Canon Patent For Stacked Sensor Technology

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Canon patent application US20190096931 describes a stacked sensor. If you want to lear more about how a stacked sensor works, this article might help.

From the patent literature:

In CCD type and amplification-type solid-state image pickup devices used for digital still cameras, camcorders, and the like, in order to obtain high definition images, the sizes of pixels are required to be reduced. However, as the sizes of pixels are reduced more and more, a light receiving area of a photoelectric converter, in a pixel, detecting light is decreased, and the sensitivity is decreased. 

Canon Patent For 8-15mm Fisheye Lens For APS-C Mirrorless

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Canon patent application US20190094490 describes the optical formula for an 8-15mm fisheye lens. Given the back focus distance this is most likely a lens for the EOS M system.

From the patent literature:

In order for a zoom lens to have a wide angle of view and achieve high optical performance across the entire zoom range and the entire object distance range, it is important to appropriately set the elements constituting the zoom lens. For example, it is important to appropriately set the zoom type (the number of lens units and the refractive power of each lens unit), the lens configuration, and the lens unit selected for focusing, and so on. 

If these configurations are not appropriate, achieving a wide angle of view will increase the size of the whole system and also increase the variations of various aberrations caused by zooming and focusing. It will therefore be difficult to achieve high optical performance across the entire zoom range and the entire object distance range. 

For example, for a fisheye zoom lens having an imaging half angle of view of 85 degrees or more, a meniscus lens having an extremely strong negative refractive power needs to be disposed closest to the object side within the first lens unit in order to take light rays into the zoom lens from such a wide angle of view. Generally, lenses in a first lens unit not only have strong refractive powers but also have large effective diameters. Thus, when it comes to a fisheye zoom lens, its first lens unit is heavy and large as well. Then, if the entirety or part of the first lens unit (the closest lens unit to the object side) is used as a focus lens unit, quick focusing will be difficult. 

Here Is Another Canon Patent For IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation)

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Not the first Canon patent application about IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation).

Patent application US20190094566 describes the technology for a sensor based image stabilisation system. 

Patent application abstract:

An image stabilizing apparatus includes an optical element, a first fixing member, a movable member that holds the optical element, and is movably supported in a flat surface perpendicular to an optical axis, a ball sandwiched between the movable member and the first fixing member, a vibration wave actuator that includes a piezoelectric element and a vibrating plate, and moves the movable member, a slider that contacts the vibrating plate, and is provided in the movable member, a spring that pressurizes the vibrating plate against the slider, and a second fixing member fixed to the first fixing member so as to make the vibrating plate and the slider contact each other with a predetermined pressure.

Is Quad Pixel Autofocus The Upcoming Evolution Of Dual Pixel AF?

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A recently spotted Canon patent application suggests Canon might be at works to design the technological evolution of its patented Dual Pixel Auto Focus (DPAF).

Canon patent application 2019-041178 (Japan) describes a technology where pixels are split in four parts. This should allow for a more precise AF in all possible directions.

From the patent literature:

Therefore, there is the object of this invention in providing the image sensor which can always perform focus detection by an image surface phase difference system with high precision, and the imaging device using this image sensor. 

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the image sensor by the present invention, A plurality of optical waveguides which a unit pixel part provided with a plurality of pixels is the image sensor arranged by two-dimensional matrix form, and draw light to said plurality of pixels, respectively, It has the segregant formed among said plurality of waveguides, the height and position of the aforementioned segregant are changed according to image height, and the pupil distance of said plurality of pixels is changed in each of the aforementioned unit pixel part. 

The patent literature seems to describe an APS-C sensor with a resolution around 20MP:

A unit pixel has the 1st focus detection pixel 201, the 2nd focus detection pixel 202, the 3rd focus detection pixel 203, and the 4th focus detection pixel 204, and these pixels are arranged by two lines x two rows. In the illustrated example, although the pixel structure of four lines x four rows is shown, the many pixel is actually arranged by two-dimensional matrix form. For example, the image sensor is 4 micrometers in the cycle P of a pixel, and is side [ of 5575 lines ] x [ 3725 rows ] long = about 20,750,000 pixels in the pixel number N. The image sensor is 2 micrometers in the line writing direction cycle PAF of a focus detection pixel, and is side [ of 11150 lines ] x [ 7450 rows ] long = about 83,060,000 pixels in the focus detection pixel number NAF. 

No idea if this patent describes a technology that might get into production soon. More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production in the next few years are these:

Canon Patent For 35mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.2 and 70-200mm f/2.8 Lenses for Full Frame Cameras

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Hi Lows Note spotted a Canon patent application (2019-45631A) describing optical formulas for a 35mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.2 for full frame DSLRs, and for a 70-200mm f/2.8 for full frame mirrorless cameras (the EOS R system).

Focal length: 34.31 mm
F number: 1.45
Angle of view: 32.24
Image height: 21.64 mm
Lens length: 139.98 mm
Back focus: 39.01 mm

Focal length: 85.00 mm
F number: 1.24
Angle of view: 14.28
Image height: 21.64 mm
Lens length: 123.50 mm
Back focus: 39.70 mm

Zoom ratio: 2.71
Focal length: 72.00 ~ 134.99 ~ 194.94 mm
F number: 2.91 ~ 2.91 ~ 2.98
Angle of view: 16.73 ~ 9.11 ~ 6.33
Image height: 21.64 mm
Lens length: 172.73 ~ 219.96 ~ 231.71 mm
Back focus: 14.37 ~ 18.40 ~ 28.12 mm

Canon Patent For RF 24-70mm f/2.8 and RF 28-85mm f/2.0-2.8 Lenses (EOS R System)

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Here is another Canon patent application (2019-0079269) for two lenses for the Canon RF mount.

From the patent abstract:

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Provided is a zoom lens including a plurality of lens units, in which an interval between each pair of adjacent lens units is changed during zooming. The plurality of lens units consist of, in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens unit having a positive refractive power; a second lens unit having a negative refractive power; a third lens unit having a negative refractive power; and a rear lens group including at least one lens unit. An interval between the second lens unit and the third lens unit becomes larger at a telephoto end than at a wide angle end. The third lens unit is moved during focusing. Focal lengths of the second lens unit and the third lens unit, a focal length of the zoom lens at the wide angle end, and a back focus at the wide angle end are appropriately set.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production in the next few years are these:

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