Automatic focus control system with backlash correcting arrangement

• US 4,537,487 A
• Filed: 08/29/1984
• Issued: 08/27/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Norio, Taniguchi, Nobuyuki, Egawa, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, William B.
• Application Number:
  US06/646,380
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 354/400-409, 354/286, 354/289.12, 354/195.1
• US Class Current: 396/93
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/36 using image sharpness techniques , e.g. image processing techniques for generating autofocus signals image data processing per se G06T; in cameras having a solid state image sensor H04N23/67

Abstract

An automatic focus control system provided with a backlash correcting arrangement, which is free from influences arising from a backlash or play in a transmission system, and capable of quickly effecting the automatic focus control at a high accuracy.

Claims

1. An automatic focus control system which comprises means for detecting an amount of deviation of a position of an image of a target object to be photographed formed by an objective lens with respect to a predetermined focal plane, a calculating circuit for calculating a driving amount of a focusing control driving motor required for driving a focusing optical system of the objective lens up to an in-focus position based on a result of the detection by said detecting means, a drive control circuit for controlling the driving motor based on data of the driving amount calculated by said calculating circuit, a transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the driving motor to the focusing optical system of the objective lens, an output circuit for producing data of an amount of backlash in said transmission mechanism, a direction detecting circuit for detecting alteration of the driving direction by said driving motor, and a correction circuit for correcting the driving amount data by the backlash amount data of said output circuit in response to the driving direction alteration detecting signal from said direction detecting circuit.

2. An automatic focus control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objective lens is an interchangeable lens, said detecting means, said calculating circuit, said driving motor, said direction circuit and said correction circuit being provided in a camera main body, each of said interchangeable lenses being provided with the output circuit for producing backlash amount data inherent in said interchangeable lens.

3. An automatic focus control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objective lens is an interchangeable lens, said output circuit being provided in a camera main body so as to produce data corresponding to a total sum of a backlash value due to a play at a connecting portion for connecting the camera side mechanism with the interchangeable lens side mechanism in said transmission mechanism, an approximate interchangeable lens side mechanism backlash value common to all interchangeable lenses, and a backlash value in the camera side mechanism.

4. An interchangeable lens for use in an automatic focus control system, which comprises:

a connecting mechanism which receives a driving force from a driving source provided at the side of a camera main body;

a transmission mechanism for moving a focusing optical system by the driving force received by the connecting mechanism;

means in which data related to backlash of a driving mechanism from the driving provided in the camera main body for driving the focusing optical system to said focusing optical system is fixedly stored;

means for inputting a reading signal from the camera main body; and

means for outputting the data related to the backlash stored in said fixed memory means to the camera main body based on the reading signal.

5. An interchangeable lens as claimed in claim 4, wherein the data related to the backlash stored in the fixed memory means is a data of deviation with respect to a data related to backlash of the interchangeable lens serving as a standard.

6. An interchangeable lens as claimed in claim 4, wherein the data related to the backlash stored in said fixed memory means is the data related to the backlash in the transmission mechanism from said connecting mechanism up to the focusing optical system.

7. An interchangeable lens as claimed in claim 6, wherein the data related to the backlash is a data of deviation in the interchangeable lens with respect to the backlash amount in the transmission mechanism from said connecting mechanism to the focusing optical system in the interchangeable lens serving as the standard.

8. An automatic focus control system with a backlash correction arrangement, which comprises means for detecting an amount of deviation of a position of an image of a target object to be photographed formed by an objective lens with respect to a predetermined focal plane, means for calculating a driving amount of a lens driving motor required for driving the objective lens up to an in-focus position based on a result of the detection by said detecting means, means for controlling the driving motor based on data from said calculating means, a first mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the driving motor to the side of the objective lens, a second mechanism for transmitting the driving force from said first transmitting mechanism to a focusing optical system, a first means for outputting data concerning backlash related to the transmission mechanism at the lens side, a second means for outputting data concerning backlash related to the transmission mechanism at the camera main body side, means for outputting backlash data of an entire system based on the data from said first and second output means for the data related to the backlash, means for detecting alteration of the driving direction by the driving motor, and means for correcting the driving amount by the entire system backlash data in response to the detection of the alteration.

9. An automatic focus control system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data related to the backlash at the lens side is a deviation with respect to the backlash in the transmission mechanism of a lens serving as a standard, and the data of the backlash at the camera main body side is the backlash in the transmission mechanism of the lens serving as the standard, backlash in the transmission mechanism at the camera main body side, and backlash at meshing portions between the transmission mechanism at the camera main body side and the transmission at the lens side.

10. An interchangeable lens unit for use in an automatic focus control system of a camera, which comprises a transmission mechanism for driving a focusing optical system by receiving a driving force from a focusing optical system driving mechanism of the camera main body, a read only memory which fixedly stores therein, in the form of a digital signal, a deviation of the backlash in the transmission mechanism of the present interchangeable lens from the backlash in the transmission mechanism of an interchangeable lens serving as a standard, means for inputting a reading signal from the camera main body, and means for outputting the data of deviation to the camera main body based on said reading signal.