relative positional relationship among said plurality of objects in the picture frame, said relative positional relationship being in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the picture frame, and (ii) a relative distance relationship of the plurality of objects based on the detection results for plural objects obtained by said distance measuring means.
A camera, comprising:
- (A) light receiving means for detecting and obtaining signals corresponding to distances for each of a plurality of objects in a picture frame by receiving light from said plurality of objects;
- and
- (B) processing means for forming focus adjustment information on the basis of (i) a positional relation of the plurality of objects in the picture frame, said relative positional relationship being in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the picture frame, and (ii) a relative distance relation of the plurality of objects based on the detection result for plural objects detected by said light receiving means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.