Camera having automatic focusing device
First Claim
1. A camera with an automatic focusing device, comprising:
- a first distance measuring unit having at least a pair of light receiving elements, for performing a distance measuring calculation by receiving a beam of light from an object;
a second distance measuring unit having a light projecting portion for projecting a beam of light upon an object, for performing a distance measuring calculation by receiving a beam of light which is reflection of the beam of light projected by said light projecting portion; and
a distance measuring method selecting unit for selecting said first distance measuring unit when performing an automatic focusing operation which is most suitable for photographing a moving object.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a camera with an automatic focusing device having hybrid AF unit capable of always performing a reliable automatic focusing operation on a moving object to provide a more preferable photographic result. The camera includes first distance measuring unit 4 having at least a pair of light receiving sensors, for measuring the distance of an object by receiving a beam of light from the object, second distance measuring unit 3 having light projecting unit for projecting a beam of light upon the object and light receiving unit for receiving a beam of light reflected therefrom, for measuring the distance of the object by projecting a beam of light upon the object with the light projecting unit and by receiving a beam of light reflected therefrom with the light receiving unit and distance measuring method selecting unit 2 for selecting either the first distance measuring unit or the second distance measuring unit. The distance measuring method selecting unit is controlled such that it selects the first distance measuring unit when performing an automatic focusing operation which is most suitable for photographing a moving object.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A camera with an automatic focusing device, comprising:
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a first distance measuring unit having at least a pair of light receiving elements, for performing a distance measuring calculation by receiving a beam of light from an object;
a second distance measuring unit having a light projecting portion for projecting a beam of light upon an object, for performing a distance measuring calculation by receiving a beam of light which is reflection of the beam of light projected by said light projecting portion; and
a distance measuring method selecting unit for selecting said first distance measuring unit when performing an automatic focusing operation which is most suitable for photographing a moving object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
a photographic mode selecting unit for selecting a desired photographic mode from among a plurality of preset photographic mode, wherein said plurality of photographic modes include a moving object shooting mode.
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3. A camera according to claim 2, wherein said distance measuring method selecting unit selects said first distance measuring unit when said photographic mode selecting unit selects said moving object shooting mode.
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4. A camera according to claim 3, wherein said first distance measuring unit performs a moving object predicting calculation process.
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5. A camera according to claim 1, further comprising:
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a moving object determining unit for determining whether an object is moving or not, wherein said distance measuring method selecting unit selects said first distance measuring unit when said moving object determining unit determines that an object of interest is in a moving state.
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6. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said first distance measuring unit performs a passive distance measuring calculation.
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7. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said second distance measuring unit performs an active distance measuring calculation.
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8. A camera with an automatic focusing device, comprising:
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a first distance measuring unit having at least a pair of light receiving elements, for performing a passive distance measuring calculation by receiving a beam of light from an object;
a second distance measuring unit having a light projecting portion for projecting a beam of light upon an object, for performing an active distance measuring calculation by receiving a beam of light which is reflection of the beam of light projected by said light projecting portion;
a distance measuring method selecting unit for selecting either said first distance measuring unit or said second distance measuring unit; and
photographic mode selecting unit for selecting a desired photographic mode from among a plurality of photographic modes including at least a moving object shooting mode and a full automatic photographic mode, wherein said distance measuring method selecting unit selects said first distance measuring unit when said photographic mode selecting unit selects the moving object shooting mode. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for automatically focusing a camera having a first distance measuring unit for performing a passive distance measuring calculation and a second distance measuring unit for performing an active distance measuring calculation, the method comprising:
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selecting a desired photographic mode from among a plurality of photographic modes;
selecting said first distance measuring unit as a distance measuring unit to perform a distance measuring calculation when a moving object shooting mode is selected; and
performing a distance measuring calculation including a moving object predicting calculation process if said first distance measuring unit is selected.
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24. A method for automatically focusing a camera having a first distance measuring unit for performing a passive distance measuring calculation and a second distance measuring unit for performing an active distance measuring calculation, the method comprising:
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selecting a desired photographic mode from among a plurality of photographic modes;
selecting said second distance measuring unit as a distance measuring unit to perform a distance measuring calculation when a full automatic photographic mode is selected;
performing a distance measuring calculation including a moving object predicting calculation process with said second distance measuring unit selected;
determining whether an object is moving or not based on a result of the moving object predicting calculation process; and
setting a selection flag for selecting said first distance measuring unit at a next selection process when an object is determined to be a moving object.
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Specification