Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroshi Miyanari

Takashi Kawabata

Yoshihito Harada

Akira Egawa

Yukio Odaka

Eiji Nishimori

Toshiaki Shingu

Yasuteru Ichida

Hidetoshi Masuda

An imaging apparatus is provided which includes an image sensor including a plurality of photoelectric conversion units, an output unit configured to output a signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and a reading unit configured to read the signal from the plurality of photoelectric conversion units via the output unit, a display unit configured to display image data from the image sensor, and a control unit configured to control a first operation in which image data serially read from the image sensor is displayed by the display unit as a serial image and a second operation in which a still image is shot according to an instruction for picking up the still image while the first operation is being performed, and further configured to restrain/inhibit supplying power to the output unit at a predetermined timing during a time period in which the first operation is being performed.

Imaging apparatus

The image capture apparatus changes a time from the commencement of the operation of the accumulation of the electrical charge to the shuttering, by the shutter blade unit, of the pixel within the image capture element by way of the reset operation in a state of retracting the shutter blade unit from the light path of the image capture element.

Image capture apparatus and control method thereof

It is an object to provide an image sensing apparatus which can shorten the time required for the creation of correction data by reducing the amount of data used for the creation of correction data. In order to achieve the above object, an image sensing apparatus according to this invention includes a plurality of pixels, a first calculating unit which creates correction data by performing computation using signals which are acquired by image sensing in an unexposed state and smaller in number than said plurality of pixels, and a second calculating unit which corrects image data of the plurality of pixels, acquired by image sensing in an exposed state, by using the correction data.

Image sensing apparatus, control method therefor, storage medium, and program to create correction data

An image capture apparatus includes first and second pixels. Each pixel has a sensor and a reading portion for reading out a signal from the sensor to an output line. The apparatus further includes a correcting section for changing a correction signal in accordance with waiting time in which signals from the first and second pixels are held and for correcting noise components contained in image signals output from the first and second pixels in accordance with the correction signal. Waiting times in which the image signals are held in the first and second pixels are different from each other and the noise components are generated due to the different waiting times.

Image capture apparatus for correcting noise components contained in image signals output from pixels

A camera, an optical apparatus or an optical unit controller having a device for driving an optical unit, a device for determining a state of movement of the optical unit, and a control unit for changing the direction of movement of the optical unit according to whether the amount of driving necessary for the driving device to move the optical unit to a position at which the determination device determines the state of movement of the optical unit is equal to or smaller than a predetermined amount.

Optical unit controller

A distance measuring apparatus in which two, right and left optical systems respectively comprise sensors (5, 6) is disclosed. Sensor output values (35, 36) representing received-light images (31, 32) on the sensors (5, 6) suffer variations due to sensitivity differences between the sensors (5, 6). In order to correct the variations, the minimum values (RD.sub.L, RD.sub.R) of the two sensor output values are normalized to zero level, and thereafter, the smaller maximum value (e.g., S.sub.R) is normalized to the larger maximum value (e.g., S.sub.L). The correlation calculation is made on the basis of the two normalized sensor outputs to calculate the distance to the object to be measured.

Distance measuring apparatus

A stepping motor drive circuit including a bridge circuit composed of energizing coils constituting a stepping motor and four transistors, and current value switching circuitry for selecting a value of current flow according to the rotation direction of the stepping motor. A value of constant current flow is determined according to the rotation direction of the stepping motor, so that the torque of the stepping motor is optimized relative to a load.

Stepping motor drive unit

Disclosed is a focus adjustment information forming device of the kind arranged to measure distances at a plurality of distance measuring areas on a picture plane specified by optical means which has its focal point being adjusted and to form information on adjustment of the focal point, the plurality of distance measuring areas including a center distance area located approximately in the center of the picture plane. The device comprises first priority means for giving priority to a measured distance value which represents the nearest distance among measured distance values obtained from the distance measuring areas; a second priority means for giving priority to the measured distance value obtained from the center distance measuring area according to its relations to the measured distance values of other distance measuring areas when one of the measured distance values of the distance measuring areas other than the center distance measuring area represents the nearest distance; and focus adjustment information forming means for forming information on adjustment of the focal point of the optical means on the basis of outputs of the first and second priority means.

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Yokohama, Japan

Hiroshi Miyanari