Canon Patents

Patent: Canon continues Quad-Pixel autofocus development

Canon Rumors
Posted onJan 10, 2022 at 10:27 AM

This site contains affiliate links to products and services. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

The next autofocus advancement coming from Canon will likely be in the form of quad-pixel autofocus, I would think we’d see such technology appear in the Canon EOS R1 first.

Quad-Pixel AF would improve the autofocus performance when you’re shooting in any orientation.

Canon Quad-Pixel Overview

  • [Publication Number] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-2383 (P2022-2383A)
  • [Publication date] January 6, 2022
  • INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY: An image pickup device, an image pickup device, and a focus detection method.
  • [Application date] June 22, 2020
  • [Applicant]
    [Identification number] 000001007
    [Name or name] Canon Inc.
  • PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the division direction of a pupil region while suppressing variation in sensitivity of an image signal.
  • [0002]
    As one of the focus detection methods of an image pickup device, a so-called image pickup surface phase difference method, in which a pupil division signal is acquired by using a focus detection pixel formed in an image pickup device and focus detection Is Performed By A Phase Difference Method, Is Used. Are Known. As A Focus Detection Pixel, A Configuration In Which One Microlens And A Plurality Of Sensitivity Regions Are Formed In Each Pixel Is Known, And Each Of The Plurality Of Sensitivity Regions Is Light The pupil division signal can be acquired by receiving light.
  • PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem.
    [0005]
    Generally, in a phase difference type focus detection, focus detection is performed when the brightness pattern of a subject, that is, the direction in which the luminance changes is close to the division direction of the pupil division signal. There is a problem that the accuracy of the
  • [0006]
    Even if an image pickup device that divides the pupil division signal in a total of four directions by combining the pixels described in Patent Document 1 is configured, the characteristics are aligned between the pixels having different division directions. However, the image signal obtained by adding the pupil division signal for each pixel will vary.
  • [0007]
    The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to increase the division direction of the pupil region while suppressing variations in the sensitivity of image signals.
Canon Rumors
View thread (12 replies)
Antono Refa

Antono Refa

EOS R
Mar 26, 2014
1,409
505
Bahrd said:
Samsung is hot on Canon's heels (page 9/22)...

PS
Neither seems to use a quad-pixel design (each pixel has a pair of photodiodes - just rotated in different directions)?
Click to expand...
AFAIK, DSLR autofocus sensors don't measure in two directions on the same sensor spot, just close enough to do the trick. Also, they have a larger area than a pixel.

Does seem odd to me that there's a correlation between the direction in which the AF is sensitive and the pixel colors - the horizontal & vertical ones are all on blue & green pixels, while the diagonal ones are all on red pixels. I know the pixels' response is on a wide spectrum with a peak in the relevant color (not exactly red, blue, and green), but I wonder whether this will hurt AF performance.

[I doubt this would be a big problem, one could probably autofocus in a working orientation and rotate/recompose. That, or the actual distribution might differ to prevent that.]
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
S

scottburgess

Canonical Canon
Jun 20, 2013
245
37
Bahrd said:
PS
Neither seems to use a quad-pixel design (each pixel has a pair of photodiodes - just rotated in different directions)?
Click to expand...
The diagram illustrates a design change. The notation about "sensitivity differences" between sites might indicate that Canon intends to turn each pixel into a Bayer color array (I don't know Japanese, so I can't say with any certainty if the shading is for color), effectively obtaining the Foveon-esque pixel element they've long sought. That's speculative, though. It's really hard to say from a small snippet of one patent how the phase difference elements will be deployed or what the long-term strategy is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
B

bbasiaga

Canon Shooter
Nov 15, 2011
568
714
USA
Could be exciting! I'd like to see what they can do with it. The AF performance is so amazing already. This seems like it would take the last 'weakness' out of the system.

An R1, a 300 2.8, a set of extenders would be my dream kit, in addition to what I have. Just need the funds, and one of those neuralizers from MIB to make my wife 'remember' that she gave me permission to buy it all.

Brian
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
H

Hector1970

EOS R
CR Pro
Mar 22, 2012
1,459
958
The modern camera is ridiculously good. Focusing is almost the last thing to perfect
bbasiaga said:
Could be exciting! I'd like to see what they can do with it. The AF performance is so amazing already. This seems like it would take the last 'weakness' out of the system.

An R1, a 300 2.8, a set of extenders would be my dream kit, in addition to what I have. Just need the funds, and one of those neuralizers from MIB to make my wife 'remember' that she gave me permission to buy it all.

Brian
Click to expand...
Modern camera's have gotten so good, they are close to perfection. I'm sure high ISO performance can be improved a little but is remarkably good compared to a few years ago. I'm sure we will have higher MP and more FPS but both can become more trouble than they are worth.
Focusing really is the last thing to perfect. It's good but far from perfect. It will be interesting how much better they can make it. Maybe quad pixel AF sensor will be a breakthrough.
I liked your last comment , some day I must tell my wife if anything happens to me to sell my photography gear for 10 times what I said I paid for it.
 
J

Juangrande

EOS RP
Mar 6, 2017
237
308
Hector1970 said:
The modern camera is ridiculously good. Focusing is almost the last thing to perfect

Modern camera's have gotten so good, they are close to perfection. I'm sure high ISO performance can be improved a little but is remarkably good compared to a few years ago. I'm sure we will have higher MP and more FPS but both can become more trouble than they are worth.
Focusing really is the last thing to perfect. It's good but far from perfect. It will be interesting how much better they can make it. Maybe quad pixel AF sensor will be a breakthrough.
I liked your last comment , some day I must tell my wife if anything happens to me to sell my photography gear for 10 times what I said I paid for it.
Click to expand...
As a portrait photographer that uses multiple strobes 95% of the time, even outdoors, the holy grail is a sensor that can do flash sync at any shutter speed. This is all I’ve ever wanted. Everything else is pretty much there in the R5.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
privatebydesign

privatebydesign

I post too Much on Here!!
CR Pro
Jan 29, 2011
10,673
6,112
Juangrande said:
As a portrait photographer that uses multiple strobes 95% of the time, even outdoors, the holy grail is a sensor that can do flash sync at any shutter speed. This is all I’ve ever wanted. Everything else is pretty much there in the R5.
Click to expand...
Only when that sync speed is matched with flash that a can output meaningful light levels at those shorter durations. The two go hand in hand and at this point in time the flash power isn’t there...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
privatebydesign

privatebydesign

I post too Much on Here!!
CR Pro
Jan 29, 2011
10,673
6,112
Juangrande said:
My ProFoto lights can go as fast 1/80,000s
Click to expand...
Yes if you are talking about the Pro-10 it outputs 2.4 Ws at 1/80,000 sec which is about as useful as a small candle, and that is just a copout t0.5 time.

The same $16,000 power pack and $3,000 head flash actually takes 1/400 sec to output a full power flash in normal mode. Any shutter speed faster than 1/400 second is going to limit flash power. And that was my point.....

CE1F6D24-BDAB-4369-A1B0-D7DD268E94A7.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

canonnews
Canon Patent Application: Shutter that minimizes shutter shock
Replies
20
Views
16K
koenkooi
koenkooi
canonnews
Canon applies for a hybrid viewfinder patent
Replies
17
Views
11K
SteveC
S
Canon Rumors Guy
  • Contains 1 staff post(s)
Patent: Quad pixel AF sensor
Replies
45
Views
24K
canonmike
C
Canon Rumors Guy
Patent: Eye-control focus in an EVF, this will appear in the Canon EOS R3
Replies
37
Views
13K
Ruined
R
Canon Rumors Guy
Patent: Canon patents RF 200mm f/2L IS, RF 300mm f/2.8L IS and RF 500mm f/4L IS optical formulas
Replies
40
Views
17K
neuroanatomist
neuroanatomist

Related posts