The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 23, 1993
Filed:
Jan. 15, 1991
Akira Akashi, Yokohama, JP;
Masaki Higashihara, Yokohama, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
Focus detecting apparatus detecting focus to a plurality of areas has (1) a first auto-focusing mode in which, regardless of an in-focus or out-of-focus state, an auto-focusing operation (including focus detection and driving of an optical system) are repeatedly performed, and (2) a second auto-focusing mode in which the auto-focusing operation is performed until an in-focus state is obtained and the auto-focusing operation is terminated after the in-focus state is detected. A sensor unit is provided for receiving light beams from a plurality of different areas in a photographic scene. A focus processing circuit is provided for, in the first auto-focusing mode, causing the auto-focusing operation to be performed on the basis of an output of a sensor unit representing a particular area of the plurality of areas as long as the output of said sensor unit which represents the particular area is appropriate. In the second auto-focusing mode, the processing circuit selects as a result of the focus detection operation a signal representing a particular focusing state among the focus state signals of each area obtained by the focus detection operation performed on outputs of sensor units corresponding to each area of the photographic scene.