Patent ID: 6701074
Filing Date: 2004-03-02
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
A distance measuring apparatus, comprising:an AF data generating device which forms images of light from a distance measurement object on a pair of line sensors comprising a plurality of light-receiving elements and generates a pair of AF data for correlation value calculation according to signals obtained from the plurality of light-receiving elements; an AF data obtaining device which obtains a pair of AF data from a pair of employed sensor ranges for use in distance measurement in the pair of line sensors; a first correlation value calculating device which determines a pair of window ranges for obtaining the pair of AF data for use in the correlation value calculation in the pair of employed sensor ranges, and sequentially calculates correlation values while shifting the pair of window ranges to obtain a highest correlation value in the pair of employed sensor ranges, the first correlation value calculating device calculating the correlation values using AF data arranged at predetermined intervals in the AF data in the pair of window ranges; a second correlation value calculating device which sequentially calculates correlation values while shifting the pair of window ranges in predetermined ranges before and after a shift amount of the pair of window ranges when the highest correlation value in the correlation values obtained by the first correlation value calculating device is obtained, the second correlation value calculating device calculating the correlation values using all AF data in the pair of window ranges; and a distance measurement object distance calculating device which calculates a distance from the distance measurement object according to a shift amount of the pair of window ranges when the highest correlation value in the correlation values obtained by the second correlation value calculating device is obtained.