Patent ID: 7277237
Filing Date: 2007-10-02
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An AF control apparatus for a zoom lens system, comprising: a movable lens group configured to serve as a zooming lens group and as a focusing lens group in the zoom lens system; a focusing table which stores focusing data for said movable lens group, said focusing table being configured to store a plurality of focal length steps and lens position information for plural in-focus positions at each focal length step; a zooming table which stores zooming data for said movable lens group, said zooming table being configured to store said plurality of focal length steps and lens position information for plural in-focus positions different than the in-focus positions of the focusing table for a same focal length step; and a driving device for moving said movable lens group in an optical axis direction of said zoom lens system such that the movable lens group is moved, at a beginning of a zooming operation, while positioned at a first focal length step, to a zoom path defined by the data of the zooming table for the first focal length step, the lens group then being moved, along the zoom path defined by the data of the zooming table, from the first focal length step to the second focal length step, and at a conclusion of the zooming operation, the movable lens group is moved, while at the second focal length step, from the zoom path defined by the data of the zooming table, to a position based upon the data of the focusing table.