Distance measuring device for a camera

• US 5,721,970 A
• Filed: 01/23/1997
• Issued: 02/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): ADAMS JR, RUSSELL E
• Application Number:
  US08/786,344
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 396/56, 396/57, 396/59, 396/104, 396/103
• US Class Current: 396/56
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/32 using active means, e.g. light emitter including both an active and a passive focus detecting device G02B7/285; using ultrasound G02B7/40
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/38 Releasing-devices separate from shutter integral with shutter G03B9/08

Abstract

A distance measuring device for a camera uses a normal photographing mode which and a special photographing mode can be selected, and where in the special photographing mode includes a remote control photographing mode. The distance measuring device detects an object distance and judges whether the distance detection is effective or not, and a lens is driven based on a predetermined value when it is judged that the distance measurement is not effective in a normal photographing mode. In contrast, in a remote photographing mode, when it is judged that the distance measurement is not effective, the lens drive is not driven based on a predetermined value. Rather but an object distance is measured again, and thus a probability of in-focus photographing is improved.

Claims

1. A camera capable of selecting a normal photographing mode and a special photographing mode, and controlling a release operation upon receiving a release signal output when either one mode is selected, comprising:

a distance measuring device for measuring first photographing object distance related information;

a judgement device for judging whether the first object distance related information can be used to measure distance to the object or not by the distance measuring device; and

,

a controller for controlling the distance measuring device to measure second object distance related information in accordance with a release signal output in the special photographing mode when the special photographing mode is selected and it is judged that the first object distance related information can not be used to measure the distance to the object.

2. The camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the special photographing mode is a remote control photographing mode, and the release signal output in the special photographing mode is a remote control signal which is transmitted from a remote controller, and the camera further comprises a receiver for receiving the remote release signal.

3. The camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a lens driver which drives a lens for photographing.

4. The camera as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lens driver drives the lens to a predetermined position when it is judged that the second object distance related information can not be used to determine the distance to the object.

5. The camera as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lens driver drives the lens based on the first measured object distance related information in response to the release signal output in the special photographing mode when the special photographing mode is selected and its is judged that the first object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object.

6. The camera as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lens driver drives the lens based on the first measured object distance related information when the normal photographing mode is selected and the first object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object, and the lens driver drives the lens to a predetermined position when the first object distance related information can not be used to measure the distance to the object.

7. A camera capable of selecting a normal photographing mode and a special photographing mode, and controlling a release operation upon receiving a release signal output when either one mode is selected, comprising:

a distance measuring device for measuring first photographing object distance related information;

a judgement device for judging whether the object distance can be measured or not on the basis of the first photographing object distance related information produced by the distance measuring device;

a memory for memorizing a judgement data indicating whether the first object distance related information can be used to measure the object distance or not when the special photographing mode is selected; and

,

a controller for controlling the distance measuring device to measure second object distance related information when the special photographing mode is selected and a data indicating the impossibility of object distance measurement is memorized in the memory at the time of outputting of the release signal in the special photographing mode.

8. The camera as claimed in claim 7, wherein the special photographing mode is a remote control photographing mode, the release signal output in the special photographing mode is a remote control signal transmitted from a remote controller, and the camera further comprises a receiver for receiving the remote control signal.

9. The camera as claimed in claim 7, wherein the judgement data showing that object distance related information can be used to measure the object distance, which is memorized in the memory, comprises object distance data representative of the distance to the object, and the judgement data showing that object distance related information can not be used to measure the object distance, which is memorized in the memory, comprises data which is not necessarily representative of the distance to the object.

10. The camera as claimed in claim 9, wherein the data which is not necessarily representative of the distance to the object comprises data which is maintained in the memory in its original initialized state upon application of power to the camera.

11. A camera capable of selecting a normal photographing mode and a special photographing mode, and controlling a release operation upon receiving a release signal output when either one mode is selected, comprising:

a distance measuring device for measuring first photographing object distance related information;

a judgement device for judging whether the first object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object or not by the distance measuring device;

a memory for memorizing object distance related data when the special photographing mode is selected and it is judged that the first object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object, and not memorizing object distance related data when it is judged that the first object distance related information can not be used to measure the distance to the object;

a lens driver for driving a lens;

a first controller for controlling the lens drive based on the first object distance related information output from the distance measuring device when the normal photographing mode is selected and the first object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object; and

,

a second controller for controlling the lens drive based on the object distance related data memorized in the memory when the special photographing mode is selected and the object distance related data is memorized in the memory.

12. The camera as claimed in claim 11, wherein the special photographing mode is a remote control photographing mode, the release signal output in the special photographing mode is a remote release signal which is transmitted from a remote controller, and the camera further comprises a receiver for receiving the remote release signal.

13. The camera as claimed in claim 11, wherein second object distance related information is detected by actuating the distance measuring device when the release signal is output in the special photographing mode when the object distance related data is not memorized.

14. The camera as claimed in claim 13, wherein the judgement device judges whether the second object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object or not, and if it is judged that the second object distance related information can not be used to determine the distance to the object, the lens driver drives the lens to a predetermined position.

15. A method of measuring an object distance in a camera which is capable of selecting a normal photographing mode and a special photographing mode, and controlling a release operation upon receiving a release signal output when either one mode is selected, which comprises:

a step of measuring photographing first object distance related information;

a step of judging whether the first object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object or not by the distance measuring device; and

,

a step of measuring a second object distance related information in response to the release signal output in the special photographing mode when the special photographing mode is selected and it is judged that the first object distance related information can not be used to determine the distance to the object.

16. A method of measuring an object distance in a camera which is capable of selecting a normal photographing mode and a special photographing mode, and controlling a release operation upon receiving release a signal output when either one mode is selected, which comprises:

a step of measuring first photographing object distance related information;

a step of judging whether the first object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object or not by the distance measuring device;

a step of memorizing a judgement data indicating whether the first object distance related information can be used to determine the distance to the object or not when the special photographing mode is selected; and

,

a step of measuring second object distance related information when the special photographing mode is selected and data indicating the impossibility of object distance measurement using the first object distance related information is memorized in the memory upon outputting of the release signal in the special photographing mode.

17. A method of measuring an object distance in a camera which is capable of selecting a normal photographing mode and a special photographing mode, and controlling a release operation upon receiving a release signal output when either one mode is selected, which comprises:

a step of measuring first photographing object distance related information;

a step of memorizing object distance related data when the special photographing mode is selected and it is judged that the first object distance related information can be used to measure the distance to the object, and not memorizing the object distance related data when it is judged that the first object distance related information can not be used to measure the distance to the object;

a step of controlling a lens drive based on the first object distance related information output from the distance measuring device when the normal photographing mode is selected and the distance to the object can be measured therefrom; and

,

a step of controlling the lens drive based on the object distance related data memorized in the memory when the special photographing mode is selected and the object distance related data is memorized in the memory.