Canon patent for a variable optical lowpass filter on AE sensor (better subject recognition)

canon patent

Canon patent for a variable optical lowpass filter for the AE sensor in the viewfinder. If I got the machine translation right, this should provide for better subject tracking by reducing “false colors”. This patent seems to be related to another one, refering to the AE sensor in the viewfinder.

An excerpt from the patent literature:

An imaging device which is provided with the following and characterized by changing a spatial frequency limit effect of the aforementioned low pass filter according to an output of the aforementioned thermometer.
A finder optical system for observing an object image formed because object light flux which passed a taking lens (102) images on a focusing screen (108) arranged on a primary image formation face.
A photometry device (110) which measures the strength of the light by making a different optical path from an optical path of the aforementioned finder image secondarily the aforementioned object image formed on the aforementioned focusing screen.
A photometry sensor (117) which outputs a plurality of photometry information which the aforementioned photometry device divides into two or more regions light flux of the aforementioned object image formed on the aforementioned focusing screen, and is related with luminance of the aforementioned object image.
A light measurement lens (115) which makes the aforementioned photometry sensor image the aforementioned object image formed on the aforementioned focusing screen, an object recognition means to perform a color and shape recognition of an object using an output of the aforementioned photometry sensor, a low pass filter (116) with a spatial frequency limit effect strange, good, and a thermometer.

canon patent

Patent description:

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-173437
    • Published 2016.9.29
    • Filing date 2015.3.17
  • Canon patent
    • Performing object recognition using an image sensor AE sensor
    • Using a variable OLPF for false color reduction
    • Image quality decreases when focus deviation occurs is generated by the temperature, is detected object recognition is erroneous
    • It suppresses the effect of the variable OLPF according to the temperature, suppressing the influence of the deterioration in image quality
[via Egami]

Canon patent for curved image sensor

canon patent

Canon’s labs are working on new technology without any pause. Here is another interesting patent that may hit the market ine day.

Canon files a patent for a curved image sensor. According to patent literature, this is…

[…] an optical system which makes an object image image on an imaging surface of the […] image sensor. A driving means which incurvates an imaging surface of the aforementioned image sensor, a control means which controls the aforementioned driving means and incurvates the aforementioned image sensor so that it may become the curvature according to curvature-of-field aberration and a photographing condition of the aforementioned optical system.

Cool, eh?

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-173496
    • Published 2016.9.29
    • Filing date 2015.3.17
  • [0005] However, generally a dark current is generated by the image sensor, especially since the time of or during long exposure sensitivity is sometimes noise due to dark current are noticeable, various noise reduction process is performed. On the other hand, the imaging surface imaging element is curved in the imaging element curved dark current generated by the imaging device is known to be reduced by the tensile stress at the time of the.
  • Canon patent
    • Curving the imaging surface drive means
    • Driving means magnetic force
    • curvature
      • Curvature of dark current noise is reduced
      • Curvature priority to the correction of the curvature of field aberration
[via Egami]

 

Canon patent for Optical Viewfinder with built-in image sensor

canon patent

Interesting patent filed by Canon. If I got it right, this refers to an optical viewfinder with a built-in image sensor. I did not completely understand what this is for. The parts circled in red in the image above show where the image sensors are. The sensor at (24) is what we know from current DSLR designs. The sensor at (22) is placed immediately above the viewfinder. As usual with patents, I am glad for any additional interpretation.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-177038
    • Published 2016.10.6
    • Filing date 2015.3.19
  • Canon patent
    • A finder optical system having a reduction optical system and the imaging device
    • Reduction optical system for forming an object image formed on the focusing plate an imaging element
[via Egami]

 

Canon patent: 300mm F2.8 IS ASPH lens

300mm F2.8 IS ASPH

Canon filed a patent for a 300mm F2.8 IS ASPH lens.

According to the present invention, at the telephoto lens, a cemented lens and a non-spherical surface consisting of a glass material having an anomalous dispersion characteristic that used in the appropriate refractive power where appropriate, in the chromatic aberration of the correction and the entire optical system it is possible to achieve both of the reduction in size and weight to provide an optical system that has been made.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-173439
    • Published 2016.9.29
    • Filing date 2015.3.17
  • Example
    • Focal length 292.46
    • F-number 2.91
    • Angle of view 4.23
    • Image height 21.64
    • Overall length of the lens 273.95
    • BF 60.81
[via Egami]

 

Canon Patent for CN-E 60-800mm f/4-5.6 Cinema Lens (for Super35mm sensors)

CN-E 60-800mm f/4-5.6
CN-E 60-800mm f/4-5.6

Canon patent for a whooping CN-E 60-800mm f/4-5.6 zoom lens for Canon’s Cinema line-up. The lens is for Super35mm sensors, that’s 1″ sensors as featured om Canon’s Cinema cameras.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-173529
    • Published 2016.9.29
    • Filing date 2015.3.18
  • Example
    • Zoom ratio 13.33
    • Focal length 60.00 300.00 800.00
    • F-number 4.00 4.00 5.60
    • Half angle of view (degrees) 14.53 2.97 1.11
    • The total lens length 465.36 465.36 465.36
    • BF 55.10 55.10 55.10

As usual it’s hard to state if a patent will ever hit the market.

[via Egami]

Canon patent to apply different skin effects to different subjects in the picture

Canon Patent
View Post

As usual, I hope I got it right. Any help is greatly appreciated. This Canon patent seems to refer to a an algorithm that applies skin effects to the subjects in a photo. The interesting thing is that according to my understanding of the patent description, the skin effects can be of different degree for the various subjects that may be in the frame.

The machine-translated description mentions “skin-beautifying effect“, so I guess this filter will make the skin of pictured people smoother. If I got it right, the algorithm should be able to get a measure of the “roughness” of the skin of portrayed subjects, and will then apply the right amount of “skin-beautifying effect“. Guess this will be a new picture style to be featured on future Canon cameras.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-148933
    • Published 2016.8.18
    • Filing date 2015.2.10
  • Canon patent
    • Beautiful skin treatment to reduce the degree of roughness
    • As the degree of roughness of the skin after image processing is close, changing the beautiful skin effect in each subject
[via Egami]