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US 7,509,041 B2Granted
Image-capturing device having multiple optical systems
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorEiji Hosono
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
By providing different switching points between two optical systems for the case where an image capture device such as a camera is zoomed in, when the angle of view for the captured image is transitioned from wide to tele, and for the case where the camera is zoomed out, when the angle of view of the captured image is transitioned from tele to wide, the number of switching operations between the two optical systems can be reduced.
Claims11
An image-capturing device having multiple optical systems, the image-capturing device comprising:
- an image-capturing optical system having a first image-capturing optical system which is of a zoom type and a second image-capturing optical system which is of a zoom type, wherein an angle of view at a wide end of a zoom range of the first image-capturing optical system is set to be wider than an angle of view at a wide end of a zoom range of the second image-capturing optical system and the zoom ranges are set so that a portion of the zoom range of the first image-capturing optical system overlaps a portion of the zoom range of the second image-capturing optical system;
- a user setting unit which sets an angle of view for image capturing to an angle of view desired by a user;
- and
- a controller which applies a control to switch to the second image-capturing optical system at a tele end or a position near the tele end of the first image-capturing optical system when the first image-capturing optical system is used to zoom in and to switch to the first image-capturing optical system at a wide end or a position near the wide end of the second image-capturing optical system when the second image-capturing optical system is used to zoom out, the controller further controls a switching point between the first image-capturing system and the second image-capturing system when a captured image is transitioned from wide to tele that is not identical and differs from the switching point between the first image-capturing system and the second image-capturing system when the captured image is transitioned from tele to wide.
1 more element
An image-capturing device having multiple optical systems, comprising:
- a first image-capturing optical system and
- a second image-capturing optical system, wherein
- the first image-capturing optical system has a first electronic zoom range;
- the second image-capturing optical system has a second optical zoom range and a second electronic zoom range;
- the first electronic zoom range and the second optical zoom range are set so that the first electronic zoom range partially overlaps the second optical zoom range;
- and
- the image-capturing device further comprises
- a user operating unit which sets the angle of view for image capturing to an angle of view desired by a user, and
- a control unit which applies a control according to an angle of view which is set by the user operating unit to switch to an optical zoom of the second image-capturing optical system at a tele end or a position near the tele end of the first electronic zoom range when the first image-capturing optical system is used to zoom in and to an electronic zoom of the first image-capturing optical system at a wide end of the second optical zoom range when the second image-capturing optical system is used to zoom out, the controller further controls a switching point between the first image-capturing system and the second image-capturing system when a captured image is transitioned from wide to tele that is not identical and differs from the switching point between the first image-capturing system and the second image-capturing system when the captured image is transitioned from tele to wide.
6 more elements
An image-capturing device having multiple optical systems, comprising:
- a first image-capturing optical system, and
- a second image-capturing optical system, wherein
- the first image-capturing optical system has a first optical zoom range and a first electronic zoom range;
- the second image-capturing optical system has a second optical zoom range and a second electronic zoom range;
- the first electronic zoom range and the second optical zoom range of the second image-capturing optical system are set so that the first electronic zoom range and a portion of the second optical zoom range partially overlap as a result of a tele end of the first electronic zoom range being set to be at a wider side than a tele end of the second optical zoom range and a wide end of the first electronic zoom range to be at a wide end of the second optical zoom range, and
- the image-capturing device further comprises:
- a user operating unit which sets an angle of view for image capturing to an angle of view desired by a user, and
- a control unit which applies a control according to an angle of view which is set by the user operating unit to switch to an optical zoom of the second image-capturing optical system at the tele end of the first electronic zoom range when the first image-capturing optical system is used to zoom in and to an optical zoom of the first image-capturing optical system at the wide end of the second optical zoom range when the second image-capturing optical system is used to zoom out, the controller further controls a switching point between the first image-capturing system and the second image-capturing system when a captured image is transitioned from wide to tele that is not identical and differs from the switching point between the first image-capturing system and the second image-capturing system when the captured image is transitioned from tele to wide.
5 more elements
An image-capturing device having multiple image-capturing optical systems, comprising:
- a first image-capturing optical system, and
- a second image-capturing optical system, wherein
- the first image-capturing optical system has a first optical zoom range and a first electronic zoom range;
- the second image-capturing optical system has a second optical zoom range and a second electronic zoom range;
- the first optical zoom range of the first image-capturing optical system and the second optical zoom range of the second image-capturing optical system are set so that the first optical zoom range and the second optical zoom range partially overlap as a result of a tele end of the first optical zoom range being set to be at a wider side than a tele end of the second optical zoom range and at a position nearer to the tele side than is a wide end of the second optical zoom range of the second image-capturing optical system, and
- the image-capturing device further comprises:
- a user operating unit which sets an angle of view for image capturing to an angle of view desired by a user, and
- a control unit which applies a control according to an angle of view which is set by the user operating unit to switch to an optical zoom of the second image-capturing optical system at the tele end of the first optical zoom range when the first image-capturing optical system is used to zoom in and to an optical zoom of the first image-capturing optical system at the wide end of the second optical zoom range when the second image-capturing optical system is used to zoom out, the controller further controls a switching point between the first image-capturing system and the second image-capturing system when a captured image is transitioned from wide to tele that is not identical and differs from the switching point between the first image-capturing system and the second image-capturing system when the captured image is transitioned from tele to wide.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.