Future Canon tilt-shift lenses may have image stabilisation, patent application suggests

Tilt-shift

Canon might experimenting with the idea to feature image-stabilisation on the company’s future tilt-shift lenses.

Canon patent application (in Japan) 2017-227697 describes the implementation of image-stabilisation technology in tilt-shift lenses.

A patent application filed by a company doesn’t necessarily mean the technology described in the patent application will hit the market any time soon. Patents are a way companies have to protect their intellectual property and research.

Some patent applications that in our opinion might indeed go into production are these:

Canon tilt-shift lenses on Amazon.

Canon patent for a new EF 24-105 f/4 lens

Canon Patent

Another Canon patent. An optical formula for a EF 24-105 f/4 lens has been filed by Canon.

The mere fact that Canon (or any other company) makes a patent application for an optical formula (aka lens) does not mean you will see this lens anytime soon. Patents are primarily a way for companies to secure their research. Very few of the many Canon patents you are seeing on the net will ever make it into production.

However, we spend a lot of time to search for patents that might go into production. I think the following patents have a fair chance to be implemented in upcoming Canon cameras:

The patent we are featuring today has a very little chance to go into production in my opinion. However, it’s Canon research so we will feature it. Also, note that there is no image stabilisation in this optical formula.

Canon patent US20170374291 describes the optical formula for an EF 24-105 f/4 lens, a classic and widespread focal range for full-frame cameras. Nothing really new. The patent may apply to a lens Canon already made.

The abstract:

Provided is a zoom lens, including, in order from an object side, a positive first lens unit, a negative second lens unit, a positive third lens unit, a negative fourth lens unit, and a positive fifth lens unit, in which an interval between each pair of adjacent lens units is changed during zooming, in which the second lens unit moves during focusing, and includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a negative lens, a negative lens, a positive lens, and a negative lens, and in which a focal length of the second lens unit, a thickness of the second lens unit on an optical axis, a refractive index of a material of the positive lens included in the second lens unit, and an average value of refractive indices of materials of the negative lenses included in the second lens unit are each appropriately set.

Again, a patent application does not mean that the described technology will go public soon. Patents are in first place a way for companies to secure their research. What they throw to the market is another story.

Canon patent to reduce moire artefacts in image data

Canon Patent

Here is another Canon patent application I think might go into production.

Canon patent application US20170358058 describes an algorithm to estimate and eventually correct moire artefacts in image data.

From the patent abstract:

An image processing apparatus includes an estimator which estimates a moire component included in an image based on optical characteristic information, a determiner which determines a correction amount based on the estimated moire component, and a corrector which corrects the image so as to reduce the moire component included in the image based on the correction amount.

Canon files a huge amounts of patent applications. That does not mean all the patents we spot will go into production. However, some patents actually have a chance to made it into production and I am trying to find them, like this patent to improve burst rate by compressing raw files, or this one describing an improved way to review photos from a sequential shot, or the patent that describes technology to improve wireless communication while reducing power consumption.

Canon patent to improve operability and reduce power consumption during wireless communication

canon patentSince a few weeks it seems anyone is flooding the web with patent applications filed by Canon, going from obscure to unintelligible (to me). Patents are a way companies have to put a protective seal on their research, independently from the fact if they plan or not to release their proprietary technology.

I’m trying to find patents that actually have a chance to made it into production, like this patent to improve burst rate by compressing raw files, or this one describing an improved way to review photos from a sequential shot.

Similar immediate and real-world usefulness can be found also in Canon patent EP20170176556, which describes system and method to save power during a wireless communication, i.e. how to achieve both an improvement in operability and suppression of battery consumption. Something that surely matters to most photogs. It sure matters to me.

This is important, this is real world, and this may get soon on a camera (could be the EOS 7D Mark III).

The patent’s abstract:

A communication apparatus capable of achieving both of improvement in operability and suppression of battery consumption. A camera as the communication apparatus wirelessly communicates with one of a plurality of external devices including a remote controller and a smartphone. The state of the camera is switched between an operating state and a power-saving state in which power consumption is smaller than in the operating state. In the power-saving state, when a connection request is received from the remote controller as a device for non-continuous connection, a process for establishing a connection with the remote controller is started, and the camera is shifted to the operating state. In the power-saving state, when a connection request is received from the smartphone as a device for continuous connection, a process for establishing a connection with the smartphone is started, and the camera is not shifted to the operating state.

canon patent

Canon patent for EF 17-35mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens

canon patent

Here is a patent application that could make it into production, more sooner than later.

Canon patent application in Japan 2017-16156 describes the optical formula for an EF 17-35mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens. Since Canon started to build non-L, STM lenses for their full-frame cameras, it was to expect that this popular focal length would follow. We usually point to the fact that most patent never make it into production. This one may be different.

  • focal distance: 17.50  25.12  34.09
  • f numbers: 4.00 4.85   5.88
  • half field angle (degree): 51.03  40.73  32.40
  • image height: 21.64  21.64  21.64
  • length of the lens: 130.88 128.52 134.05
  • BF: 37.60  49.75  64.06

Here are two more patents (1 and 2) that could likely go into production.

Source

Canon patent for stacked sensor design (AF and image data off the sensor)

canon patentCanon patent application US20170366776 describes several stacked sensor designs.

The patent focuses on separating auto-focus and image data pipelines from the chip on the image sensor. Such a design has several advantages: less bandwidth to transfer data from the sensor, which leads to more speed and reduced power consumption (hence also less heat).

The patent abstract:

An imaging element having a layered structure including a first chip having a pixel portion in which pixels for photoelectrically converting an optical image of an object and generating a pixel signal are arranged two-dimensionally and a second chip in which a drive means of the pixel portion is arranged, and having a first output path to output the pixel signals of at least a first pixel group in the pixel portion and a second output path to output the pixel signals of a second pixel group, comprises the a conversion means for converting the pixel signals of the first and second output paths into digital signals and a control information generation means for generating control information of a photographing operation of the object by using the digital signal converted by the conversion means, wherein at least a part of the conversion means is arranged in the first chip.

Please note that patent applications do not mean a company will implement the described technology any time soon. Indeed, most patents never make it into production. An example of a Canon patent describing a technology that might be featured on a future Canon DSLR can be seen here, another one here.