Canon Patent Application Roundup (dual sensor cam, shrinking MILCs, RF 50mm f/1.8, RF 14-28mm f/2)

Some new Canon patent applications, all spotted by Canon News.

Canon Patent Application 2019-184921 discusses how to further shrink the size of a mirrorless camera:

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for suppressing an increase in the size of an image pickup apparatus due to the arrangement of a motor for driving a shutter.

Canon Patent Application 2019-186594 deals with the idea of a camera with dual sensors. Might produce some pretty cool HDR photography:

The half mirror 103 splits the imaging light beam (subject light beam) that has passed through the imaging optical system 102 into a first light beam and a second light beam. The first image sensor 104 and the second image sensor 105 receive the first light beam and the second light beam, respectively. The first image sensor 104 and the second image sensor 105 are constituted by a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, or the like. The first image sensor 104 and the second image sensor 105 have an image pickup pixel and a focus detection pixel for autofocus using a phase difference detection method. The MPU 106 includes a CPU and a memory that stores a program executed by the CPU, and functions as a control unit that controls the overall operation of the camera body 101. Further, the MPU 106 controls the driving of the photographing lens 102b via the lens driving motor 108.

Can the Canon EOS R system miss a Nifty Fifty lens? It looks like this has not to happen. Canon patent application 2019-184748 discusses optical formulas for an RF 50mm f/1.8 lens. Here comes the Nifty Fifty:

• F-number 1.85
• half angle (in degrees) 23.95
• image height 21.64
• total lens length 58.55
• BF 20.94

• Focal length 48.70
• F-number 1.85
• field angle 23.95
• Image height 21.64
• total lens length 58.55
• BF 20.15

• Focal length 48.70
• F-number 1.85
• half angle (in degrees) 23.95
• Image height 21.64
• total lens length 58.55
• BF 16.48

• Focal length 48.70
• F-number 1.85
• half angle (in degrees) 23.95
• Image height 21.64
• total lens length 58.55
• BF 19.38

Canon patent application 2019-0324229 discusses optical formulas for an RF 14-28mm f/2 lens for the EOS R system

• Focal length 14.42 19.78 27.16
• F-number 2.06 2.06 2.06
• Half angle of view 56.32 47.56 38.54
• Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64
• Total lens length 164.32 150.29 146.47 
• BF 16.13 16.13 16.13

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

• A cooling adapter for the RF mount (R5 overheating?)
• A bunch of macro lenses for the RF mount.
• A 8mm f/4 circular fisheye lens for the Canon EOS R system
• A battery grip that works with differently siszed cameras
• A 100-400mm f/5.5-7.1 lens for APS-C cameras. EOS M or DSLR?
• RF 17-70mm lens for EOS R system
• IBIS coming to the EOS M and PowerShot lineup?
• Patent Application: mirrorless camera with large display and virtual control wheel
• Patent Application: IBIS and Lens IS Working Together
• Patent application for high speed mirror movement and control
• Patent application for an RF 14-28mm f/2 lens
• Patent application for an RF 50mm f/1.8 lens
• Patent application for a smart lens cap
• Patent application for celestial auto-focus
• Patent application describing a Pop-Up Flash With LED
• Patent application describing the optical formula for a RF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS lens for EOS R systems
• Patent application describing how to improve burst rate by compressing raw files
• Patent application describing a new way to review photos from a sequential shot
• Patent application that describes technology to improve wireless communication while reducing power consumption
• Patent application to spot and reduce moire artefacts in image data
• Patent application for weather sealed lens adapter
• Patent application for AI powered predictive camera control system
• Patent application for 18-55mm kit lens with LCD display
• Patent application to reduce noise in image files