Patent US20030164892A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US20030164892A1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Object detecting apparatus
Assignee: Minolta Co Ltd
•
Filing: 2002-06-25
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2022-06-25
Abstract
Abstract An object detecting apparatus according to the present invention has: an image sensor capturing a plurality of object images in time sequence; a first detection start signal generator generating a signal to start detection of an object, included in a first area, of the object images captured by the image sensor; a first detector detecting a characteristic of the object included in the first area in response to the signal from the first detection start signal generator; and a second detector detecting an object similar to the characteristic detected by the first detector, within a second area larger than the first area. Consequently, even when a moving object is shot, the user can take a picture intended by him only by determining the composition so that the main object is roughly followed.
Inventors
- 👤 Akira Shiraishi
- 👤 Kenji Nakamura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 23:10
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/60; H04N23/67; H04N23/63; H04N23/633; H04N23/635
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
161 words
1 . An object detecting apparatus comprising: an image sensor for capturing a plurality of object images in time sequence; a first detection start signal generator for generating a signal to start detection of an object, included in a first area, of the object images captured by the image sensor; a first detector for detecting a characteristic of the object included in the first area in response to the signal from the first detection start signal generator; a second detector for detecting an object similar to the characteristic detected by the first detector, within a second area larger than the first area; a second detection start signal generator for generating a signal to start detection by the second detector; a detection end signal generator for generating a signal to end the detection by the second detector; and a controller for performing focusing for the object detected by the second detector in response to the signal from the detection end signal generator.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
161 words
1 . An object detecting apparatus comprising: an image sensor for capturing a plurality of object images in time sequence; a first detection start signal generator for generating a signal to start detection of an object, included in a first area, of the object images captured by the image sensor; a first detector for detecting a characteristic of the object included in the first area in response to the signal from the first detection start signal generator; a second detector for detecting an object similar to the characteristic detected by the first detector, within a second area larger than the first area; a second detection start signal generator for generating a signal to start detection by the second detector; a detection end signal generator for generating a signal to end the detection by the second detector; and a controller for performing focusing for the object detected by the second detector in response to the signal from the detection end signal generator.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
2 . An object detecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said image sensor is a distance measurement sensor, and said characteristic of the object is distance information to the object.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
3 . An object detecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first detection start signal generator detects that the user is looking through the finder, and generates the detection start signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
4 . An object detecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said second detector divides the second area into a plurality of areas, and detects the object similar to the characteristic detected by the first detector for each of the divisional areas.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
5 . An object detecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said second detection start signal generator generates the detection start signal by half depressing a release button, and said detection end signal generator generates the detection end signal by full depressing the release button.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
6 . An object detecting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprises a mode in which the detection by the second detector is not performed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
152 words
7 . An object detecting apparatus comprising: an image sensor for capturing a plurality of object images in time sequence; a characteristic detector for detecting a characteristic of the object in a first area of the object images captured by the image sensor; a first detector for detecting a main object to be shoot in the first area; a second detector for detecting a main object to be shoot, within a second area larger than the first area, of the object images captured by the image sensor based on the characteristic detected by the characteristic detector; a third detector for detecting a main object to be shoot in the second area regardless of the characteristic of the object in the first area; a selector for selecting one of the detectors from the first, second and third detectors; and a controller for performing focusing for the main object detected by the selected detector.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
152 words
7 . An object detecting apparatus comprising: an image sensor for capturing a plurality of object images in time sequence; a characteristic detector for detecting a characteristic of the object in a first area of the object images captured by the image sensor; a first detector for detecting a main object to be shoot in the first area; a second detector for detecting a main object to be shoot, within a second area larger than the first area, of the object images captured by the image sensor based on the characteristic detected by the characteristic detector; a third detector for detecting a main object to be shoot in the second area regardless of the characteristic of the object in the first area; a selector for selecting one of the detectors from the first, second and third detectors; and a controller for performing focusing for the main object detected by the selected detector.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
8 . An object detecting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said image sensor is a distance measurement sensor, and said characteristic of the object is distance information to the object.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5758201A
Cited
US6118484A
Cited
US5315539A
Cited
US6522360B1
Cited
US6219492B1
Cited
US6785469B1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.