US5157432A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Camera having a zoom lens unit
Assignee: Minolta Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1991-07-09
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Granted: 1992-10-20
•
Expires: 2011-07-09
Abstract
Abstract An automatic focusing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a photo-taking lens system, in which a focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during the zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along the optical axis, and a controller for controlling the speed of the second lens unit during the zooming operation based on the focal length of the photo-taking lens system, the lapse of the time related with focus detection cycles, the reliability of the result of the focus detection and so on.
Inventors
- 👤 Hidenori Fukuoka
- 👤 Toru Ishii
- 👤 Masatoshi Itoh
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 14:42
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B7/00; G02B7/28; G02B7/34
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
132 words
A focus adjusting apparatus, comprising: a photo-taking lens system, in which the focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement through a plurality of zones along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along the optical axis; and means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit during the zooming operation based on a basic speed determined on the basis of focal length of the photo-taking lens system, the basic speed being changed as a function of the time the first lens unit is in each respective zone during the zooming operation.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
132 words
A focus adjusting apparatus, comprising: a photo-taking lens system, in which the focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement through a plurality of zones along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along the optical axis; and means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit during the zooming operation based on a basic speed determined on the basis of focal length of the photo-taking lens system, the basic speed being changed as a function of the time the first lens unit is in each respective zone during the zooming operation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for detecting the focus condition of the photo-taking lens system by using the light passing through the photo-taking lens system, wherein the control means further uses the result detected by the focus detecting means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 2, wherein the control means further uses the reliability of the result detected by the focus detecting means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 3, wherein the focus detecting means detects the focus condition according to a phase difference detecting method using a pair of CCD line sensors and the reliability is determined by the correlation between the outputs of the CCD line sensors.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 2, wherein the result detected by the focus detecting means is the defocus amount with respect to the photo-taking lens system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 2, wherein the lapse of time corresponds to an interval at which the focus detecting means detects a focusing condition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for detecting an object distance, wherein the control means further uses the object distance for controlling the speed of the second lens unit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
175 words
A focus adjusting apparatus, comprising: a photo-taking lens system, in which the focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along the optical axis; first means for detecting the defocus amount with respect to the photo-taking lens system by using the light passing through the photo-taking lens system; second means for detecting the focal length of the photo-taking lens system; means for outputting a defocus compensation coefficient corresponding to the detected focal length for obtaining a speed correction amount from the detected defocus amount; means for converting the defocus amount into the speed of the second lens unit using the detected defocus amount and the defocus compensation coefficient; and means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit during the zooming operation based on the converted value.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
175 words
A focus adjusting apparatus, comprising: a photo-taking lens system, in which the focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along the optical axis; first means for detecting the defocus amount with respect to the photo-taking lens system by using the light passing through the photo-taking lens system; second means for detecting the focal length of the photo-taking lens system; means for outputting a defocus compensation coefficient corresponding to the detected focal length for obtaining a speed correction amount from the detected defocus amount; means for converting the defocus amount into the speed of the second lens unit using the detected defocus amount and the defocus compensation coefficient; and means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit during the zooming operation based on the converted value.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 8, wherein the converting means further uses the reliability of the defocus amount detected by the detecting means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
47 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 9, wherein the first detecting means detects the defocus amount according to a phase difference detecting method using a pair of CCD line sensors and the reliability is determined by the correlation between the outputs of the CCD line sensors.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 8, further comprising third means for detecting an object distance, wherein the control means further uses the object distance for controlling the speed of the second lens unit.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 8, wherein the converting means includes a ROM table which memorizes the defocus compensation coefficient and is addressed by the focal length.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
122 words
A focus adjusting apparatus, comprising: a photo-taking lens system, in which the focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during the zooming operation; and means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit during the zooming operation based on the focal length of the photo-taking lens system and the absolute position of the second lens unit along the optical axis of the photo-taking lens system.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
122 words
A focus adjusting apparatus, comprising: a photo-taking lens system, in which the focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during the zooming operation; and means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit during the zooming operation based on the focal length of the photo-taking lens system and the absolute position of the second lens unit along the optical axis of the photo-taking lens system.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
54 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 13, further comprising means for detecting the focus condition of the photo-taking lens system by using the light passing through the photo-taking lens system, wherein the control means further uses the result detected by the focus detecting means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 14, wherein the control means further uses the reliability of the result detected by the focus detecting means for controlling the speed of the second lens unit.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
47 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 15, wherein the focus detecting means detects the focus condition according to a phase difference detecting method using a pair of CCD line sensors and the reliability is determined by the correlation between the outputs of the CCD line sensors.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 14, wherein the result detected by the focus detecting means is the defocus amount with respect to the photo-taking lens system.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
156 words
A focus adjusting apparatus, comprising: a photo-taking lens system, in which the focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along the optical axis; means for detecting the focus condition of the photo-taking lens system using the light passing through the photo-taking lens system; means for determining whether or not the detected focus condition is available; and means for controlling the movement of the second lens unit at a predetermined speed when the determining means determines that the detected focus condition is unavailable, and at speed variable in accordance with the reliability of the detected focus condition when the determining means determines that the detected focus condition is available.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
156 words
A focus adjusting apparatus, comprising: a photo-taking lens system, in which the focus has to be adjusted every time the focal length is changed, including at least a first lens unit for changing the focal length by means of its movement along an optical axis of the photo-taking lens during a zooming operation and a second lens unit for adjusting the focus by means of its movement along the optical axis; means for detecting the focus condition of the photo-taking lens system using the light passing through the photo-taking lens system; means for determining whether or not the detected focus condition is available; and means for controlling the movement of the second lens unit at a predetermined speed when the determining means determines that the detected focus condition is unavailable, and at speed variable in accordance with the reliability of the detected focus condition when the determining means determines that the detected focus condition is available.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
47 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 18, wherein the focus detecting means detects the focus condition according to a phase difference detecting method using a pair of CCD line sensors and the reliability is determined by the correlation between the outputs of the CCD line sensors.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
36 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 18, wherein the result detected by the focus detecting means is the defocus amount with respect to the photo-taking lens system and the controlling means uses the defocus amount.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
34 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 18, further comprising means for detecting the object distance, wherein the control means further uses the object distance for controlling the speed of the second lens unit.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
26 words
A focus adjusting apparatus claimed in claim 8, further comprising means for storing the coefficient corresponding to the focal length connected to said means for calculating.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-10-20 | 1996-04-20 | 1996-10-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-10-20 | 2000-04-20 | 2000-10-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-10-20 | 2004-04-20 | 2004-10-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |