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

Lens-style
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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.

canon lens-style
101 smartphone body, 102 lens style camera, 505 the identification markers, 501 camera marker discrimination

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.

Canon lens-style
To correctly set the lens-style camera, the painted marker is shot with the smartphone camera
  • 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)
[via Egami]

Canon patent for hybrid optical viewfinder

canon patent

Canon patent for a new generation of hybrid optical viewfinder. The patent does not refer to an electronic viewfinder. If I got it right this is an LCD panel that overlays all sort of information on the image itself (i.e. the image transmitted through the mirror to your eyes), so you can look at your composition and in the same time check all the relevant settings.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-35525
    • Published 2016.3.17
    • Filing date 2014.8.4
  • Canon patent
    • During the pentagonal prism and the eyepiece optical system, providing two optical surface inclined
    • Since the light from the objective optical system is transmitted through the two optical surfaces, the photographer can observe the object
    • Since the light from the display optical system reflects the second optical surface and the first optical surface, the photographer can observe the display information
    • Display panel, display the shooting information at the time of the mirror-down, to display a live view image at the time of the mirror-up
[via Egami]

Canon patent for 28mm F1.4L and 35mm F1.4L lens with resin elements

canon patent

Canon patent referring to a 28mm F1.4L and to a 35mm F1.4L lens. The interesting point: the patent mentions “resin lenses”. Wait, what? A plastic lens on a Canon L lens?

It’s not “plastic”, obviously. It’s resin, and, according to the patent, such a lens element should have less dispersion and less aberrations.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-31414
    • Published 2016.3.7
    • Filing date 2014.7.28

I wonder if and when such a lens may go to production.

[via Egami]

 

Canon patent for 27x zoom Powershot camera (Powershot G3 X replacement?)

powershot

Canon patent for an optical formula that appears to refer to a possible Powershot camera. The patent is about a 9-240mm F2.8-5.6 lens that seems to fit a compact camera, a Canon Powershot. The optical formula resolves to a 27x zoom. 

The Canon PowerShot G3 X has a 25x zoom (24-600mm equivalent). May this patent refer to a replacement? It may be.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-31419
    • Published 2016.3.7
    • Filing date 2014.7.28
  • Example
    • Zoom ratio 25.58
    • Wide-angle intermediate telephoto
    • Focal length 9.35 31.90 239.12
    • F-number 2.88 4.93 5.76
    • Half angle of view (degrees) 35.66 13.89 1.89
    • The image height 6.71 7.89 7.89
    • Overall length of the lens 94.81 119.61 197.21
    • BF 2.97 19.89 29.86
powershot g3 x
Canon Powershot G3 X
[via Egami]

 

Canon patent to avoid image quality degradation in systems with transparent mirror

2016_25487_fig05a

tilted-mirror

Canon patent describing a solution to avoid degradation of image quality in systems featuring a translucent mirror.

The problem: when light goes through a pellicle mirror to the sensor, the tilted mirror produces a tilt in the focal plane. The Canon patent counters this by tilting the sensor. Will we ever see this technology in a Canon product that hits the market?

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-25487
    • Published 2016.2.8
    • Filing date 2014.7.22
  • Canon patent
    • Pellicle mirror
    • Imaging device suppressing the influence of aberration by tilting the
    • Pellicle mirror the characteristics of, to determine the amount of tilt by the F-number and the exit pupil position
[via Egami]

Canon patent for EF-S 18-100mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens for APS-C sensors

ef-s 18-100mm

A patent does neither mean that a company is actively working on the described product, nor it is a warranty we’ll ever see the described product. However, here is another patent for a STM lens for APS-C DSLRs filed by Canon.

The patent refers to a EF-S 18-100mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens,. 18-100mm is a sonewhat unusual focal range, even more if you consider that Canon has the excellent EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM on offer.

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-1224
    • Published 2016.1.7
    • Filing date 2014.6.11
  • Example
    • Focal length 18.59 47.22 94.99
    • F-number 3.60 4.92 5.88
    • Half angle of view (degrees) 36.31 16.14 8.18
    • Image height 13.66 13.66 13.66
    • The total lens length 137.78 158.04 178.30
    • BF 35.39 52.79 64.61
[via Egami]