Camera with infrared beam type remote controller

A camera with an infrared beam type remote controller for performing a remote control shot comprising;

• transmitting means, responsive to an external operation, for projecting an infrared remote control signal including at least one ranging signal composed of a sequence of pulses with different pulse widths;
• receiving means for receiving said remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal from said transmitting means;
• said ranging signal having pulse widths set so that the number of ranging signal pulses received by said receiving means becomes fewer accordingly as the distance between said transmitting means and said receiving means becomes larger;
• memory means for storing a relationship between the pulse number, of said ranging signal which said receiving means receives, and distance;
• an electrically rewritable non-volatile memory E.sup.2 PROM for storing the numbers of received pulses, representing cases requiring correction, of the ranging signal of said receiving means and correction values for the numbers of received pulses of said ranging signal of said receiving means,
• the numbers of received pulses, representing cases requiring correction, of the ranging signal of said receiving means and correction values for the numbers of received pulses of said ranging signal of said receiving means being set based on comparison between the numbers of received pulses, for distance under field conditions exceeding a prescribed high luminance, of said ranging signal of said receiving means and pulse numbers for distance of said memory means;
• counting means, responsive to said receiving means, for counting the pulse number of that portion of said ranging signal which said receiving means actually received;
• correcting means, responsive to said counting means and said E.sup.2 PROM, for giving a corrected pulse number by correcting a pulse number counted by said counting means, by means of said correction value, in a circumstance in which the field conditions exceeds said prescribed high luminance and the number of received pulses of said ranging signal of said receiving means is less than the number of received pulses representing a circumstance requiring correction, and for giving a pulse number counted by said counting means in other cases;
• distance recognizing means, responsive to said correcting means and said memory means, for recognizing the distance between said transmitting means and the camera by reading a distance corresponding to a pulse number from said correcting means;
• and
• focusing means, responsive to said distance recognizing means, for bringing out the taking lens to a lens position corresponding to the distance recognized by said distance recognizing means.

A distance determination system for use in a camera having a remote control device, the system comprising:

• a transmitter for transmitting an infrared remote control signal including at least one ranging signal composed of a sequence of pulses of different widths;
• a receiver for receiving the remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal;
• and
• recognition means, responsive to the receiver, for determining actual distance from the transmitter to the receiver as a function of that portion of the ranging signal actually received.

A method for determining distance for use with a camera having a remote control device, the method comprising the steps of:

• transmitting an infrared remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal composed of a sequence of pulses of different widths;
• receiving the remote control signal including the at least one ranging signal;
• and
• determining actual distance from a point where the transmission occurred to a point where the reception occurred as a function of that portion of the ranging signal actually received.