We reported about Canon’s conquer of space before. Regular Canon Watch visitors already know that Canon builds artificial satellites and fires small rockets into space.

Canon patent applications 2018-030556 and 2018-025463 describe the technology Canon used to move into space. In case you have doubts: we are not kidding you. Canon is indeed building satellites and mini rockets.

Excerpts from the patent literature describing a space aircraft and its structure (machine translated):

The present invention is a spacecraft body structure thing transported to space, and relates to the spacecraft body structure thing and spacecraft object which are connected so that mutual internal space may communicate unidirectionally.

[…]

It is a spacecraft body structure thing transported to space, A pair of cylindrical body connected so that mutual internal space may communicate unidirectionally,
It has a reinforcing member which is joined by inner peripheral surface of each body which constitutes said pair of cylindrical body, respectively, and reinforces the aforementioned body, A spacecraft body structure thing comprising: A through-hole which penetrates a plate-like member from which the aforementioned reinforcing member constitutes the aforementioned reinforcing member to a thickness direction.
A rib structure part formed at a part of aforementioned plate-like member so that an opening of the aforementioned through-hole might be surrounded in an opening peripheral edge part of the aforementioned through-hole.

The other patent describes solar energy supply, and acquisition and transmission of data (also machine translated):

The present invention relates to the information processing apparatus which treats the point which carries out light reception through light guide holes, such as a pinhole, for example, the sunlight photo detector incorporating this information processing apparatus, and the artificial satellite which mounted this sunlight photo detector.

An information processing apparatus capable of highly accurately extracting a spot of light to be detected, a solar light receiving element, and an artificial satellite are provided.
An acquisition unit configured to acquire image data obtained by receiving an incident light from the light guide hole by an image sensor facing a light guide hole of the light guide member; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire image data And extracting means for extracting a point image satisfying a predetermined luminance condition. More preferably, the extracting means extracts a point image having the highest luminance among the plurality of point images when there are a plurality of point images satisfying a predetermined luminance condition in the image data.

Well, it’s not all about photography when it comes to Canon. Recently, the Japanese company moved into automated indoor gardening.