Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Ichiro Ohnuki

Akira Akashi

Yasuo Suda

Terutake Kadohara

Masaki Higashihara

Keiji Ohtaka

Takeshi Koyama

Akira Ishizaki

Masaharu Eguchi

Keiji Ikemori

Yoshihiko Aihara

Yoichi Tosaka

Toshiaki Sato

Masayoshi Kiuchi

Tetsuo Yoshizawa

Kazuhiko Arakawa

Akio Mihara

Taichi Sugimoto

Hiromichi Yamashita

Koichi Washisu

Kenji Itoh

Akira Yamada

Hidehiko Fukahori

Toru Nagata

Tsunemasa Ohara

Tetsuya Nishio

Shinichi Matsuyama

A semiconductor optical device is provided with a photo-electric conversion unit having plural photo-electric conversion elements and is entirely sealed by a sealing member. The photo-electric conversion elements are connected to external leads with electrical connectors. The distance D between a planar outer surface and a photoelectric conversion area satisfies the equation, D.gtoreq./2.multidot.l/tan .theta., where .theta. is a critical angle of total reflection of the sealing member with respect to air and l is the maximum length of said photoelectric conversion area.

Semiconductor photo-sensor and method for manufacturing the same

In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor photo-sensor, an assembly including a photoelectric conversion element having a photoreceiving section, and a lead terminal having an inner lead connected to the photoelectric conversion element by a bonding wire is provided. A light transmitting member is also provided within the cavity spaced apart from the photoelectric conversion element and at a light-incident side of the photoelectric conversion element, the light transmitting member having an inner surface facing an upper surface of the photoelectric conversion element and an outer surface opposite the inner surface. The photoelectric conversion element, the inner lead and the bonding wire are sealed by introducing a light transmitting resin into the cavity so as to provide a relation l&lt;2.multidot.(d.sub.1 +d.sub.2).multidot.tan.theta..sub.1, wherein l is a length of the photoreceiving section of the photoelectric conversion element, d.sub.1 is a thickness of the light transmitting resin above the upper surface of the photoelectric conversion element, d.sub.2 is a thickness of the light transmitting member, and .theta..sub.1 is a total reflection angle of the outer surface of the light transmitting member.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor photo-sensor

An auto focusing device for foreseeing-calculating lens driving data for making a lens focus on an object after a predetermined time on the basis of the past focus adjusting operation data and the latest focus detection data. A plurality of distance measuring points are read to effect distance measurements at a time. Data suitable for foreseeing calculation is found from the respective distance measuring points, and the data suitable for foreseeing calculation is specified as the latest focus detection data used for the foreseeing calculation.

Multi-point distance measuring apparatus

An auto focus device for predicting the position of a moving objerct after a predetermined time on the basis of past autofocus operations and driving the lens to focus on the predicted position. The predetermined time being calculated based on the discrimination of the direction of movement of the object. The predicting calculations place the lens in a closer near state rather than making the lens in focus to the moving object.

Auto focus device with predictive focussing

This invention relates to an automatic focusing device, particular capable of foreseeing the position of an object after a predetermined future time based on the results of a plurality of past focusing operations, thus enabling the focusing to the object. An automatic focusing device is provided which executes calculations for the abovementioned foreseeing after the execution of a predetermined number of focusing operations. However, if a focused state is identified in a focusing operation in the course of the execution of the predetermined number of focusing operations, the device is adapted to disregard the first-mentioned focusing operation as if it had not been conducted and to exclude the first-mentioned focusing operation from the counting of the predetermined number of focusing operations.

Automatic focusing device

A automatic focus detecting apparatus in which a focal point position corresponding to a change in position of an object after the elapse of a predetermined time is foreseen and calculated on the basis of the result of a past focal point adjustment. In accordance with the aperture value and lens characteristic at the time of photographing, a selection is made with respect to whether the calculation is executed in a normal mode to calculate the focal point position on the basis of only the result of the detection of the focal point at the present time independently of the result of the past focal point adjustment, or the calculation is executed in the foreseeing mode. Upon photographing, if there is no need to execute the foreseeing calculation, the focal point position is calculated in the normal mode.

Automatic focus adjusting apparatus

An auto focus device which foreseeing-calculates a change in the focal plane based on the movement of an object after a predetermined time on the basis of focus detection result in the past and a latest focus detection result, and moves a lens to the foreseeing-calculated position. Whether the data used for the foreseeing calculation are data suitable for the foreseeing calculation is judged each time focus detection is effected, and when it is continuously judged that the data are data unsuitable for the foreseeing calculation, lens driving based on the foreseeing calculation is inhibited.

Auto focus device

A focus adjusting apparatus in which a lens position in focus to an object at a predetermined time is foreseen with the result of the distance measurement at a plurality of times in the past taken into account, and a lens is driven to the foreseen position to thereby make the lens always in focus to a moving object. Whether the distance measurement is being continuously effected for the same object is discriminated based on the continuity of movement of the moving object and when the distance measurement for the same object is not effected, the foreseeing operation is inhibited and proper foreseeing operations are executed.

Focus adjusting apparatus for use in a camera or the like

A focus adjusting device which finds the lens driving amount for the position of the image plane in the future based on focus adjustment data obtained in past focus adjustment cycles includes a calculation circuit for calculating the lens driving amount or the position of the image plane in accordance with predetermined functional equations which use the data obtained in the past. The functional equation or equations used may be changed depending upon the number of times in the past over which the focus adjusting cycle was executed, or the reliability, e.g., contrast, of the auto focus signal.

Automatic focus adjusting device

An angular acceleration meter, for use in an image stabilizing optical device, is provided with a seesaw rotatably supported about an angular acceleration detecting axis and constitutes a detecting mass, in which the seesaw is shaped as an arc form with curved or polygonal surface symmetric with a respect to the detecting axis.

Image stabilizing optical device

Apparatus for use with an autofocus adjusting device which has a focus detecting circuit for detecting a focus state of an imaging optical system, and a driving circuit for driving the imaging optical system in accordance with the detected focus has a calculation circuit for performing a first calculation in which imaging plane positions at a plurality of points of time in the past and in the present time are determined on the basis of a signal representing a focusing state in the past and a signal representing a focusing state at the latest time to determine coefficients of a predetermined higher order function. The calculation circuit also performs a second calculation in which an imaging plane position at a time after a predetermined period of time has past is determined on the basis of the higher order function. A regulation circuit regulates the signal representing the focusing state detected by the focus detecting circuit when the second calculation is performed, and causes the second calculation to be performed on the basis of the regulated signal. A control circuit is provided for transmitting the signal representing the imaging plane position obtained by the calculation circuit to the driving circuit for driving the imaging optical system. This allows proper focus point prediction even when the zoom state of a zoom lens changes.

Auto focus adjusting device

A camera includes a film feeding mechanism for feeding a film to take an exposure on a next frame, a charging mechanism, a focusing mechanism, a first actuator serving as a drive source for driving the film feeding mechanism, a second actuator serving as a drive source for driving the charging mechanism, a third actuator serving as a drive source for driving the focusing mechanism, a voltage detecting circuit for detecting a voltage of a power source, and a control circuit for controlling the first, second and third actuators, the control circuit permitting, when the voltage of the power source detected by the voltage detecting circuit has a value not less than a predetermined value, the third actuator to operate when the first actuator is in process of operating, and the control circuit prohibiting, when the voltage of the power source detected by the voltage detecting circuit has a value less than the predetermined value, the third actuator from operating when the first actuator and the second actuator are in process of operating.

Camera

An automatic focus adjusting device which takes into account a change in the position of the image plane of an object caused by movement of the object during the focus adjusting operation time and makes a lens in focus to the moving object. The position of the image plane of the object after the focus adjusting operation time is foreseeing-calculated with the result of a past focus adjusting operation as a factor, and the current focus adjusting operation time is foreseen in conformity with the foreseeing-calculated value, and the position of the image plane of the object is again foreseeing-calculated with the foreseen time as a factor.

In a camera having an autofocus device, when performing a continuous shooting, an autofocus operation by the autofocus device is repeatedly performed during a time from the termination of the shooting operation to the completion of a preparation for the next shooting operation, and if the performance of the autofocus operation has been at least once completed before the completion of the preparation for the next shooting operation, the completion of the aforesaid preparation for the next shooting operation is, even though the autofocus operation is in progress, immediately followed by the start of the next shooting operation, while if the autofocus operation has not been at least once completed before the completion of the aforesaid preparation for the next shooting operation, the next shooting operation is started depending on the completion of the autofocus operation.

Camera having an autofocus device

A camera including an imaging optical system and a focus detecting circuit for repeatedly performing a focus detection operation and outputting a focus signal representing the focusing state of the optical system at the time of each focus detection operation. A calculation circuit predicts, on the basis of previous and latest focus signals, the focusing state of the optical system a predetermined period of time after the detection of the latest focus signal. The predetermined period of time includes a shutter release time-lag. A driving circuit drives the optical system by an amount corresponding to the focusing state calculated by the calculation circuit. A releasing circuit begins a film exposure in response to the operation of a shutter release member. A release timing control circuit controls the releasing circuit so that it does not operate until a point of time which is earlier, by an amount equal to the release time-lag, than the predicted time.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Ichiro Ohnuki