Future Canon Cameras Might Have An Even Better Sensor Dust Removal Feature

Sensor Dust
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Canon patent application EP3522515A1 discusses method and technology for an image sensor dust removal system. Canon already has one of the best dust removal systems in the industry, so it can only get better.

Excerpts from the patent literature:

An imaging device such as a digital camera for picking up and recording an image by converting an image signal into an electric signal receives an imaging light flux by means of the image pick up device, which may typically be a CCD (charge coupled device) or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) it comprises. Then, the photoelectric conversion signal output from the image pickup device is converted into image data, which image data is then recorded in a recording medium such as a memory card. In such an imaging device, a cover glass, an optical low pass filter, an infrared absorption filter and other parts are arranged in front (on the subject side) of the image pickup device to form an image pickup unit there.

In an imaging device of the above-described type, when foreign objects such as dusts adhere to any of the surfaces of the cover glass and the filters of the image pickup unit, those foreign objects block the incident light flux and are picked up as black spots in the recorded image. Particularly, in the case of a digital single-lens reflex camera, the dusts that are produced when the shutter, the quick return mirror and/or some other part arranged near the image pickup unit is mechanically driven to operate can adhere, if partly, to any of the surfaces of the cover glass and the filters. Additionally, when the lens is being replaced, foreign objects such as dusts can get into the inside of the camera main body by way of the opening of the lens mount and adhere to any of the surfaces of the cover glass and the filters. However, when each of the cover glass and the filters is equipped with a piezoelectric element and the piezoelectric element is made to operate as a vibrating plate that give rise to elastic vibrations (to be referred to as flexural vibrations hereinafter) in the thickness direction, it can be made to operate as a dust removal device for removing the dusts adhering to the surfaces thereof.

[…] in an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vibration device comprising a vibrating member having at least n (n≥2) piezoelectric elements arranged on a vibrating plate, each of the piezoelectric elements being formed by using a lead-free piezoelectric material and electrodes, wherein, if the temperature that maximizes the piezoelectric constant of the piezoelectric material of each of the n piezoelectric elements is expressed as Tm (m being a natural number from 1 to n), at least two of T1 through Tn differ from each other.

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

Canon Working On Eye Controlled Autofocus For Mirrorless Camera, Patent

Eye Controlled Autofocus
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Note: we are not talking about eye-autofocus here, but about eye controlled AF. Something Canon featured already on film cameras (e.g. Canon EOS-3).

Canon parent application 2019-129461 discusses method and technology for an eye controlled AF system on a mirrorless camera. Eye controlled AF focuses, and decides where the focus point is, according to the eye position.

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

Wireless Charging Might Come To Canon Cameras In The Future

Canon
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Canon patent application US10375639 discusses technology to wireless charge a battery. Looking at the patent’s images, it seems that the patent clearly refers to wireless charging a camera’s battery.

Patent abstract:

A power transmission apparatus includes a communication unit that executes communication with an electronic apparatus, a power transmission unit that wirelessly supplies power to the electronic apparatus, and a control unit that controls communication and power supply to be executed alternately, wherein the control unit adjusts communication power of the communication unit and transmission power of the power transmission unit and/or a length of a communication period and a length of a power transmission period, so that an average magnetic field intensity does not exceed a first magnetic field intensity in a predetermined region throughout the communication period of communication executed by the communication unit and the power transmission period of power transmission executed by the power transmission unit.

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

Canon Patent For 20mm f/1.4 and 12-24mm f/4.3-5.6 Lenses For EF Mount

Canon Patent
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Hi Lows Note spotted a Canon patent application (2019-128526, Japan) describing optical formulas for a 20mm f/1.4 and a 12-24mm f/4.3-5.6 lens, both for the Canon EF mount.

20mm f/1.4 lens:

  • Focal length: 20.50 mm
  • FNo.: 1.44
  • ω: 46.54
  • Image height: 21.64 mm
  • Lens length: 134.70 mm
  • Back focus: 36.81 mm

12-24mm f/4.3-5.6 lens:

  • Focal length: 12.40 – 18.00 – 23.64 mm
  • FNo.: 4.35 – 4.96 – 5.60
  • ω: 60.18 – 50.25 – 42.47
  • Image height: 21.64 mm
  • Lens length: 142.18 – 132.82 – 131.14 mm
  • Back focus: 36.14 – 44.23 – 52.29 mm

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

Canon Patent For 35mm f/1.2 Lens For EOS R System

Eos R System
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That’s a bit weird. After the rumor about a possible RF 35mm f/1.2L lens we spotted a patent describing such a lens. We wonder if the source of the rumor also found the patent.

Canon patent application 2019-128526 describes the optical formula for a 35mm f/1.2 prime lenses for the EOS R system. How to correct chromatic aberrations with the use of low dispersion glass is also discussed in the patent application.

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

Canon Patent To Automatically Find Best Irradiation Angle For Bounce Flashes

Canon Patent
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Canon patent application US 2019-0230271 discusses methods and algorithm to automatically establish the optimal irradiation angle for bounce flashes.

In other words, the aim of the Canon patent application is automatically find the irradiation angle of each receiver-flash in a setup where you are using a plurality of receiver-flashes.

The Canon patent discusses…

[…] an image pickup apparatus that is capable of automatically finding an irradiation angle of each external flash in photographing using a plurality of external flashes. An image pickup apparatus controls external flashes that are communicably connected to one another and have light emitting units of which irradiation angles are variable. A photometry device obtains a photometry value. A memory device stores a set of instructions. At least one processor that executes the set of instructions to: obtain photometry values at times of emissions at each of different irradiation angles for each of the external flashes, generate an evaluation value at each of the different irradiation angles based on a photometry result obtained by the photometry device, and decide an irradiation angle for photographing of each of the external flashes based on the evaluation values generated.

The issue more detailed:

There is a known image pickup apparatus, such as a digital camera, that does not only irradiate an object directly with flash light but also enables what is called a bounce flash photographing by irradiating the entire area including the object with flash light that is directed to a ceiling by changing a flash-light irradiation angle and is reflected and diffused by the ceiling. Use of a receiver-flash during the bounce flash photographing enables various expressions. For example, a light amount balance between irradiation light from a right side of an object and irradiation light from a left side can be changed, and a shadow appearing in a background can be eliminated by irradiation light toward the background.

Appropriate determination of the irradiation direction of the flash light in photographing using a receiver-flash and the bounce flash photographing requires time and effort from a photographer. For example, an appropriate irradiation direction of flash light in the bounce flash photographing is decided by repeating test photographing at several times. In the photographing using a receiver-flash, if an irradiation direction of flash light of the installed receiver-flash has shifted from a direction toward a target, a photographer must go to the receiver-flash and adjust the irradiation direction.

In view of such failure, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2011-221364 (JP 2011-221364A) suggests a technique that repeats emission and photometry while changing an irradiation angle of flash light and stores the irradiation angle at which the maximum photometry value among the obtained photometry values except for photometry values within a predetermined range has been obtained. This suggestion enables to automatically find the angle at which an irradiation light amount to an object is maximized except for the irradiation angles directly directed to the object as the irradiation angle for the bounce flash photographing.

However, the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned publication cannot automatically find the irradiation angle of each receiver-flash in the photographing using a plurality of receiver-flashes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[…] Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides an image pickup apparatus controlling external flashes that are communicably connected to one another and have light emitting units of which irradiation angles are variable, the image pickup apparatus comprising a photometry device that obtains a photometry value, a memory device that stores a set of instructions, and at least one processor that executes the set of instructions to: obtain photometry values at times of emissions at each of different irradiation angles for each of the external flashes, generate an evaluation value at each of the different irradiation angles based on a photometry result obtained by the photometry device, and decide an irradiation angle for photographing of each of the external flashes based on the evaluation values generated.

Accordingly, a second aspect of the present invention provides a control method for an image pickup apparatus controlling external flashes that are communicably connected to one another and have light emitting units of which irradiation angles are variable, the control method comprising a photometry step of obtaining photometry values at times of emissions at each of different irradiation angles for each of the external flashes, a generation step of generating an evaluation value at each of the different irradiation angles based on a photometry result obtained in the photometry step, and a decision step of deciding an irradiation angle of each of the external flashes based on the evaluation values generated in the generation step.

According to the present invention, an irradiation angle of each external flash is controlled so as to irradiate an object or a background of the object in accordance with a setting in photographing using a plurality of external flashes.

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