Canon Patent Application: Curved Sensor Patent Application

We haven't seen any curved sensor patents in a while. It seems Canon is still researching the use of curved sensors in cameras.

This patent application discusses how to detect the amount curve needed with a higher degree of accuracy.  It's certainly meant for an ILC styled camera where multiple lenses are used.

According to the position of an optical lens, an image sensor chip is incurvated in a Patent document 1, and controlling the state of the curve is described in it. However, it does not describe in a Patent document 1 about how the actual state of a curve of an image sensor chip is measured, and what kind of control is performed in order to bring the actual state of the curve close to a target (desired state). 

Here, image data is acquired from an image sensor chip to a Patent document 2, shading in an image is analyzed to it, and controlling the state of a curve of an image sensor chip based on the result is described in it. However, when an image is not a thing according to uniform light according to the method of a Patent document 2, it may become difficult to analyze shading itself (for example, when objects, such as people and scenery, are reflected to the image), and the accuracy of the above-mentioned control may be deteriorated. 

In the imaging device which controls the state of a curve of an image sensor chip according to the curvature of field of an optical lens, an object of the present invention is to provide technology advantageous to highly-precise-izing of the control. 

Japan Patent Application 2018-133825