Eye direction detecting apparatus

An eye direction detecting apparatus of a camera, comprising:

• a light transferring system for radiating a detecting light in the form of a beam of substantially parallel rays of light that pass through a light path overlapping optical member of a finder of said camera towards an eye of a photographer looking into said light path overlapping optical member;
• and
• a light receiving system having means for reimaging said detecting light, for forming a virtual image based upon a corneal specular reflection of the eye,
• wherein said light path overlapping optical member makes an optical path of said light transferring system overlap with an optical path of said light receiving system.

An eye direction detecting optical system, comprising:

• a) a finder system of a camera having a viewing area with a plurality of zones to which an eye can be selectively directed, thereby defining an actual eye direction;
• and
• b) means for determining to which of said plurality of zones said eye is directed, thereby defining a determined eye direction, said means for determining comprising:
• i) means for compensating for a difference between said determined eye direction and said actual eye direction.

An eye direction detecting optical system, comprising:

• a) means for directing light rays towards an eye;
• b) means for receiving light rays reflected by said eye, said receiving means generating a light amount distribution;
• c) means for compensating for a damping of the amount of light received by said receiving means;
• d) means for determining a central position of said light amount distribution, after said compensating means compensates said light amount damping;
• and
• e) means for determining an eye direction based upon said determined central position.

An eye direction detecting apparatus, comprising:

• a finder system;
• means for directing light rays through said finder system towards an eye;
• means for receiving light rays through said finder system that are reflected by said eye, said means for receiving generating a light amount distribution having a center position;
• means for detecting said center position of said light amount distribution and producing an output;
• and
• processing means for determining eye direction based on said output of said center position detecting means.

An eye direction detecting apparatus in combination with a camera, said apparatus being incorporated into said camera, said apparatus comprising:

• a finder system;
• means for directing light rays through said finder system towards an eye;
• means for receiving light rays through said finder system that are reflected by said eye, said means for receiving generating a light amount distribution having a center position;
• means for detecting said center position of said light amount distribution and producing an output;
• and
• processing means for determining eye direction based on said output of said center position detecting means.

An eye direction detecting apparatus, comprising:

• a light transferring system having a first optical path, said light transferring system projecting substantially parallel light rays towards and eye;
• a light receiving system having a second optical path, said light receiving system receiving light rays that are reflected from said eye;
• means for making said optical path of said light transferring system and said optical path of said light receiving system overlap;
• and
• means for preventing refracted light from forming a ghost image within said light receiving system.

An eye direction detecting apparatus in combination with a camera, said apparatus being incorporated into said camera, said apparatus comprising:

• a light transferring system having a first optical path, said light transferring system projecting substantially parallel light rays towards and eye and comprising means for emitting light;
• a light receiving system having a second optical path, said light receiving system receiving light rays that are reflected from said eye and comprising a light sensor;
• means for making said optical path of said light transferring system and said optical path of said light receiving system overlap comprising an optical member having at least two transmitting surfaces, each of said at least two transmitting surfaces having an identical angle of inclination with respect to said coaxial axes;
• means for preventing refracted light from forming a ghost image within said light receiving system;
• and
• means for directing said emitted light into said eye, wherein light reflected from said eye forms a light amount distribution on said light sensor, wherein said eye has a cornea and a retina and wherein said light amount distribution has a corneal specular reflection component and a retina reflecting light component.

An eye direction detecting device for a photographing camera, comprising:

• means fur guiding a beam of light to a photographer's eye;
• means for receiving a reflecting beam of light that is reflected from said photographer's eye, said receiving means providing an output;
• means for detecting a position of a first Purkinje image formed by a specular reflection of a cornea of said eye based on said output;
• means for detecting a center position of a pupil of said eye based upon said output;
• and
• means for determining an eye direction of said eye by calculating relative relation between said position of the first Purkinje image and the center position of the pupil.

An eye direction detecting device for determining a direction in which a photographer's eye looks, comprising:

• a light source;
• a finger system having an eyepiece element;
• means for guiding a beam of light from said light source through said eyepiece element of a finder system so that said light beam impinges upon an eye of photographer that is placed proximate said eyepiece;
• a sensor for detecting a beam of light reflected from said photographer's eye and which passes through said eyepiece element, said sensor producing an output signal, wherein said sensor comprises a one-dimensional line sensor;
• and
• means for processing said output signal to determine the direction in which said eye looks.

An eye direction detecting device for determining a direction in which a photographer's eye looks, comprising:

• a light source;
• a finder system having an eyepiece element;
• means for guiding a beam of light from said light source through said eyepiece element of a finder system so that said light beam impinges upon an eye of a photographer that is placed proximate said eyepiece;
• a sensor for detecting a beam of light reflected from said photographer's eye and which passes through said eyepiece element, said sensor producing an output signal, wherein a cornea of said eye and said sensor are in a substantially optically conjugate relation with each other, wherein said sensor comprises a one-dimensional line sensor;
• means for processing said output signal to determine the direction in which said eye looks;
• and
• a cylindrical reimaging lens, said reimaging lens elongating an image formed with said light reflected from said eye in an elongating direction that is perpendicular to an arrangement of elements of said one-dimensional line sensor.

An eye direction detecting device for determining a direction in which a photographer's eye looks, comprising:

• a light source;
• a finder system having an eyepiece element;
• means for guiding a beam of light from said light source through said eyepiece element of a finder system so that said light beam impinges upon an eye of a photographer that is placed proximate said eyepiece;
• a sensor for detecting a beam of light reflected from said photographer's eye and which passes through said eyepiece element, said sensor producing an output signal, wherein a cornea of said eye and said sensor are in a substantially optically conjugate relation with each other;
• means for processing said output signal to determine the direction in which said eye looks, wherein said processing means includes means for correcting a decrease of a peripheral portion incident light amount based on a light amount distribution characteristics of said reimaging lens.

An optical focus detecting device for a camera, comprising:

• a center focus condition detecting system for detecting a focus condition of a lens in a center zone of an image equivalent plane;
• a plurality of peripheral focus detection systems for detecting focus conditions of said lens in peripheral zones of said image equivalent plane, said peripheral zones being different from said center zones, each focus condition detecting system having an image splitting element for splitting and reimaging said image formed with said lens, and a pair of photoelectric detecting means that receives each split image;
• means for detecting a direction at which a photographer's eye looks;
• means for selecting one of said peripheral zones or center zone according to said direction detected by said eye direction detecting means;
• processing means for detecting said focus condition of said lens in said selected zone, said processing means comparing output signals from said selected pair of photoelectric detecting means;
• and
• a lens driving mechanism for moving said lens to bring said lens in focus, based upon an output signal from said processing means.

An eye direction detecting device, comprising:

• a viewing area, said viewing area having a viewing area axis, while an eye of a user has an optical axis;
• means for directing light rays along said optical axis toward said viewing area and adapted to be directed toward said eye;
• and
• a predetermined one-dimensional means for receiving light rays reflected by said eye for determining an angular relationship between said viewing area axis and said optical axis of said eye.

An eye direction device of a camera, comprising:

• a viewing area having at least a predetermined zone to which an eye can be directed, said viewing area being disposed in a finder system of said camera;
• means for guiding rays of light towards a photographer's eye;
• means for detecting reflecting rays of light that are reflected from said photographer's eye and for providing an output;
• means for determining said eye is directed to said predetermined zone based on the output of said detecting means;
• and
• means for operating a predetermined function of said camera in response to said determining means determining that said eye is directed to said predetermined zone.

An eye direction detecting device, comprising:

• a viewing area;
• a plurality of zones located in said viewing area;
• a plurality of auto focus optical systems, each of which corresponds to a respective one of said plurality of viewing area zones;
• a main lens having an exit pupil with at least two aperture zones defined by said plurality of auto focus optical systems;
• means for automatically selecting one of said plurality of auto focus optical systems;
• and
• means for driving said automatically selected one of said plurality of auto focus optical systems for focusing said main lens, wherein said means for automatically selecting one of said plurality of auto focus optical systems comprises means for detecting the direction of one's eye relative to a predetermined position.

An eye direction detecting device, comprising:

• a viewing area;
• a plurality of zones located in said viewing area;
• a plurality of auto focus optical systems, each of which corresponds to a respective one of said plurality of viewing area zones;
• a main lens having an exit pupil with at least two aperture zones defined by said plurality of auto focus optical systems;
• means for automatically selecting one of said plurality of auto focus optical systems;
• and
• means for driving said automatically selected one of said plurality of auto focus optical systems for focusing said main lens, wherein said means for automatically selecting one of said plurality of auto focus optical systems comprises means for determining to which of said plurality of zones an eye is directed.

An eye direction detecting device, comprising:

• means for guiding a beam of light that is reflected from said photographer's eye, wherein said reflecting beam detecting means includes a one-dimensional line sensor for detecting said reflecting beam of light, said one-dimensional line sensor providing an output signal;
• and
• means for determining the direction in which said eye gazes, based on the output signal of said one-dimensional line sensor;
• wherein said one-dimensional line sensor extends in a predetermined direction, and wherein said reflecting beam detecting means includes an anamorphic reimaging lens, said anamorphic reimaging lens forming an image elongated in a direction generally perpendicular to the predetermined direction in which said one-dimensional line sensor extends.

An eye direction detecting device built in a finder of a camera having a pentagonal prism and eyepiece, said eye direction detecting device comprising:

• means for guiding a beam of light towards a photographer's eye;
• means for detecting a reflecting beam of light that is reflected from said photographer's eye, said reflecting beam being mounted on another side of the pentagonal prism, said separated beam detecting means providing an output;
• and
• means for determining the direction in which said eye gazes based on the output of said separated beam detecting means.

An eye direction detecting device built ihn a finder of a camera having a pentagonal prism and eyepiece, said eye direction detecting device comprising:

• a light source that is located outside of an optical path of said finder;
• means for guiding a beam of light from said light source towards a photographer's eye, said means for guiding being mounted on one side of the pentagonal prism;
• means for separating a reflected beam of light that is reflected from said photographer's eye to outside of said optical path of said finder;
• means for detecting a separated beam of light that is separated by said reflected beam separating means, said beam detecting means being mounted on another side of the pentagonal prism, said separated beam detecting means providing an output;
• and
• means for determining the direction in which said eye gazes based on the output of said separated beam detecting means.

A camera having an eye direction detecting apparatus for effecting focusing of a selected one of a plurality of auto focus optical systems, said camera comprising:

• a finder having a plurality of finder zones;
• a plurality of auto focus optical systems respectively corresponding to said plurality of finder zones, each of said plurality of auto optical focus systems corresponding to a respective one of said plurality of finder zones;
• a photographic lens having an exit pupil optically aligned with said plurality of auto focus optical systems;
• said plurality of auto focus optical systems having at least one photoelectronic device for producing an output signal, said output signal produced by said photoelectric device for moving said photographic lens automatically to bring said camera into focus;
• an eye direction detecting apparatus for detecting a direction of a photographer's eye looking into the finder for detecting which of said plurality of finder zones the photographer's eye is looking;
• and
• means for selecting a respective one of said plurality of auto focus optical systems in response to detection of the finder zone that the photographer's eye is looking.

An eye direction detecting device of a camera, comprising:

• a finder system that is built in said camera;
• a light source for illuminating an eye of a photographer, said light source being mounted in a finder;
• an imaging optical system for imaging a beam of light reflected from said photographer's eye, said imaging optical system having a mask for limiting a scope of a beam of light passing through said imaging optical system;
• a sensor for detecting an image formed by said imaging optical system, said sensor producing an output signal;
• and
• means for processing said output signal to determine the direction in which said eye looks.

An eye detecting device built in a finder of a camera having a pentagonal prism and eyepiece, said eye direction detecting device comprising:

• means for guiding a beam of light towards a photographer's eye;
• means for detecting a reflecting beam of light that is reflected from said photographer's eye, said reflecting beam of light detecting means providing an output;
• and
• means for determining the direction in which said eye gazes based on the output of said reflecting beam detecting means;
• wherein both of said beam guiding means and said beam detecting means are mounted on an upper side of said camera and on one side of said pentagonal prism.