Canon Working On Triple Image Stabilisation System, Canon Patent Suggests

Canon Patent

We already know that most likely Canon will feature IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation) on future Canon mirrorless cameras (and maybe on DSLRs too). Canon execs confirmed it.

It seems Canon wants to do things right, as we are used to. Canon patent application 2019-0199930 (US) describes technology and methods to make three image stabilisation systems work together. The patent discusses how to combine lens image stabilisation, IBIS, and digital image stabilisation.

Another Canon patent application discusses how to make IBIS and lens IS work together smoothly.

canon patent

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

Canon Researching How To Make IBIS and Lens IS Work Together Smoothly, Patent Suggests

Ibis Canon Rumors Canon Full Frame Mirrorless Canon PowerShot G7 X Canon Eos 90d Coronavirus

Canon patent application 2019-087397 (Japan) discusses how to make IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation) work with lens-based image stabilisation. Not an easy task, I guess.

This is not the first IBIS-related patent filed by Canon. It’s now safe to assume that Canon will indeed implement IBIS in a future mirrorless camera (both EOS M and EOS R?).

Given the quantity of Canon lenses with IS it was to expect that Canon is interested to make IBIS wok with image-stabilised lenses.

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

Canon Patent to reduce image noise generated by the magnetic field of image stabilisation unit

Canon Patent

Well, this is an interesting Canon patent application we spotted (20180164603), and it shows how much care Canon applies to details.

Some background information first. Simplifying it very much, the image stabilisation system of a lens is build on top of a vibration gyroscope sensor. The process of stabilising an image in the lens occurs through a image (shake) correcting unit. The correcting unit uses electromagnetic fields, generated by applying current to a coil.

The generated electromagnetic fields can influence the electronic circuitry and hence may degrade the image quality by generating noise in the image. Turns out that shielding the coil isn’t that easy.

If I got the patent right, it tries to reduce the magnetic field by clever use of non-magnetically conductive materials and shielding. From the patent literature:

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging lens including: a lens; an image shake correcting action unit provided movably in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the lens; a stationary unit for supporting the image shake correcting action unit; a permanent magnet provided on one of the image shake correcting action unit and the stationary unit and a coil provided on an other; a drive circuit for moving the image shake correcting action unit relative to the stationary unit; a mount section for being connected to an imaging unit having an imaging element; and a conductive member which is nonmagnetically conductive and disposed between the coil and the mount section so as to include a facing surface facing a surface formed by a binding wire of the coil and having a larger area than a surface formed by an inner periphery of the coil.

This patent application might go into production one day.

Other Canon patent applications we think might get into production in the next few years are these: