Canon patent for 3D lens-style camera (to use with smartphone)

Another interesting Canon patent that may point to a future product. Canon filed a patent for a lens-style camera, i.e. a camera build into a lens system, and to use with your smartphone. Sony made such a smartphone attachable lens-style camera with the Sony DSC-QX100.

There are a few interesting things in the patent description. According to the patent literature, it should be possible to create 3D images by using the smartphone camera and the lens-system together. This requires a precise positioning of the lens-style camera. A marker system is provided for this purpose. To correctly place the lens-style camera, you have to shot the marker painted on the lens-style camera with the smartphone camera, as shown in the image below.

• Patent Publication No. 2016-10133
  • Published 2016.1.18
  • Filing date 2014.6.26
• Canon patent
  • The first device having a camera function (101 smartphone of)
  • The second device having a camera function (102 lens-style camera)
  • The second unit (102 lens-style camera) is provided with a retractable mechanism
  • Equipped with a marker that represents the collapsed position
  • The first device (101 Smartphone of) is to shoot so as to include a marker
  • Depending on the tip position of the collapsed, to get the mounting position to the first device of the second unit (102 lens-style camera) (101 smartphone of)