US 7,602,436 B2
Lens apparatus
Takayuki Kikuchi, Utsunomiya (Japan)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on May 19, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/133,778.
Claims priority of application No. 2004-170667 (JP), filed on Jun. 09, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2005/0275743 A1, Dec. 15, 2005
Int. Cl. H04N 5/232 (2006.01); H04N 5/222 (2006.01); H04N 5/228 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 348—345  [348/349; 348/333.07; 348/208.12] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A lens apparatus arranged detachably with a camera apparatus, the lens apparatus comprising:
a focus lens;
an evaluation value producing unit configured to produce an evaluation value for detecting an autofocus point using the image signal produced from the camera apparatus;
a focus lens drive signal producing unit configured to produce a focus lens drive signal using the evaluation value produced from the evaluation value producing unit;
a focus lens driver driving the focus lens on the basis of the focus lens drive signal;
a controller configured to permit the focus lens drive signal to enter the focus lens driver when the camera apparatus is in an image capturing mode, while the controller is configured to inhibit the focus lens drive signal from entering the focus lens driver when the camera apparatus is in an image reproducing mode; and
a camera mode determination unit configured to determine whether the camera apparatus is in the image capturing mode or in the image reproducing mode, the camera mode determination unit including a correlation determination unit configured to determine the correlation between the evaluation value and position information by inputting the evaluation value outputted from the evaluation value producing unit and the position information of the focus lens obtained from the focus lens drive signal producing unit,
wherein when the correlation determination unit determines the correlation to be high, the camera apparatus is determined to be in the image capturing mode, and when determining the correlation to be low, the camera apparatus is determined to be in the image reproducing mode.