Patent · US Expired

Automatic focus adjusting system capable of adjusting focus of moving subject

US6311019A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
3References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 8, 2000
Grant dateOct 30, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 8, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03B13/36
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An automatic focus adjusting apparatus includes an image move-amount detecting section, an image position predicting section and a control section. The image move-amount detecting section detects, for each of a pair of images of a subject divided in a predetermined direction, image positions of the subject in an image-divided direction and in a direction approximately orthogonal with this image-divided direction respectively on photoelectric conversion elements at mutually different first and second times respectively, and obtains move amounts of the images of the subject in the image-divided direction based on a result of this detection. The image position predicting section predicts an image position of the subject in an image-divided direction at a third time different from the first and second times, based on an output from the image move-amount detecting section. The control section carries out a focus adjustment so that the image of the subject is in focus at the third time, based on an output from the image position predicting section.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.