← Back to Patent Explorer
EP0680723A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Camera capable of detecting eye-gaze

Assignee: Nikon Corp
•
Filing: 1991-10-14
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2011-10-14
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A camera includes a photo-taking lens, an automatic focus adjusting device for effecting the automatic focus adjustment of the photo-taking lens, an eye-gaze detecting device for detecting the photographer's eye-gaze position in a finder field corresponding to a photographing picture plane, and producing an eye-gaze detection signal corresponding to the eye-gaze position, a focus adjustment signal producing device for outputting a plurality of focus adjustment signals corresponding to a plurality of detection areas in the photographing picture plane, and a control signal producing device for producing a control signal for controlling the automatic focus adjusting means, on the basis of the eye-gaze detection signal and the focus adjustment signals. The control signal producing device produces the control signal on the basis of the plurality of focus adjustment signals corresponding to the plurality of detection areas when the eye-gaze position indicated by the eye-gaze detection signal is at a position between the plurality of detection areas.

Inventors

  • 👤 Shigeyuki Uchiyama
  • 👤 Tadao Takagi
  • 👤 Daisuke Saya
  • 👤 Yuji Katano
  • 👤 Shigemasa Sato
  • 👤 Toshimi Watanabe

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 10:45
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03B; G03B13/00; G03B13/02; G02; G02B; G02B7/00; G02B7/28; G02B7/287; G03B2213/00; G03B2213/02; G03B2213/025

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim 57 words
An eye-gaze detecting apparatus including eye-gaze detecting means which divides a detection area vertically and horizontally into areas so that a number of horizontally divided areas is greater than that of vertically divided areas, and arranged to detect an area in which a user is looking and to output a detection signal in response to said detection.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 74 words
A camera comprising: eye-gaze detecting means for dividing a detection area vertically into three areas and horizontally into five areas, and detecting an area where a user is looking, to output a detection signal; measurement signal outputting means having a plurality of measuring areas corresponding to said eye-gaze detection areas for outputting measurement signals corresponding to the measuring areas; and operation means for controlling a photographing operation on the basis of the measurement signals.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 23 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, or a camera as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said eye-gaze detection areas is rectangular.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 20 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 3, wherein there are three of said eye-gaze detection areas, laterally positioned.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 20 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 3, wherein there are five of said eye-gaze detection areas, laterally positioned.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

JPS6394232A Cited
JPH025A Cited
JPH01274736A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag