Electronic camera having a tilt detection function

• US 6,359,650 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1995
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Murakami, Taro
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US08/577,345
• Time in Patent Office: 2,279 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5225, 396/50, 396/296, 396/281, 396/287, 396/82, 348/207, 348/208, 348/231, 348/239, 348/345, 348/346, 348/349, 348/350, 348/352, 348/333, 348/334, 348/341
• US Class Current: 348/333.04
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects

Abstract

An electronic camera having a lens, an image pickup element for converting an object image formed on an image pickup surface into an electrical signal, a focus detection means for dividing the object image formed on the image pickup surface into a plurality of areas, and performing focus detection on the respective areas, a drive circuit for adjusting the lens on the basis of an output from the focus detection means, and a display circuit for displaying simultaneously focus detection information of the plurality of areas of the focus detection circuit on its display screen.

Claims

1. An electronic camera comprising:

a photographing lens;

image pickup means for photoelectrically converting an object image formed on an image pickup plane by said photographing lens;

focus detection means for dividing the image pickup plane into a plurality of non-overlapping areas, and detecting a focusing state of each of the respective areas; and

display means for simultaneously displaying on a monitor a change of an out-of-focus direction of each of the plurality of non-overlapping areas in accordance with a detection result of said focus detection means, respectively.

2. A camera according to claim 1, further comprising:

tilt correction information generation means for generating tilt correction information used for setting the image pickup plane of the camera to be parallel to a planar object on the basis of information of the detected focusing states of the respective areas.

3. A camera according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of areas include a central portion of the image pickup plane and a plurality of areas around the central portion.

4. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said display means comprises an electronic viewfinder.

5. An electronic camera comprising:

a photographing lens;

image pickup means for photoelectrically converting an object image formed on an image pickup plane by said photographing lens;

focus detection means for dividing the image pickup plane into a plurality of areas, and detecting focusing states on the respective areas;

tilt detection means for detecting a tilt of said photographing lens on the basis of information of the focusing states of the respective areas detected by said focus detection means; and

tilt correction means for correcting the tilt of said photographing lens on the basis of an output from said tilt detection means.

6. A camera according to claim 5, wherein said tilt correction means comprises tilt correction information generation means for generating tilt correction information used for setting the image pickup plane of the camera to be parallel to a planar object, and correcting the tilt of said photographing lens on the basis of the tilt correction information.

7. A camera according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of areas include a central portion of the image pickup plane and a plurality of areas around the central portion.

8. A camera according to claim 5, wherein said display means comprises an electronic viewfinder.

9. A camera according to claim 5, further comprising auto focus adjustment means for performing focus adjustment of said photographing lens on the basis of an output from said focus detection means.

10. An electronic camera comprising:

an optical system;

image pickup means for photoelectrically converting an object image formed on an image pickup plane by said optical system;

detection means for dividing the image pickup plane into a plurality of non-overlapping areas, and detecting an image sensing state of each of the respective areas; and

display means for simultaneously displaying on a monitor a change of an out-of-focus direction of each of the plurality of non-overlapping areas in accordance with a detection result of said detection means, respectively.

11. A camera according to claim 10, further comprising:

tilt correction information generation means for generating tilt correction information used for setting the image pickup plane of the camera to be parallel with a planar object on the basis of information of the detected focusing states of the respective areas.

12. A camera according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of areas include a central portion of the image pickup plane and a plurality of areas around the central portion.

13. An electronic camera comprising:

a photographing lens;

image pickup means for photoelectrically converting an object image formed on an image pickup plane by said photographing lens;

focus detection means for dividing the image pickup plane into a plurality of areas, and detecting focusing states on the respective areas;

display means for displaying the focusing states on the plurality of areas detected by said focus detection means; and

tilt correction information generation means for generating tilt correction information used for setting the image pickup surface of the camera to be parallel to a planar object on the basis of information of the detected focusing states of the respective areas.

14. A camera according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of areas include a central portion of the image pickup plane and a plurality of areas around the central portion.

15. A camera according to claim 13, wherein said display means comprises an electronic viewfinder.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a focus stated detection device that detects a focus state of each of a plurality of detection areas of an imaging surface of an image pickup device on which an image forming optical system forms an image; and

a display device that displays a change direction of an out-of-focus state in each of the plurality of detection areas in accordance with a detection result of said focus state detection device.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said apparatus includes a camera.

18. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said apparatus includes an electronic image pickup camera.

19. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said apparatus includes a focusing device.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a focus state detection device that detects a focus state of each of a plurality of detection areas of an imaging surface of an image pickup device on which an image forming optical system forms an image; and

an information forming device that forms tilt correction information of an optical axis of said image forming optical system in accordance with a detection result of said focus state detection device.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a display device that performs a display corresponding to the tilt correction information formed by said information forming device.

22. Apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising:

a driving device that drives said image forming optical system in accordance with the tilt correction information formed by said information forming device.

23. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said apparatus includes a camera.

24. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said apparatus includes an electronic image pickup camera.

25. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said apparatus includes a focusing device.