Lens drive control apparatus for automatic focusing

Claim 2

An automatic focusing apparatus comprising: an electric motor; a lens assembly including a focusing optical system and a transmission mechanism arranged between said electric motor and said focusing optical system and driven by said electrical motor so as to move said focusing optical system in a direction of an optical axis of said focusing optical system; means for detecting a defocus amount corresponding to a difference between a predetermined focal plane and an imaging plane of an object image formed by said focusing optical system; means for supplying power to said electric motor; means for generating information corresponding to a magnitude of a load of said electric motor; means for determining a drive characteristic of said electric motor on the basis of said defocus amount and said information so that said power supplied to said electric motor is decreased when the imaging plane comes close to a given distance from said predetermined focal plane and so that said given distance is changed when said load of said electric motor has been varied; and means for controlling said power supplying means in accordance with said determined drive characteristic.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information represents a torque which is required for driving said transmission mechanism.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said given distance is changed to a smaller distance in accordance with decrease of said load of said electric motor.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said determining means includes means for prestoring data representing a relation between the intensity of said power and said defocus amount at every load of said electric motor.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said supplying means supplies a periodic current to said electric motor, and said data represents a duty ratio of the periodic current.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information generating means is provided on said lens assembly.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said information generating means includes memory means for prestoring said information and means for putting out said information toward said determining means.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes means for monitoring a moving amount of said focusing optical system by said electric motor and controls said electric motor in response to said monitoring means.

Claim 10

A camera system, comprising: a camera housing; an electric motor; a photographing lens assembly having a focusing optical system being attached to said camera housing, and a transmission mechanism arranged between said electric motor and said focusing optical system and driven by said electric motor so as to move said focusing optical system in a direction of an optical axis of said focusing optical system; means for detecting a defocus amount corresponding to a difference between a predetermined focal plane and an imaging plane of an object image formed by said focusing optical system; means for supplying power to said electric motor; means arranged in said photographing lens assembly for generating information corresponding to a magnitude of a load for said electric motor to move said focusing optical system through said transmission mechanism; means for determining a drive characteristic of said electric motor on the basis of said defocus amount and said information so that said power supplied to said electric motor is decreased when the imaging plane comes close to a given distance from said predetermined focal plane and so that said given distance is changed when said load of said electric motor has been varied; and means for controlling said power supplying means in accordance with said determined drive characteristic.

Claim 11

A camera system, comprising: a camera housing; an electric motor; a photographing lens assembly having a focusing optical system being attached to said camera housing, and a transmission mechanism arranged between said electric motor and said focusing optical system and driven by said electric motor so as to move said focusing optical system in a direction of an optical axis of said focusing optical system; means for detecting a defocus amount corresponding to a difference between a predetermined focal plane and an imaging plane of an object image formed by said focusing optical system; means for supplying power to said electric motor; means arranged in said photographing lens assembly for generating information corresponding to a magnitude of a load for said electric motor to move said focusing optical system through said transmission mechanism; means for determining a drive characteristic of said electric motor on the basis of said defocus amount and said information so that said power supplied to said electric motor is decreased when the imaging plane comes close to a given distance from said predetermined focal plane and so that said given distance is changed when said load of said electric motor has been varied; and means for controlling said power supplying means in accordance with said determined drive characteristic.

Claim 12

A system according to claim 9, wherein said information represents a torque which is required for driving said transmission mechanism.

Claim 13

A system according to claim 9, wherein said given distance is changed to a smaller distance in accordance with decrease of said load of said electric motor.

Claim 14

A system according to claim 9, wherein said supplying means supplies a periodic current to said electric motor, and said control means controls a duty ratio of the periodic current to decrease said power of said motor.

Claim 15

A system according to claim 9, wherein said electric motor is arranged in said camera housing, and further comprising means for coupling said electric motor to said transmission mechanism.

Claim 16

An automatic focusing apparatus comprising: a focusing optical system including a focusing lens; means for detecting a defocus amount and a defocus direction, the defocus amount being adapted to correspond to a different between an imaging plane of an object image formed by said focusing optical system and a predetermined focal plane; means, in response to said detecting means, for discriminating the position of said imaging plane relative to a first zone including a first distance from the focal plane and a second zone including a second distance longer than the first distance from the focal plane, the first distance being determined such that the focusing optical system substantially focuses on an object when the imaging plane falls within the first zone; driving means for driving said focusing lens in a direction of an optical axis of said focusing lens; means for generating an in-focus signal representing that focusing on the object is completed; and control means for controlling said detecting means, said in-focus signal generating means and said driving means in response to said discriminating means; when the imaging plane is positioned outside the second zone, said control means causing said driving means to move said focusing lens according to the detected defocus amount and the defocus direction and then immediately causing said detecting means to detect the defocus amount and the defocus direction, and when the imaging plane is positioned outside the first zone and within the second zone, said control means causing said driving means to move said focusing lens according to the detected defocus amount and the defocus direction and then immediately causing said generating means to generate said in-focus signal.

Claim 17

An automatic focusing apparatus comprising: a focusing optical system including a focusing lens; means for detecting a defocus amount and a defocus direction, the defocus amount being adapted to correspond to a different between an imaging plane of an object image formed by said focusing optical system and a predetermined focal plane; means, in response to said detecting means, for discriminating the position of said imaging plane relative to a first zone including a first distance from the focal plane and a second zone including a second distance longer than the first distance from the focal plane, the first distance being determined such that the focusing optical system substantially focuses on an object when the imaging plane falls within the first zone; driving means for driving said focusing lens in a direction of an optical axis of said focusing lens; means for generating an in-focus signal representing that focusing on the object is completed; and control means for controlling said detecting means, said in-focus signal generating means and said driving means in response to said discriminating means; when the imaging plane is positioned outside the second zone, said control means causing said driving means to move said focusing lens according to the detected defocus amount and the defocus direction and then immediately causing said detecting means to detect the defocus amount and the defocus direction, and when the imaging plane is positioned outside the first zone and within the second zone, said control means causing said driving means to move said focusing lens according to the detected defocus amount and the defocus direction and then immediately causing said generating means to generate said in-focus signal.

Claim 18

An automatic focusing appparatus according to claim 14, wherein said control means causes said generating means to generate said in-focus signal in response to said detecting means when the imaging plane is positioned within the first zone.