IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0034832
(2005-01-14)
|
등록번호 |
US-7283736
(2007-10-16)
|
우선권정보 |
JP-2004-007576(2004-01-15); JP-2004-035168(2004-02-12); JP-2004-362314(2004-12-15); JP-2004-363011(2004-12-15) |
발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
1 인용 특허 :
3 |
초록
▼
An imaging apparatus including a ranging device for measuring a distance to a subject, a device for radiating fill-light to the subject, and a re-ranging determining device for determining as to whether re-measurement is executed based on a measured result of the ranging device, when the re-ranging
An imaging apparatus including a ranging device for measuring a distance to a subject, a device for radiating fill-light to the subject, and a re-ranging determining device for determining as to whether re-measurement is executed based on a measured result of the ranging device, when the re-ranging determining device determines that the re-measurement by the ranging device is required, the fill-light radiating device radiating the fill light to the subject based on the determination of the re-ranging determining device, the ranging device having a ranging element mechanism for allowing a light flux from the subject to image thereon to measure the distance to the subject, a ranging arithmetical mechanism for achieving an arithmetic of the ranging based on outputting data of the ranging element mechanism, and an area selecting mechanism for selecting an area based on an arithmetical result of the ranging arithmetical mechanism.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. An imaging apparatus, comprising: a photographic operating device including at least two-step operational positions having a half-pressed position and a full-pressed position; a ranging device to measure a distance to a subject; a fill-light radiating device to radiate fill l
What is claimed is: 1. An imaging apparatus, comprising: a photographic operating device including at least two-step operational positions having a half-pressed position and a full-pressed position; a ranging device to measure a distance to a subject; a fill-light radiating device to radiate fill light to the subject; a fill-light determining device to determine whether the fill light is required; a re-ranging determining device to determine whether a re-ranging is required to be executed based on a measured result of the ranging device; and a processor connecting to the photographic operating device, the ranging device, the fill-light radiating device, the fill-light determining device, and the re-ranging determining device, wherein when the photographic operating device is in the half-pressed position, in case that the re-ranging determining device determines that the re-ranging is required and the fill-light determining device determines that the fill light is required, the processor controls to allow the photographic operating device to wait for being in the full-pressed position, and controls the fill-light radiating device to radiate the fill-light, and the ranging device to perform the re-ranging when the photographic operating device is in the full-pressed position. 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ranging device includes a ranging element mechanism to allow a light flux from the subject to image on the ranging element mechanism to measure the distance to the subject, a ranging arithmetical mechanism to achieve an arithmetic of the ranging based on outputting data of the ranging element mechanism and an area selecting mechanism to select an area based on an arithmetical result of the ranging arithmetical mechanism. 3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ranging element mechanism includes at least a pair of light receiving sensors, each of which has a plurality of light receiving areas, which are charge storage type and capable of imaging light flux from the subject. 4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the re-ranging determining device has a light measuring function to measure a light amount in an ambience of the subject; the fill-light radiating device determines whether the ambience of the subject is in a predetermined state in the light measuring function; and if the ambience is in the predetermined state, the fill-light radiating device radiates the fill-light to the subject during a charge-storage of the ranging element mechanism when achieving the re-ranging. 5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a mechanism to set a charge storage time in the light receiving area of the charge storage type, when the re-ranging determining device determines that the re-ranging is required and the ambience of the subject is not a predetermined state at the time of the re-ranging. 6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined state is an ambience of backlight or a low brightness. 7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the re-ranging determining device determines whether the re-ranging is required in comparison a ranging arithmetical result of an area selected by the area selecting mechanism with a ranging arithmetical result of another area. 8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the re-ranging determining device determines whether the area selected by the area selecting mechanism is nearer a rated value than the other area; and if the selected area is nearer the rated value than the other area, the re-ranging determining device determines that re-ranging is not required, and if the selected area is not nearer the rated value than the other area, determines that the re-ranging is required. 9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the re-ranging determining device determines the re-ranging is required, if all the areas are not effective in a result of arithmetic by the ranging arithmetical mechanism. 10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the re-ranging determined by the re-ranging determining device is achieved, a first measured result and a second measured result are compared, ant a more effective measured result is output. 11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fill-light radiating device includes a strobe. 12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the re-ranging is achieved without emitting light if a charging level of the strobe does not reach to a predetermined level. 13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the re-ranging is achieved after charging if a charging level of the strobe does not reach to a predetermined level. 14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fill-light radiating device includes an LED. 15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fill-light radiating device includes a lamp. 16. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a focus-adjustment controlling device to control adjustment of a focus based on a measured result of the ranging device; and an exposure controlling device to control an exposure, wherein when the photographic operating device is in the half-pressed position and the fill-light determining device determines that the fill light is required, the processor controls to allow the focus-adjustment controlling device not to do an adjustment of focusing, and when the photographic operating device is in the full-pressed position, the focus-adjustment controlling device to compute a focus adjusting position based on a result of the re-ranging, and controls to allow the exposure to be achieved by the exposure controlling device after the focus adjustment is controlled by the focus-adjustment controlling device based on the focus adjusting position. 17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a reliable determining mechanism to determine a reliability based on the measure result of the ranging device. 18. The imaging apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the focus-adjustment controlling device includes an arithmetical mechanism to compute the focus adjusting position based on the measured result of the ranging device. 19. The imaging apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the fill-light determining device determines that the fill light is required if the reliable determining mechanism determines that the reliability is lower. 20. The imaging apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the fill-light determining device determines that the fill light is required if the ambient of the subject is a lower brightness. 21. The imaging apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the fill-light determining device determines that the fill light is required if the ambient of the subject is a state of backlight. 22. The imaging apparatus according to claim 16, wherein when the reliable determining device determines that the reliability is lower based on a measured result, which is measured by the ranging device by radiating the fill-light at the time of the full-pressed position of the photographic operating device, the focus-adjustment controlling device conducts a focus adjusting control by setting the focus adjusting position to a fixed position. 23. The imaging apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the fixed position is a position of usual focal length. 24. A method for imaging a subject, comprising the steps of: a photographic operating process including at least two-step operations having a half-pressed operation and a full-pressed operation; a ranging process to measure a distance to a subject; a fill-light radiating process to radiate fill light to the subject; a fill-light determining process to determine whether the fill light is required; a re-ranging determining process to determine whether a re-ranging is required to be executed based on a measured result of the ranging process; and a control process to control the photographic operating process, the ranging process, the fill-light radiating process, the fill-light determining process, and the re-ranging determining process, wherein when the photographic operating process is in the half-pressed operation, in case that the re-ranging determining process determines that the re-ranging is required and the fill-light determining process determines that the fill light is required, the control process controls to allow the photographic operating process to wait for being in the full-pressed operation, and controls the fill-light radiating process to radiate the fill-light, and the ranging process to perform the re-ranging when the photographic operating process is in the full-pressed operation. 25. The imaging method according to claim 24, wherein: the ranging process includes a process to store charge to image a light flux from the subject on at least a pair of charge-storage type light receiving element arrays capable of setting a plurality of areas, a process to achieve a ranging arithmetic based on an output of each area of the light receiving element arrays, and a process to select an area based on a measured result by the ranging arithmetic process; the re-ranging determining process determines whether a re-ranging is required by comparing a ranging arithmetical result of the area selected by the area selecting process with each ranging arithmetical result of the other areas; and the fill light is radiated to the subject by the fill light radiating process, during storing the charge in the charge storing process, when it is determined that the re-ranging is required in the re-ranging determining process and when achieving the re-ranging. 26. The imaging method according to claim 25, wherein the re-ranging determining process determines whether the area selected in the area selecting process is near a rated value than the other areas, determines, if so, that a measured result by the ranging arithmetical process is effective, and determines, if not so, that the re-ranging is required. 27. The imaging method according to claim 25, wherein the re-ranging determining process determines that the re-ranging is required if all the areas are not effective as a result of the arithmetic in the ranging arithmetical process. 28. The imaging method according to claim 25, wherein the re-ranging determining process includes a photometry process to measure an amount of light in the ambience of the subject, and the fill light radiating process determines whether the ambience of the subject is a predetermined state in the photometry process, and if so, radiates the fill light to the subject during storing the charge in the charge storing process when achieving the re-ranging. 29. The imaging method according to claim 16, further comprising a process to set a charge-storage time in the light receiving element arrays, when the re-ranging is determined as a result of the determination by the re-ranging determining process, and the ambience of the subject is not the predetermined state. 30. The imaging method according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined state is an ambience of backlight or a low brightness. 31. The imaging method according to claim 25, wherein when the re-ranging determined by the re-ranging determining process is achieved, a first measured result and a second measured result are compared, ant a more effective measured result is output. 32. The imaging method according to claim 25, wherein the fill-light radiating process radiates light by a strobe. 33. The imaging method according to claim 25, wherein the fill-light radiating process radiates light by an LED. 34. The imaging method according to claim 25, wherein the fill-light radiating process radiates light by a lamp. 35. The imaging method according to claim 25, wherein the fill-light radiating process achieves the re-ranging without emitting light of the strobe if a charging level of the strobe does not reach to a predetermined level. 36. The imaging apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the fill-light radiating process achieves the re-ranging after charging a main condenser of the strobe, if a charging level of the main condenser of the strobe does not reach to a predetermined level.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.