Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.

Fujinon Corporation

Fujifilm Corporation

Atsushi Kanayama

Tadashi Sasaki

Keiji Kaneko

Hiroshi Mizumura

Kunio Yata

Minoru Tanaka

Hiroyuki Kawamura

Syunichiro Ouchi

Pattern data for specifying a face image of a person is registered in a pattern data storage unitof a tracking device. When a face recognition auto-tracking mode is selected, a face image coinciding with the registered pattern data is detected, and an AF area is set to track the face image.

Autofocus system

A taking lensof an automatic focusing system of an optical path length difference type is configured so that AF object light is branched from a main optical path that guides object light to a video imaging deviceof a camera main body, and object images are formed on AF imaging devicesA andB. A &#x2154; type CCD is used as the video imaging device, and a &#x2153; type CCD, that is easily available and cheap, is used as the AF imaging devicesA andB. In view of that sizes of the AF imaging devicesA andB are smaller than that of the video imaging device, the object images formed on the AF imaging devicesA andB are reduced by a reduction optical system

Automatic focusing system using a magnification or reduction optical system

An auto focus system is provided in which a focus movement speed and a cut off frequency of a filter for detecting a contrast from a video signal in AF of a contrast detecting system can be manually set in AF, so that an optimum AF can be achieved under various photographing conditions.

Auto focus system that controls focusing speeds and movements based on image conditions

When it is detected that a tracking target disappears in an image range in the course of tracking the tracking target, which is a registration pattern selected as a target to be tracked from among registration patterns, an autofocus is disabled. Thereafter, the autofocus is kept being disabled even if it is detected that the tracking target having the selected registration pattern appears in the image range. Alternatively, when the tracking target disappears in the image range in the course of tracking the tracking target, the autofocus is disabled, and thereafter when the tracking target having the registration pattern appears in the image range, it is started to track the tracking target having the registration pattern.

The present invention provides an AF-area display apparatus integrated in a lens unit that is interchangeably mounted on a camera and has an automatic focusing device for controlling focusing in such a way that the camera is focused on a photographic subject within an AF area in an imaging area of the camera, or connected as an auxiliary device to the lens unit, the AF-area display apparatus comprising: an AF-area obtaining device that obtains the AF area currently set in the automatic focusing device; a video signal generating device that generates a video signal for displaying the AF area obtained through the AF-area obtaining device; and a video signal outputting device that outputs the video signal generated by the video signal generating device.

AF-area display apparatus and AF-area operation apparatus

In relation to a lens control system where a control signal indicating a target zooming speed is delivered to a lens controller in accordance with operation of a zoom demand and where the lens controller subjects the control signal to non-linear processing to thus effect zoom control, thereby facilitating operation required when a zoom lens is moved at low speed, the lens control system includes a lens controller switching the linear processing between valid and invalid, whereby the lens control system does not excessively perform non-linear processing when the zoom demand outputs a non-linear control signal.

Lens control system, lens controller, and operating apparatus

In the auto focus system, focus evaluation values indicating a degree of sharpness of images are sought from a plurality of image pickup devices placed at positions of different light path lengths, a travel distance converging to zero as a focus of a picture-taking lens approaches a focusing position is sought by using a difference or a ratio between the two focus evaluation values, and the focus is moved to a new moving target position which is a value of a current moving target position having the travel distance added thereto so as to securely move the focus to the focusing position by stable operation of the focus suited to characteristics of the focus evaluation values.

Auto focus system

Auto focus control is exerted based on a focus evaluation value indicating a degree of sharpness of an image obtained from a plurality of image pickup devices placed at positions of different light path lengths. There is provided a device which makes a correction on sensitivity of the focus evaluation value obtained from each image pickup devices. It is thereby possible to make an adequate correction on a sensitivity of the focus evaluation value so as to exert the auto focus control with high accuracy. It is also possible to automatically make a correction on the sensitivity of the focus evaluation value and eliminate troublesome labor. All or a part of signal processing for the auto focus control is performed by a single processing part by time-sharing. Thereby, a circuit scale can be miniaturized and power consumption can be reduced.

A selection device which permits or prohibits serial communication is provided in a lens apparatus capable of performing serial communication to suppress the serial communication although a camera body can perform the serial communication. Thus, a safe operation of the system can be guaranteed. At the same time, the processing speed of the processing circuit in the lens apparatus can be reduced, thereby successfully reducing the power consumption.

Lens apparatus

A position determining device for a control knob includes a relative position determiner and an absolute position determiner. The standard output data of the potentiometer corresponding to the rotational limits of the control knob is recorded in a ROM during manufacturing of the device. Since the device is activated until the potentiometer reaches one of the limits, the operating amount of the control knob is determined in accordance with absolute position data outputted from the potentiometer. When the potentiometer reaches one of the rotational limits of the control knob, the standard data corresponding to the rotational limits is read from the ROM and set as an initial value for the determination by the rotary encoder. Thereafter, the operated amount of the control knob is determined in accordance with relative position data outputted from the rotary encoder.

Position determining device

The lens control unit determines the operated amount of a control knob with a CPU through a rotary encoder and a counter, and outputs control signals corresponding to the operated amount through a D/A converter and a communication IC. In the initial state, the lens control unit is set in an analog mode, and outputs the control signal in the analog form. If a lens device controlled by the lens control unit has a serial communication function, the lens device transmits a pulse signal or a mode switch signal with an unexpected frequency for an analog signal to the lens control unit by superimposing the pulse signal on an answer signal. The lens control unit counts pulses included in the pulse signal with a counter to detect the mode switch signal. If the counted value of the counter reaches a predetermined value, the lens control unit shift to a digital mode and thereafter outputs the control signal in the digital form.

Lens control unit and lens for TV camera

The lens information display apparatus is provided that allows the cameraman to check required lens information while looking at a viewfinder. A transmissive LCD panel is mounted in front of a screen of the viewfinder, and a control unit for controlling the image displayed on the LCD panel is attached to the bottom surface of the viewfinder. The control unit obtains lens information from a lens apparatus of a television camera system and causes the LCD panel to display images (characters and/or graphics) representing the lens information so that the lens information is displayed as superimposed on the image on the viewfinder.

Lens information display apparatus

In a TV lens system including a TV lens apparatus and a control unit, CPUs of the TV lens apparatus and the control unit monitor intervals between received data in serial communication in a digital control mode. If the data transmission stops for a predetermined time or the received data has an error, the CPUs determine that the communication is abnormal and switch the control modes of the TV lens system from the digital control mode to an analog control mode by operating switching devices. Display units show that the system has been switched to the analog control mode. If the CPUs detect the communication being abnormal, they may display abnormality of the communication on the display units to inform the user of the abnormality of the communication so that the user can switch the control modes by manually operating analog setting switches. Information indicating the abnormality of the communication is stored in an EEPROM, and presented to the user when the TV lens system starts to operate afterward.

TV lens system

The control unit sets up the center and an insensitive zone of a zoom seesaw switch provided in a drive unit of an ENG lens by an electrical processing. The control unit is capable of dispensing with a mechanical adjustment of the center and the insensitive zone of the zoom seesaw switch in assembling the product, and the assembly of the product is thus simplified. On turning on a center setting switch while the zoom seesaw switch is released from the operation, an operational position of the zoom seesaw switch at that time is accurately set as the center that brings the moving rapidity of the zoom lens to zero. On setting an insensitive zone size by an insensitive zone setup device, the moving rapidity of the zoom lens becomes zero whenever the operational position of the zoom seesaw switch is within the insensitive zone. Any of these settings is carried out by a processing of a CPU.

Control unit

The lens apparatus permits rapid focusing by the operator demanding an autofocus start-up direction to carry out AF in the direction in an AF mode. When a start of the AF mode is instructed, an AF standby state of waiting for the operator to demand the AF start-up direction by operating a focus operation member, thereby permitting the operator to properly demand the AF start-up direction, and permitting the demand to be appropriately detected. When automatically switching from the state where the operator operates the focus operation member to the AF, condition of the switching is that a focus evaluation value exceeds a predetermined threshold based on the operation of the focus operation member, or that an operation amount of the focus operation member is changed more then a predetermined amount, thereby permitting further rapid focusing and improvement of operability. Gradually switching a clutch, which switches the focus lens driving from manual to electrical operation, from a manual to electrical state in switching to the AF can eliminates uncomfortable operation feeling of the focus operation member. Further, for the processing after completion of focusing by the AF, a mode of returning to the AF standby state of waiting for the operator to demand the AF start-up direction, mode of returning to a manual mode, or mode of continuing the AF can be selected, which permits improvement of convenience of the AF mode.

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Saitama, Japan

Atsushi Kanayama