With Amplification Control Patents (Class 396/99)
  • Patent number: 10609268
    Abstract: A control apparatus which performs control of a movable optical member of an optical apparatus based on a first operation amount of a first operation device and a second operation amount of a second operation device, comprises: a storage that stores information of a first operation sensitivity of the first operation device and a second operation sensitivity of the second operation device; and a processor configured to generate a target value for the control based on the first operation amount, the second operation amount, and the first operation sensitivity and the second operation sensitivity of which information is stored in the storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Junji Shigeta
  • Patent number: 8558940
    Abstract: An image sensor includes: a plurality of image-capturing pixels that, upon each receiving a partial light flux within a predetermined wavelength range, which is part of a photographic light flux used to form an optical image, output image signals corresponding to the optical image; a plurality of focus detection pixels that receive a pair of focus detection light fluxes in a wider wavelength range than the predetermined wavelength range and output a pair of focus detection signals; and a reduction unit that adjusts a signal level of the focus detection signals output from the plurality of focus detection pixels to be equal to or less than a signal level of the image signals each output from one of the plurality of image-capturing pixels under a given light receiving condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Yosuke Kusaka, Satoshi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20110243540
    Abstract: A focus adjusting apparatus comprises a focus operating unit for generating a focus command signal for driving a focus lens according to an operating amount of the focus operating unit; a focus driving unit for driving the focus lens in response to the focus command signal from the focus operating unit; a focus position detecting unit for detecting a position of the focus lens; a focus detecting unit for detecting whether or not in-focus is achieved or detecting deviation amount from in-focus position; and an operation sensitivity determining unit for determining a focus operating sensitivity of the focus operating unit, wherein the operation sensitivity determining unit determines the focus operating sensitivity and the position of the focus lens, and wherein the focus driving unit drives the focus lens according to the focus operating sensitivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takashi KATO
  • Patent number: 7693406
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes: a shake amount detecting unit that detects a shake amount; a composition determining unit that determines whether the composition of a picture is determined during image capturing on the basis of the correlation among a plurality of frames; a shake correcting unit that performs a shake correcting process on a captured image on the basis of the detected camera shake amount; and a correction control unit that controls the shake correcting unit to start the shake correcting process when the shake amount is smaller than a predetermined reference shake amount and it is determined that the composition of a picture is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Nomura, Michihiro Nagaishi, Kazuhiro Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 7620312
    Abstract: A focus detection apparatus includes an image sensor that applies photoelectric conversion to incident light and accumulates charge, a first output unit that outputs electric signals based on the charge accumulated in the image sensor through multiple channels, and a focus detection unit that detects a phase difference on the basis of the electric signals outputted from the plurality of channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomokazu Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20090162045
    Abstract: An imaging device and processes to provide image stabilization by controlling analog gain and integration time. Analog gain and integration time for images are determined by comparing an image in various frames, whether full frames or hidden frames, where the image is provided with differently set analog gain and integration time settings to determine settings for stabilized image capture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventors: Dmitri Jerdev, Igor Subbotin
  • Patent number: 7493034
    Abstract: A focus detection system includes a line sensor array wherein the line sensor array photoelectrically converts object light into an electric charge, and outputs the accumulated electric charge as an image signal; a monitor sensor array for monitoring an integral value of the line sensor array to output a monitor signal; a controller; and an amplifier. The controller detects the integral value of the line sensor array from the monitor signal, continues to make the line sensor array perform an integral operation until a secondary maximum integral time elapses if, upon a lapse of a predetermined primary maximum integral time, a value of the monitor signal needs to be amplified at an amplification factor greater than a maximum amplification factor of the amplifier, and increases the amplification factor of the amplifier after a lapse of the secondary maximum integral time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Nakata
  • Patent number: 7042503
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus of this invention includes a signal generator adapted to generate a signal upon reception of input light, a transfer unit adapted to transfer the signal generated by the signal generator, a temperature measuring unit adapted to measure a temperature, an amplification unit adapted to amplify the signal transferred from the transfer unit, and a control unit adapted to control the gain of the amplification unit at a first temperature to be lower that the gain of the amplification unit at a second temperature measuring unit, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6871018
    Abstract: A focus detection device includes line sensors which photoelectrically convert and integrate light from an object and output an image signal; monitor sensors, provided adjacent to the line sensors, which monitor an integrated value of the adjacent line sensors; a control device which amplifies an output of each monitor sensor and outputs a monitor signal, and terminates integration of the line sensor corresponding to the monitor sensor when the monitor signal reaches a predetermined termination value; and a gain adjustment device which adjusts a gain level of the control device in accordance with each integration time during integration of the line sensor. The gain adjustment device adjusts the gain level of the control device so that an appropriate integrated value of the line sensor becomes an approximately predetermined value when the monitor signal reaches the predetermined termination value regardless of the integration time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: PENTAX Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Nakata
  • Patent number: 6711350
    Abstract: The sensor sensitivity and the method of setting the peak selected area of the AF sensor are changed according to the luminance level of the distance measurement object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Yoshida, Yoshikazu Mihara
  • Patent number: 6549874
    Abstract: A distance measuring device is provided with regulating circuit for removing offset voltages. Before conducting distance measurement, the regulating circuit outputs a reference voltage on the basis of offset voltages of an amplifier and an integrating circuit used to amplify and integrated reflected light from an object. The regulating circuit comprises a D/A converter for outputting an analog voltage. A value representing the offset voltages is stored and, at the time of distance measurement, the reference voltage is set based on the stored value. The integrating circuit integrates two outputs of the amplifier based on near-side and far-side light receiving means, and uses a calculating device to find a distance to the object based on the integrated output voltages of the integrating circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Seiko Precision Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Saito, Kenji Hyakutake
  • Publication number: 20010014215
    Abstract: This invention is an inexpensive distance measuring device having short lag time, configured so as to have a pair of light receiving regions at positions of focal points of a pair of image forming optical systems, comprising functions for dividing the light receiving regions and for monitoring the integration control for each divided light receiving region, also comprising an AF area sensor capable of performing pre-integration operations while causing strobe light to be emitted, and a microcomputer that, according to object field luminance distributions obtained from pre-integration results of the AF area sensor and to the focal length value of the photographic lens, divides the light receiving regions of the AF area sensor into respective pluralities, causes final integration operations to be performed while monitoring the integration control in each of the divided light receiving regions, and performs ranging computations based on data obtained for each light receiving region, capable of performing appropr
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2001
    Publication date: August 16, 2001
    Applicant: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masataka Ide, Hisayuki Matsumoto, Takeshi Kindaichi, Koichi Nakata
  • Patent number: 5974271
    Abstract: A focus detector amplifies a plurality of sets of output signals from a plurality of photoelectric transfer element arrays by the most preferable amplifying mode and focuses a focus of an optical lens system on a desired object among a plurality of objects corresponding to the photoelectric transfer element arrays by selecting a method for deciding a defocus among a nearest position priority method, a lateral direction priority method and a reliability priority method responding to a condition of the objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norihiko Akamatsu, Kazuhiko Yukawa, Hiroshi Ueda
  • Patent number: 5923213
    Abstract: An amplifying device has a decibel gain that evolves quasi-linearly as a function of the digital value of a control word C(O:M-1). The device includes: an amplifying stage with K amplifiers having mutually different decibel gains, the gain in decibels of each amplifier being a multiple of the same value G0; a switching stage with K switches; a gain-controlled amplifier having a gain which varies between 0 and G0 as a function of the value of the N least significant bits (C(O:N-1)) of the control word received at its digital input; and a decoder receiving a digital word including the (M-N) most significant bits (C(N:M-1)) of the control word. The decoder has K logic outputs controlling the K switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Frederic Darthenay, Richard Morisson, Denis Raoulx
  • Patent number: 5917380
    Abstract: The invention relates to a digitally gain-controlled amplifier including a transconductance stage provided with means for producing, at each of its N current outputs, a current (Itr) having a variable component which is representative of the analog input voltage. The amplifier also includes a switching stage comprising N switches each controlling the activation or deactivation of one of the N current outputs of the transconductance stage. Finally, the amplifier has a current/voltage conversion stage having one voltage output constituting the analog output of the amplifier and supplying a voltage which is representative of the currents received at its N current inputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Frederic Darthenay, Richard Morisson, Denis Raoulx
  • Patent number: 5742524
    Abstract: In order to improve the accuracy and reliability of a distance measurement device of the light-projecting type, the device is provided with a reference voltage generator for generating a reference voltage having a level dependent upon whether or not a light is being projected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Seiko Precision Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Ito, Hiroyuki Saito, Teruyo Miyata
  • Patent number: 5572280
    Abstract: A photoelectric conversion unit includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices for receiving light from an object and storing charge corresponding to the quantity of the received light. A monitor unit outputs a monitor signal corresponding to the received light quantity from the start of the charge storage by the photoelectric conversion unit. When a predetermined time elapses from the start of the charge storage by the photoelectric conversion unit, a monitor read unit reads out the output monitor signal from the monitor unit. A time determining unit determines a charge storage end time on the basis of the monitor signal read out by the monitor read unit. When the charge storage end time determined by the time determining unit elapses, a signal read unit reads out charge signals stored in the photoelectric conversion devices of the photoelectric conversion unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Yaji, Masayuki Uno
  • Patent number: 5568222
    Abstract: A focus detecting apparatus detecting focus to a plurality of areas receives outputs from a plurality of sensors. A processing circuit evaluates the plurality of output signals from the respective plurality of sensors, and independently evaluates whether or not each of the output signals fulfills each of a plurality of predetermined judgement conditions. A selection circuit (i) determines the total number of judgement conditions fullfilled by each of the output signals, (ii) selects the output from one of the plurality of sensors on the basis of the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Aoyama