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US 6,549,730 B1Granted
Focal position changeable spatial modulation unit and focus detection device
AssigneeMinolta Co., Ltd.
InventorMasataka Hamada
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spatial modulator, a luminous flux deflector, a focus detection apparatus and a imaging device, which are capable of changing the focal position. The focus detection device includes: a focus sensor; liquid crystal cells that are arranged between a lens and the focus sensor and deflect luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus sensor while enabling a deflection characteristic of the luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus sensor to be changed; and a microcomputer for controlling the liquid crystal cells according to the size, position and so on upon an exit pupil of the lens and changing the deflection characteristic of the luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus sensor.
Claims21
A luminous flux deflection device comprising:
- a deflector that is arranged between a lens and a detector and that deflects luminous flux guided from the lens to the detector, wherein the deflector enables a deflection characteristic of the luminous flux guided from the lens to the detector to be changed;
- and
- a controller for controlling the deflector on a basis of pupil information upon an exit pupil of the lens and for changing the deflection characteristic of the luminous flux guided from the lens to the detector.
A focus detection device comprising:
- a focus detector;
- a deflector that is arranged between a lens and the focus detector and that deflects luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus detector, wherein the deflector enables a deflection characteristic of the luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus detector to be changed;
- and
- a controller for controlling the deflector on a basis of pupil information upon an exit pupil of the lens and for changing the deflection characteristic of the luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus detector.
1 more element
A camera comprising:
- a focus detector;
- a deflector that is arranged between a lens and the focus detector and that deflects luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus detector, wherein the deflector enables a deflection characteristic of the luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus detector to be changed;
- and
- a controller for controlling the deflector on a basis of pupil information upon an exit pupil of the lens and for changing the deflection characteristic of the luminous flux guided from the lens to the focus detector.
1 more element
A focus control device comprising:
- a lens for transmitting subject light;
- a driver for driving the lens;
- an image sensor for detecting at least a part of the subject light transmitted through the lens;
- a spatial modulation unit that is arranged between the lens and the image sensor and that is able to electromagnetically change a focal position;
- a contrast type of focus detector for detecting a focal position on a basis of sharpness of an image detected by the image sensor;
- and
- a control unit for controlling the spatial modulation unit and the contrast type of focus detector so that the spatial modulation unit can change the focal position until the contrast type of focus detector detects the focal position and then for controlling the driver so as to drive the lens on a basis of the focal position detected by the contrast type of focus detector, wherein a change by the spatial modulation unit of the focal position is one of a continuous change and a change made step by step.
4 more elements
A focus control device comprising:
- a lens for transmitting subject light;
- a driver for driving the lens;
- an image sensor for detecting at least a part of the subject light transmitted through the lens;
- a spatial modulation unit that is arranged between the lens and the image sensor and that is able to electromagnetically change a focal position;
- a phase difference type of focus detector for detecting a focal position by using an image detected by the image sensor;
- and
- a control unit for controlling the spatial modulation unit and the phase difference type of focus detector so that the phase difference type of focus detector can detect the focal position after the spatial modulation unit changes the focal position on a basis of pupil information upon an exit pupil of the lens and then for controlling the driver so as to drive the lens on a basis of the focal position detected by the phase difference type of focus detector.
4 more elements
A variable focal position spatial modulation device comprising:
- a variable refraction index material that is arranged inside a luminous flux and that is able to deflect incident light;
- a plurality of electrode pairs arranged at intervals in one of a concentric shape, a concentric oval shape and an unequally magnified concentric oval shape, in which a pair of electrodes of each of the electrode pairs are generally opposite to each other with interposition of the variable refraction index material between the pair of electrodes;
- and
- a voltage supplier for supplying a voltage across the electrodes, in which a refractive index distribution of the variable refractive index material changes in accordance with the voltage supplied across the electrodes, so that a focal position is changed;
- wherein the variable refractive index material is partitioned into a first region including both a first field in which the pair of electrodes of a first electrode pair of the electrode pairs oppose each other and a second field around the first field, and into a second region, adjacent to the first region, including both a third field in which the pair of electrodes of a second electrode pair of the electrode pairs oppose each other and a fourth field around the third field, thereby reducing the mutual influence that electric fields of the first and second regions exert on each other.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.