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EP0479671A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Still video camera

Assignee: Sony Corp
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Filing: 1991-10-01
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-10-01
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Abstract

Abstract An electronic still camera is comprised of a zoom lens (12) for magnifying an incident optical image, a focusing lens (13) for focusing the incident optical image, a motor (35) for driving the focusing lens (13), a photo-electric converting unit for converting the optical image incident thereon through the zoom lens (12) and the focusing lens (13) into an electrical signal, a focus detecting circuit for detecting the focused state of the incident optical image, and a zoom lens state detecting circuit for detecting the state of the zoom lens (12), wherein when the movement of the zoom lens (12) is detected by the zoom lens state detecting circuit, the focusing lens (13) is moved by the motor (35) so as to focus the incident optical image on the basis of the detected result of the focus detecting circuit.

Inventors

  • 👤 Shinichi Kato

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 11:51
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/60; H04N23/67; H04N23/673; H04N23/80; H04N23/84; H04N23/88; H04N5/00; H04N5/76; H04N5/765; H04N5/77; H04N5/772

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim 125 words
An electronic still camera comprising: a zoom lens for magnifying an incident optical image; a focusing lens for focusing said incident optical image; a motor for driving said focusing lens; a photo-electric converting unit for converting said optical image incident thereon through said zoom lens and said focusing lens into an electrical signal; focus detecting means for detecting the focused state of said incident optical image; and zoom lens state detecting means for detecting the state of said zoom lens, wherein when the movement of said zoom lens is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, said focusing lens is moved by said motor so as to focus said incident optical image on the basis of the detected result of said focus detecting means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 125 words
An electronic still camera comprising: a zoom lens for magnifying an incident optical image; a focusing lens for focusing said incident optical image; a motor for driving said focusing lens; a photo-electric converting unit for converting said optical image incident thereon through said zoom lens and said focusing lens into an electrical signal; focus detecting means for detecting the focused state of said incident optical image; and zoom lens state detecting means for detecting the state of said zoom lens, wherein when the movement of said zoom lens is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, said focusing lens is moved by said motor so as to focus said incident optical image on the basis of the detected result of said focus detecting means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 252 words
An electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising: focusing lens position detecting means for detecting the position of said focusing lens; and memory means for storing data indicative of the position of said focusing lens in which said optical image is focused relative to the position of said zoom lens, wherein said focusing detecting means is composed of a high frequency component detecting circuit for detecting a high frequency component of a video signal obtained from an output signal of said photo-electric converting unit and wherein when a high frequency component of level higher than a predetermined level is detected by said high frequency component detecting circuit and when the movement of said zoom lens from the first state of long focal length to the second state of short focal length is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, data indicative of the focusing lens position corresponding to the zoom lens position detected by said zoom lens state detecting means is derived from said memory means and said focusing lens is moved to said position to focus said optical image, while when the high frequency component of level higher than the predetermined level is not detected by said high frequency component detecting circuit and when the movement of said zoom lens is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, the focusing position is detected on the basis of the video signal obtained from the output signal of said photo-electric converting unit so as to focus said optical image.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 183 words
An electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising: a focusing lens state detecting means for detecting the state of said focusing lens; and memory means for storing the focusing lens position at which said optical image is focused relative to the zoom lens position, wherein when the movement of said zoom lens from the first state of long focal length to the second state of short focal length is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, data indicative of the focusing lens position corresponding to the zoom lens position detected by said zoom lens state detecting means is derived from said memory means and said focusing lens is moved to said position by said motor so as to focus said optical image, while when the movement of said zoom lens from said second position to said first position is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, said focusing lens is moved substantially to the intermediate position of the range of said focusing lens position corresponding to said first position by said motor so as to focus said optical image.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 129 words
An electronic still camera comprising: a zoom lens for magnifying an incident optical image; a focusing lens for focusing said incident optical image; a motor for driving said focusing lens; a photo-electric converting unit for converting said optical image incident thereon through said zoom lens and said focusing lens into an electrical signal; focus detecting means for detecting the focused state of said incident optical image; and zoom lens state detecting means for detecting the state of said zoom lens, wherein when it is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means that said zoom lens is moved and then stopped, said focusing lens is moved by said motor so as to focus said incident optical image on the basis of the detected result of said focus detecting means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 129 words
An electronic still camera comprising: a zoom lens for magnifying an incident optical image; a focusing lens for focusing said incident optical image; a motor for driving said focusing lens; a photo-electric converting unit for converting said optical image incident thereon through said zoom lens and said focusing lens into an electrical signal; focus detecting means for detecting the focused state of said incident optical image; and zoom lens state detecting means for detecting the state of said zoom lens, wherein when it is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means that said zoom lens is moved and then stopped, said focusing lens is moved by said motor so as to focus said incident optical image on the basis of the detected result of said focus detecting means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 252 words
An electronic still camera according to claim 4, further comprising: focusing lens position detecting means for detecting the position of said focusing lens; and memory means for storing data indicative of the position of said focusing lens in which said optical image is focused relative to the position of said zoom lens, wherein said focusing detecting means is composed of a high frequency component detecting circuit for detecting a high frequency component of a video signal obtained from an output signal of said photo-electric converting unit and wherein when a high frequency component of level higher than a predetermined level is detected by said high frequency component detecting circuit and when the movement of said zoom lens from the first state of long focal length to the second state of short focal length is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, data indicative of the focusing lens position corresponding to the zoom lens position detected by said zoom lens state detecting means is derived from said memory means and said focusing lens is moved to said position to focus said optical image, while when the high frequency component of level higher than the predetermined level is not detected by said high frequency component detecting circuit and when the movement of said zoom lens is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, the focusing position is detected on the basis of the video signal obtained from the output signal of said photo-electric converting unit so as to focus said optical image.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 183 words
An electronic still camera according to claim 4, further comprising: a focusing lens state detecting means for detecting the state of said focusing lens; and memory means for storing the focusing lens position at which said optical image is focused relative to the zoom lens position, wherein when the movement of said zoom lens from the first state of long focal length to the second state of short focal length is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, data indicative of the focusing lens position corresponding to the zoom lens position detected by said zoom lens state detecting means is derived from said memory means and said focusing lens is moved to said position by said motor so as to focus said optical image, while when the movement of said zoom lens from said second position to said first position is detected by said zoom lens state detecting means, said focusing lens is moved substantially to the intermediate position of the range of said focusing lens position corresponding to said first position by said motor so as to focus said optical image.

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