US5594500A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Image pickup apparatus
Assignee: Canon Inc
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Filing: 1995-06-14
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Granted: 1997-01-14
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Expires: 2015-06-14
Abstract
Abstract An image pickup apparatus, which includes an eye point sensor for detecting an eye point in a frame, a calculation circuit for calculating average coordinates of the eye point in the frame detected by the eye point sensor, a setting circuit for setting a distance measurement frame at the average coordinates output from the calculation circuit, and a control circuit for controlling the size of the distance measurement frame according to the focal length, is disclosed. An image pickup apparatus, which includes a focus calculation circuit for detecting a focus state by detecting the dispersion range of an eye point, is also disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Taeko Tanaka
- 👤 Kitahiro Kaneda
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:20
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B7/00; G02B7/28; G02B7/287; G02B30/00; G02B30/20; G02B30/22; G02B30/24; H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/60; H04N23/67; H04N23/673; G03; G03B; G03B2213/00; G03B2213/02; G03B2213/025
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing a focus adjustment operation according to a signal within a focus detecting frame set on an image pickup frame, comprising: (A) detection means for detecting position coordinates of an eye point of a photographer in the image pickup frame; (B) calculation means for calculating an average value of the position coordinates of the eye point detected by said detection means; and (C) setting means for setting a position of the focus detecting frame in the image pickup frame according to said average value output from said calculation means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
94 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing a focus adjustment operation according to a signal within a focus detecting frame set on an image pickup frame, comprising: (A) detection means for detecting position coordinates of an eye point of a photographer in the image pickup frame; (B) calculation means for calculating an average value of the position coordinates of the eye point detected by said detection means; and (C) setting means for setting a position of the focus detecting frame in the image pickup frame according to said average value output from said calculation means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
75 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means comprises a light-emitting element for radiating infrared light into an eyeball of the photographer, a light-receiving element for receiving infrared light emitted from said light-emitting element and reflected by the eyeball, and a signal processing circuit for calculating the position coordinates of the eye point of the photographer on the image pickup frame according to light-receiving positions of the reflected light on said light-receiving element.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said light-emitting element and said light-receiving element of said detection means are disposed in a view finder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
60 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: (D) image pickup means for photoelectrically converting an object image formed on the image pickup frame into an image pickup signal; and (E) focus detection means for detecting a focus state by extracting a predetermined signal component corresponding to an amount of sharpness of the object image from the image pickup signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined signal component is a high-frequency component in the image pickup signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
122 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing a focus operation of an optical means according to a signal within a focus detecting frame set on an image pickup frame, comprising: (A) detection means for detecting position coordinates of an eye point of a photographer in the image pickup frame; (B) calculation means for calculating an average value of the position coordinates of the eye point detected by said detection means; (C) setting means for setting a position of the focus detecting frame in the image pickup frame according to said average value output from said calculation means; and (D) control means for changing a size of the focus detecting frame set by said setting means according to a state of said optical means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
122 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing a focus operation of an optical means according to a signal within a focus detecting frame set on an image pickup frame, comprising: (A) detection means for detecting position coordinates of an eye point of a photographer in the image pickup frame; (B) calculation means for calculating an average value of the position coordinates of the eye point detected by said detection means; (C) setting means for setting a position of the focus detecting frame in the image pickup frame according to said average value output from said calculation means; and (D) control means for changing a size of the focus detecting frame set by said setting means according to a state of said optical means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a photographing lens for forming an object image on the image pickup frame, wherein the state of said optical means is a focal length, and said control means changes the size of the focus detecting frame according to the focal length information.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
75 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said detection means comprises a light-emitting element for radiating infrared light into an eyeball of the photographer, a light-receiving element for receiving infrared light emitted from said light-emitting element and reflected by the eyeball, and a signal processing circuit for calculating the position coordinates of the eye point of the photographer on the image pickup frame according to light-receiving positions of the reflected light on said light-receiving element.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said light-emitting element and said light-receiving element of said detection means are disposed in a view finder.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
93 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing an adjustment operation according to a signal within an image detecting frame set on an image pickup frame, comprising: (A) detection means for detecting position coordinates of any eye point of an operator in the image pickup frame; (B) calculation means for calculating an average value of the position coordinates of the eye point detected by said detection means; and (C) setting means for setting a position of the image detecting frame in the image pickup frame according to said average value output from said calculation means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
93 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing an adjustment operation according to a signal within an image detecting frame set on an image pickup frame, comprising: (A) detection means for detecting position coordinates of any eye point of an operator in the image pickup frame; (B) calculation means for calculating an average value of the position coordinates of the eye point detected by said detection means; and (C) setting means for setting a position of the image detecting frame in the image pickup frame according to said average value output from said calculation means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
75 words
An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said detection means comprises a light-emitting element for radiating infrared light into an eyeball of the operator, a light-receiving element for receiving infrared light emitted from said light-emitting element and reflected by the eyeball, and a signal processing circuit for calculating the position coordinates of the eye point of the operator on the image pickup frame according to light-receiving positions of the reflected light on said light-receiving element.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said light-emitting element and said light-receiving element of said detection means are disposed in a view finder.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
60 words
An apparatus according to claim 10 further comprising: (D) image pickup means for photoelectrically converting an object image formed on the image pickup frame into an image pickup signal; and (E) focus detection means for detecting a focus state by extracting a predetermined signal component corresponding to an amount of sharpness of the object image from the image pickup signal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
123 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing an image processing operation of an optical means according to a signal within an image detecting frame set on an image pickup frame, comprising: (A) detection means for detecting position coordinates of an eye point of an operator in the image pickup frame; (B) calculation means for calculating an average value of the position coordinates of the eye point detected by said detection means; (C) setting means for setting a position of the image detecting frame in the image pickup frame according to said average value output from said calculation means; and (D) control means for changing a size of the image detecting frame set by said setting means according to a state of said optical means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
123 words
An image pickup apparatus for performing an image processing operation of an optical means according to a signal within an image detecting frame set on an image pickup frame, comprising: (A) detection means for detecting position coordinates of an eye point of an operator in the image pickup frame; (B) calculation means for calculating an average value of the position coordinates of the eye point detected by said detection means; (C) setting means for setting a position of the image detecting frame in the image pickup frame according to said average value output from said calculation means; and (D) control means for changing a size of the image detecting frame set by said setting means according to a state of said optical means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
77 words
An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said detection means comprises a light-emitting element for radiating infrared light into an eyeball of the operator, a light receiving element for receiving infrared light emitted from said light-emitting element and reflected by the eyeball, and a signal processing circuit for calculating the position coordinates of the eye point of the operator on the image pickup frame according to light receiving positions of the reflected light on said light-receiving element.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said light-emitting element and said light-receiving element of said detection means are disposed in an election view finder.
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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) | 2000-01-14 | 2000-07-15 | 2001-01-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-01-14 | 2004-07-15 | 2005-01-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-01-14 | 2008-07-15 | 2009-01-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |