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US 6,081,670 AGranted
Depth-of-field indicator for a camera
AssigneeLifetouch National School Studies Inc.
InventorsRicky J. Madsen, Jon A. Holmes, Trygve D. Peterson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for controlling a camera to achieve sharp, clear pictures includes a sensor for determining the distance of the camera from a subject and a controller for calculating the camera's depth-of-field, determining whether the subject is within the depth-of-field, and generating various signals which are provided to control operation of the camera or convey pertinent information to the photographer.
Claims20
A camera system including:
- a. a zoom lens;
- b. a zoom lens position detecting device;
- c. a image acquisition device;
- d. a display;
- e. a distance measuring device;
- f. a CPU operating under software control and in a continuous loop for controlling the operation of said image acquisition device and sending signals to said display based upon determinations made by the controller with each iteration of said continuous loop of the depth-of-field of the camera system and the distance of a subject to be photographed from the camera system, said determinations of the depth-of-field based upon inputs received by the CPU indicative of focus distance, focal length, circle of confusion and F-stop and said determination of distance of a subject to be photographed from the camera system based upon inputs received from said distance measuring device.
3 more elements
A camera system including:
- (a) a zoom lens;
- (b) a first sensor for determining the position of the zoom lens;
- (c) a second sensor for determining the distance between the camera system and the subject to be photographed;
- (d) for controlling operation of the camera system, a controller that
- (i) receives information representative of the position of the zoom lens from said first sensor and representative of said distance between the camera system and the subject to be photographed from said second sensor;
- (ii) processes said information in a continuous loop and in accordance with a predetermined set of instructions to make a determination with each iteration of said continuous loop of whether the subject to be photographed is within the depth-of-field of said camera system;
- (iii) generates output signals based upon said determination made in the most recent iteration of said loop;
- and
- (e) a display wherein certain said output signals are sent to the display so that the display indicates whether the subject to be photographed is within the depth-of-field of the camera system.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.