NEW CAMERA

Thanks to Nomen Nescio for citing us list of Canon Hybrid and Dual Pixel AF Patents. Canon done a lot of work in the past regarding Hybrid and DPAF sensors. The time frame when lot of patent surfaced related to new system was from 2001 to 2006. Take a look at the list of patents.

HYBRID CAMERA AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME

1. Patent – Hybrid Sensor

First patent spotted for Hybrid sensor. Dated 2001-12-21

Subject: HYBRID CAMERA AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME
Application number: JP20000171942 20000608
ID – JP2001350193 (A)
Date: 2001-12-21

Translated Details: To prevent such a situation that electronic system photographing cannot be performed due to the reduction of the remaining quantity of a recording medium even though the frames of a silver halide photographic film remain, in a hybrid camera capable of simultaneously performing electronic still photographing and silver halide photographing using the silver halide film. SOLUTION: The number of recordable frames is detected by a frame detecting means 4 based on the remaining quantity of the recording medium 2 detected by a remaining quantity detecting part 3, besides, the number of film frames capable of performing the silver halide photographing is detected by the means for detecting the number of film frames. And, the detected number of the frames is compared with the number of the film frames by a frame number comparing means 6, and in the case the number of the frames is smaller than the number of the film frames, a warning is displayed. Besides, in the case the number of the frames is smaller than the number of the film frames, image data are compressed by a data compressing means 1 and then recorded on the recording medium 2.

2. Canon First Hybrid #2

Canon first hybrid sensor patent was surfaced on Feb month of 2003. The patent sketch and translated details do give us lot of information.

ID – JP2003043344 (A)
Date: – 2003-02-13
Application number: JP20010230008 20010730

Translated details: hybrid system not being made by a mounted photographic lens, in the case of performing focus detection in the hybrid system. SOLUTION: This camera, to/from which a photographic lens device 1 can be attached/detached and which can detect the focusing state of the photographic lens device in a focus detection area provided within a photographic image plane, is equipped with 1st and 2nd focus detection means 9 and 8 detecting the focusing state by a detecting system different from each other, and a control means 10 for selecting which focus detection means out of the 1st and the 2nd focus detection means is to detect the focusing state in the focus detection area, based on information concerning the optical characteristics of the photographic lens device acquired from the photographic lens device.

3. More (Improved) Hybrid Sensor Patent

Before we being to show you the next patent you must know that Canon’s Ultrasonic Motor (USM) was the world’s first lens-based motor to harness ultrasonic oscillation energy.  So, sometime it is also called as oscillatory type motor. In the patent description below you will find oscillatory type / USM motor many times.

ID – JP2003084191 (A)
Application number: JP20010275581 20010911
Date: 2003-03-19

Translated details: To overcome the following problem; when driving a lens by an oscillatory type motor, starting up the motor is delayed even if introducing a hybrid system AF, then, it takes a time to focus on a object. SOLUTION: In the second step drive control of the oscillatory type motor (driving a photographic optical system with fine resolution) by generating the traveling-wave oscillation of the oscillating body of the oscillatory type motor 15 based on the detection results by second focus detecting means 6 and 13 using a contrast detection system after performing the first step drive control of the oscillatory type motor (driving the photographic optical system with rough resolution) by generating the traveling-wave oscillation of the oscillating body of the oscillatory type motor 15 based on the detection result by a first focus detecting means 51 using a phase difference detecting system, an intermediate control of generating the standing-wave oscillation of the oscillating body before starting the second step drive control is performed after finishing the first step drive control.

4. Canon Dualpixel CMOS AF Patent

In the patent description you can clearly read that the camera calculates amount of lens drive to achieve focus. This type of method is used by Canon DPAF sensor based cameras today.

ID: JP2004109690 (A)
Date: 2004-04-08
Application number: JP20020274003 20020919

Translated Details:  A camera system has a first focus detecting means 104 and second focus detecting means 108 and 109 which detect the focus adjustment state of a photography optical system by mutually different systems and control means 111 and 207 which calculate a target driving quantity of the focusing lens on the basis of the detection result of the first focus detecting means and perform first driving control over the focusing lens toward the target driving quantity and second driving control over the focusing lens based upon the detection result of the second focus detecting means. Then a control means shifts from the first driving control to the second driving control without stopping the focusing lens when the remaining driving quantity of the first driving control over the focusing lens for the target driving quantity reaches a given quantity. ;COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Also see Canon advance DPAF patent

See more Canon Patents