Patent ID: 6681078
Filing Date: 2004-01-20
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
A distance measuring apparatus, comprising:an AF sensor which forms images of light from a distance measurement object on a pair of line sensors comprising a plurality of light receiving elements and performs integration of signals obtained from the light receiving elements for each of the light receiving elements to generate sensor data, and ends the integration and outputs an integration end signal indicating the end of the integration when a predetermined integration end condition is satisfied; an AF sensor controlling device which instructs the AF sensor to start the integration; and a distance measurement object distance calculating device which calculates a distance from the distance measurement object according to the sensor data generated by the integration in the AF sensor, wherein: if the integration end signal is outputted from the AF sensor before maximum acceptable integration time accepted as time of the integration elapses after the AF sensor is made to start the integration, the AF sensor controlling device determines that the sensor data generated by the integration is valid, and if the integration end signal is not outputted from the AF sensor even after predetermined time elapses after the AF sensor is made to start the integration, the AF sensor controlling device evaluates a signal amount level of the sensor data generated by the integration and determines whether the sensor data generated by the integration is valid or invalid according to the evaluated signal amount level; and the distance measurement object distance calculating device calculates the distance from the distance measurement object according only to the sensor data determined to be valid by the AF sensor controlling device.