Canon patent for camera system with translucent mirror and EVF

eg

Canon filed a patent for a camera system with translucent mirror and electronic viewfinder (EVF). Looks like a patent for a technology similar to Sony’s translucent mirror. This is not the first time Canon files a patent referring to a translucent mirror (1 | 2).

  • Patent Publication No. 2015-97352
    • Published 2015.5.21
    • Filing date 2013.11.15
  • Canon patents
    • Half mirror and the optical path division by
    • One of the light beam received by the image pickup device
    • The other light flux I receive in AF sensor
    • FPS of the AF sensor, faster than the image pickup device
    • Pixel area of ​​the AF sensor is larger than the image pickup device
    • From the AF sensor and the image sensor to obtain an image to be displayed on the EVF or back display

What’s coming next from Canon’s labs?

[via Egami]

Canon patent for Tilt-Shift lens with image stabilisation

tilt-shift lens

Egami (translated) spotted a patent filed by Canon for a tilt-shift lens with built-in image stabilisation.

  • Patent Publication No. 2015-99216
    • Published 2015.5.28
    • Filing date 2013.11.18
  • Canon patents
    • Anti-vibration possible tilt-shift lens
    • Possible anti-vibration while maintaining the tilt
    • A first vibration proof group corresponding to the tilt, the second of vibration proof group corresponding to the shift
    • Carry out the tilt vibration isolation of a shift anti-vibration, the telephoto side in the wide side

If this patent hits the market, Canon would produce the world’s first image stabilised Tilt-Shift lens.

Canon lost trial in patent infringement cause (sensor technology)

Canon Rumors Color Calibration
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Company Intellectual Ventures accused Canon of patent infringement. Canon lost. Two image sensor patents are concerned: US6,221,686 “Method of making a semiconductor image sensor” and US6,023,081 “Semiconductor image sensor.”

Delaware Intellectual Property Litigation published a document with the motivations (see pages 11-19).

By Memorandum Opinion entered by The Honorable Sue L. Robinson in Intellectual Ventures I, LLC, et al. v. Canon Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 11-792-SLR (D.Del., May 18, 2015), the Court granted plaintiff’s alternative motion for a new trial regarding infringement of U.S. Patent Numbers 6,121,960 (“the ‘960 patent”) and 5,754,348 (“the ‘348 patent”) after concluding that defense counsel in his closing argument improperly played the role of expert witness by inferring from factual testimony that the accused devices did not meet the claim limitations arguments.  The court found such argument to be contrary to a pre-trial agreement that defendant would not present any evidence of non-infringement, including evidence of a lack of a subjective intent to infringe, particularly given that the Court previously barred certain testimony from plaintiff’s witnesses on the topic during the trial.

[via Image Sensors World]

[CW3] Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 Mark III in the works? Canon patent for 16-35mm f/2.8 lens spotted

16-35mm
embodiment: 16-35mm f/2.8

Last week I got a rumor I didn’t take seriously. The rumor suggested that Canon is working on a new version of the highly popular EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens. Well. I think I was wrong in not trusting the source. The EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM was released in 2007, so a replacement is not out of the realm of possibilities. Given the patent, I rate the rumour CW3.

Egami (translated) spotted a patent that appears to support the rumour of a EF 16-35mm f/2.8 Mark III lens.

  • Patent Publication No. 2014-206674
    • Published 2014.10.30
    • Filing date 2013.4.15
  • Example 1
    • Zoom ratio 2.06
    • Focal length f = 16.49-23.74-33.94mm
    • Fno. 2.91
    • Half angle of view ω = 52.69-42.35-32.51 °
    • BF 38.74-48.38-63.65mm
16-35mm
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

About our rumour rating:

  • CW1 – probably fake rumor, not reliable (less than 15% chance to be real)
  • CW2 – rumor from an unknown/new source, but otherwise at least a plausible rumor (15%-40% chance to be real)
  • CW3 – around 50% chance to be real, coming from a known source, or from new source with good insight in Canon’s business
  • CW4 – rumor from a known source that was right in the past, high probability to be true (60%-80% chance to be real)
  • CW5 – as good as certain to be true

A new EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 STM coming (next APS-C kit lens)?

patt
EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6

Egami (translated) spotted a patent filed by Canon for an EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. This lens will replace the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (released 2009). We got some rumors saying that this lens will come with STM on board. Egami itself suggests it could be the next kit lens for Canon’s high-end APS-C bodies.

Machine translated patent description:

  • Patent Publication No. 2015-75570
    • Published 2015.4.20
    • Filing date 2013.10.8
  • Example
    embodiment
    Example Zoom ratio Focal length Fno. Half angle Image height Overall length BF
    One 4.61 18.00 27.48 83.00 4.00 4.58 5.80 37.1 26.3 9.3 13.6 133.1 140.0 160.0 37.1 41.6 50.3
    Two 4.88 17.00 26.34 83.00 3.99 4.49 5.80 38.66 27.31 9.31 13.6 127.12 133.64 154.74 35.00 39.12 48.89
    Three 5.28 15.50 22.82 81.84 3.60 4.10 5.85 41.39 30.91 9.48 13.66 128.40 134.55 169.41 35.48 43.51 66.65
    Four 5.26 15.60 22.19 82.00 3.50 3.97 5.84 41.21 31.62 9.46 13.66 128.18 134.63 171.19 36.37 43.38 67.86

    Image height Y = 21.63mm

  • Canon patents
    • Positive and negative grain positive and negative positive 5-group configuration (Examples 1 and 2)
    • 4-group configuration of positive and negative grain-positive-positive (Examples 3 and 4)
    • Inner focus (the second group)
pipp
EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

 

 

Canon patent for 12-35mm f/2-3.5 IS lens for 4/3 formats

pat

Egami (translated) spotted a patent filed by Canon for an image-stabilized 12-35mm f/2-3.5 lens for 4/3 sensors. Slow down before you get too excited figuring out that Canon will soon produces lenses for 4/3 systems. If this patent will ever hot the market it could also be for a compact camera, or one of the better Powershot cams.

  • Canon patent
    • Positive and negative positive and negative positive five-group zoom
    • Rear focus (fourth group)
    • Anti-vibration (part of the third group)