Temperature Compensating Patents (Class 396/97)
  • Patent number: 6249647
    Abstract: A system for thermal compensation of the optical performance of a lens system in a digital imaging device can improve the performance of the digital imaging system. The dark current from the photosensor is used to measure the temperature of the lens system. The digital processing system can use the temperature information to correct for aberrations in the lens system caused by changes in temperature. The focus function can use the temperature information to more accurately position the lens for optimum focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Robert Cazier, Charles H McConica
  • Patent number: 6188841
    Abstract: A lens-fitted film unit is provided with a thermally expandable axial distance adjusting member which has a thermal expansion coefficient greater than plastic lens elements of a taking lens held by an axially movable lens holder and disposed between the lens holder and a stationary shutter cover and which expands or contracts in accordance with a change in ambient temperature to change an axial distance between the lens holder and a film plane so as thereby to shift a focal point of the taking lens in an axial direction to compensate a variation of the focal length of the taking lens due to a change in refractive power of the plastic lens element which is caused by axial expansion or axial contraction of the plastic lens element due to the change in ambient temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuo Kamata
  • Patent number: 6184511
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion apparatus including (A) a semiconductor integrated circuit, for photoelectrically converting an incident optical signal, that includes a first temperature dependent element having a characteristic which exhibits a predetermined change in accordance with a change in temperature and a detection circuit for detecting temperature information, (B) a device arranged outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit, and (C) at least one second temperature dependent element which is arranged inside the device and has a characteristic which exhibits a predetermined change in accordance with a change in temperature. The detection circuit detects temperature information of the first temperature dependent element and temperature information of the at least one second temperature dependent element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichiro Yamashita
  • Patent number: 6148152
    Abstract: A system for thermal compensation of the optical performance of a lens system in a digital imaging device can improve the performance of the digital imaging system. The dark current from the photosensor is used to measure the temperature of the lens system. The digital processing system can use the temperature information to correct for aberrations in the lens system caused by changes in temperature. The focus function can use the temperature information to more accurately position the lens for optimum focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Robert Cazier, Charles H McConica
  • Patent number: 6144805
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes first and second lenses, first and second detection devices, and a control device. The first lens varies magnification, and the second lens, positioned on a focal-plane side of the first lens, corrects variation of an image forming position. The first detection device detects at least one of temperature and humidity. The second detection device detects positions of the first and second lenses. The control device controls movement of the second lens during movement of the first lens by using outputs from both the first and second detection devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shigeru Ogino
  • Patent number: 6120379
    Abstract: In a portable game machine 10, formed on the upper portion of a body portion 20 is a camera portion 30. An image display device 22 is arranged on one main surpace of the body portion 20, and operating switches 23, 24, etc., are arranged on other areas. The camera portion 30 is rotatably supported to the body portion 20, and a user can shoot images in both forward and backward directions when viewed from the user. Preferably, the camera portion 30 is supported having a prescribed angle to the body portion 20 so that its focal axis tilts with respect to main surfaces of the body portion 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Tanaka, Takashi Ohno, Satoru Okada, Masahiko Ota, Masato Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 6023589
    Abstract: An optical apparatus for forming an object image on an image forming plane by using an optical system including a moving lens group for focus adjustment, includes a lens driving mechanism which drives the moving lens group, a control circuit which drives and controls the lens driving mechanism on the basis of control information provided for driving and controlling the moving lens group, and a temperature and/or humidity detecting sensor for detecting information on temperature and/or humidity, wherein the control circuit computes a correction amount by which a driving limit of the moving lens group toward a nearest-distance end or infinity-distance end for focus adjustment is variable, according to a temperature and/or humidity detection output of the temperature and/or humidity detecting sensor, and drives and controls the lens driving mechanism on the basis of the correction amount and the control information, so that the object image can be formed on the image forming plane of the optical system without s
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Seiya Ohta
  • Patent number: 5995766
    Abstract: A focus detecting device which performs a temperature compensating action on the basis of an output of a temperature sensor includes a focus detecting sensor, a reimaging lens which reimages a light flux to be used for focus detection, a support member on which the focus detecting sensor and the reimaging lens are mounted, and the temperature sensor disposed in the vicinity of a mounting surface of the support member on which the reimaging lens is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichiro Yamashita
  • Patent number: 5895129
    Abstract: An optical apparatus has an optical system incorporating a plurality of lenses including at least one movable lens. The optical apparatus detects temperature information or humidity information concerning the temperature or humidity around a structural member of the optical system other than the lenses, and performs, based on the detected information, compensation for a shift of the focal position caused by a change in the temperature or humidity around the structural member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Seiya Ohta
  • Patent number: 5845159
    Abstract: An optical apparatus has an imaging optical system including an optical element system which undergoes changes in shape and refractive index by temperature or humidity. This optical apparatus is provided with at least one set of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element so that a beam of light emitted from the light-emitting element is received by said light-receiving element, and has a function of presuming a shift of an imaging position caused by the changes in shape and refractive index of the imaging optical system from an output of the light-receiving element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hisashi Goto
  • Patent number: 5745805
    Abstract: A focus detecting device includes a photographic lens, a condenser lens disposed adjacent to a preset imaging plane of the photographic lens, an aperture stop having a pair of apertures arranged with sufficient space for ensuring focus accuracy, a reimaging lens having a pair of lens elements arranged to correspond to individual apertures, and a photoelectric converter. Two light beams passing through different areas of the photographic lens are received by the photoelectric converter and the phase difference between the two light beams is detected from the intensity distribution of light on the light-receiving surface of the photoelectric converter so that a focusing state of the photographic lens can be recognized. Further, the focus detecting device satisfies the condition:0.67.ltoreq.h.sub.2 /.delta..ltoreq.0.87where h.sub.2 is the distance from the optical axis of the condenser lens to the centroidal position of an aperture of the aperture stop and .delta.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1998
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Noriyuki Iyama
  • Patent number: 5679946
    Abstract: A system that is mounted in a camera capable of focal point detection and that performs correction of the focal point detection data in accordance with the temperature, wherein the temperature inside the photo-taking lens barrel is measured and the focal point detection data is corrected based on the temperature data for the interior of the photo-taking lens barrel. Using this construction, because the temperature of a lens element comprising the photo-taking lens can be accurately measured even where the ambient temperature of the camera has suddenly changed, for example, appropriate correction suitable for the temperature conditions may be performed. Also disclosed is a construction in which the correction of the focal point detection data is performed based on not only the temperature data but also the focal length data for the photo-taking lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromu Mukai, Yasumasa Sugihara, Rieko Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 5652926
    Abstract: A distance measuring apparatus for measuring a distance to an object, which comprises an active distance measuring unit, a passive distance measuring unit, a parameter determining unit, a memory and a distance-value selecting circuit. The memory stores a distance measurement value look-up table and a parameter look-up table. The distance-value selecting circuit outputs an active distance measurement value or a passive distance measurement value as a distance to the object on the basis of first type active and passive distance measurement points picked up from the distance measurement value look-up table and second type active and passive distance measurement points picked up from the parameter look-up table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tatsuo Saito
  • Patent number: 5636143
    Abstract: There are provided a method and apparatus capable of estimating a color temperature of a photographic light source. A theoretical reference value is obtained which is represented by summation or integration of the product of a spectral energy distribution of an object having a known color temperature, a spectral sensitivity distribution of a photometric system, and a spectral reflectance distribution defined by a certain expression. An actual value is acquired by measuring at least a portion of light reflected from a body which is exposed to light emitted from a light source whose color temperature is to be estimated. Spectral reflectance distributions are calculated for a plurality of color temperatures such that the difference between the theoretical reference value and the actual value becomes minimum. A calculation is performed to obtain the sum of abnormal components of the obtained spectral reflectance distribution whose maximum values exceed 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koji Takahashi
  • Patent number: 5614983
    Abstract: An automatic focus state detection device executes focus adjustment by taking environmental factors such as temperature and power source voltage into consideration. The temperature of the camera, the power source voltage of the battery in the camera, and the posture of the camera are detected. Then, lens driving times for six representative points of the driving lens distance are computed. A driving time table is produced, and the defocus amount is detected. Then, based on the updated driving time table, the lens driving time corresponding to the current defocus amount is computed. Finally, the timing for each sequential process from release to start of exposure is determined. In this manner, the driving time is computed by taking the temperature, the power source voltage, and the posture into consideration, and a more accurate estimation of the lens driving time is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1997
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Iwane, Shozo Yamano
  • Patent number: 5589910
    Abstract: A distance measuring apparatus according to the present invention comprises two types of distance measuring units, which are a first distance measuring unit of the active method for receiving reflected light of measuring light returning from an object and performing distance measurement based on a focused position thereof, and a second distance measuring unit of the passive method for receiving the natural light reflected by the object through two optical systems and performing the distance measurement based on two optical images thus obtained. The apparatus further has a luminance determining unit for determining a luminance of the external field from a photometry result, and a distance selecting device for selecting and outputting either one of distance measurement results obtained by the first distance measuring unit and second distance measuring unit as a proper distance value, based on the luminance of the external field determined by the luminance determining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Saito, Shigenori Goto