Canon Cameras Might Get An Expanded Dynamic Range Thanks To Dual Pixel AF Sensors

Dual Pixel AF
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Image sensors with Dual Pixel Autofocus on board can be used to obtain expanded dynamic range, a patent application suggests.

Canon patent application 2019-129491 (Japan) discusses technology and methods for an image sensor output with increased dynamic range. As you probably know, DPAF splits a pixel in two (see here how it works). The idea is that the two half pixel can be amplified at different levels while being read and processed at the same moment. Think about it as “dual ISO”.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Canon Might Have A Crazy EOS R Lens Up Their Sleeve, An RF 50-82mm f/1.1

Eos R
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Canon patent application US20190243111 discusses various optical formulas for the EOS R full frame mirrorless camera lenses.

Among them is a 50-82mm f/1.1 lens. Will this lens ever come to the Canon EOS R system? Hard to say. At least there is an existing patent. Then time will tell.

  • Focal length 51.50 64.17 82.52
  • F-number 1.13 1.13 1.13
  • Half angle of view 22.79 18.63 14.69 (degrees)
  • Total lens length 220.20 225.05 224.20 
  • BF 6.51 6.53 8.64

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Future Canon Cameras Might Have An Even Better Sensor Dust Removal Feature

Sensor Dust
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Canon patent application EP3522515A1 discusses method and technology for an image sensor dust removal system. Canon already has one of the best dust removal systems in the industry, so it can only get better.

Excerpts from the patent literature:

An imaging device such as a digital camera for picking up and recording an image by converting an image signal into an electric signal receives an imaging light flux by means of the image pick up device, which may typically be a CCD (charge coupled device) or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) it comprises. Then, the photoelectric conversion signal output from the image pickup device is converted into image data, which image data is then recorded in a recording medium such as a memory card. In such an imaging device, a cover glass, an optical low pass filter, an infrared absorption filter and other parts are arranged in front (on the subject side) of the image pickup device to form an image pickup unit there.

In an imaging device of the above-described type, when foreign objects such as dusts adhere to any of the surfaces of the cover glass and the filters of the image pickup unit, those foreign objects block the incident light flux and are picked up as black spots in the recorded image. Particularly, in the case of a digital single-lens reflex camera, the dusts that are produced when the shutter, the quick return mirror and/or some other part arranged near the image pickup unit is mechanically driven to operate can adhere, if partly, to any of the surfaces of the cover glass and the filters. Additionally, when the lens is being replaced, foreign objects such as dusts can get into the inside of the camera main body by way of the opening of the lens mount and adhere to any of the surfaces of the cover glass and the filters. However, when each of the cover glass and the filters is equipped with a piezoelectric element and the piezoelectric element is made to operate as a vibrating plate that give rise to elastic vibrations (to be referred to as flexural vibrations hereinafter) in the thickness direction, it can be made to operate as a dust removal device for removing the dusts adhering to the surfaces thereof.

[…] in an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vibration device comprising a vibrating member having at least n (n≥2) piezoelectric elements arranged on a vibrating plate, each of the piezoelectric elements being formed by using a lead-free piezoelectric material and electrodes, wherein, if the temperature that maximizes the piezoelectric constant of the piezoelectric material of each of the n piezoelectric elements is expressed as Tm (m being a natural number from 1 to n), at least two of T1 through Tn differ from each other.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Canon Working On Eye Controlled Autofocus For Mirrorless Camera, Patent

Eye Controlled Autofocus
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Note: we are not talking about eye-autofocus here, but about eye controlled AF. Something Canon featured already on film cameras (e.g. Canon EOS-3).

Canon parent application 2019-129461 discusses method and technology for an eye controlled AF system on a mirrorless camera. Eye controlled AF focuses, and decides where the focus point is, according to the eye position.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Wireless Charging Might Come To Canon Cameras In The Future

Canon
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Canon patent application US10375639 discusses technology to wireless charge a battery. Looking at the patent’s images, it seems that the patent clearly refers to wireless charging a camera’s battery.

Patent abstract:

A power transmission apparatus includes a communication unit that executes communication with an electronic apparatus, a power transmission unit that wirelessly supplies power to the electronic apparatus, and a control unit that controls communication and power supply to be executed alternately, wherein the control unit adjusts communication power of the communication unit and transmission power of the power transmission unit and/or a length of a communication period and a length of a power transmission period, so that an average magnetic field intensity does not exceed a first magnetic field intensity in a predetermined region throughout the communication period of communication executed by the communication unit and the power transmission period of power transmission executed by the power transmission unit.

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these:

Canon Patent For 20mm f/1.4 and 12-24mm f/4.3-5.6 Lenses For EF Mount

Canon Patent
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Hi Lows Note spotted a Canon patent application (2019-128526, Japan) describing optical formulas for a 20mm f/1.4 and a 12-24mm f/4.3-5.6 lens, both for the Canon EF mount.

20mm f/1.4 lens:

  • Focal length: 20.50 mm
  • FNo.: 1.44
  • ω: 46.54
  • Image height: 21.64 mm
  • Lens length: 134.70 mm
  • Back focus: 36.81 mm

12-24mm f/4.3-5.6 lens:

  • Focal length: 12.40 – 18.00 – 23.64 mm
  • FNo.: 4.35 – 4.96 – 5.60
  • ω: 60.18 – 50.25 – 42.47
  • Image height: 21.64 mm
  • Lens length: 142.18 – 132.82 – 131.14 mm
  • Back focus: 36.14 – 44.23 – 52.29 mm

More Canon patent applications are listed here. Some particularly interesting patent applications we think might get into production are these: