A distance measuring device according to the present invention includes a light projector, a controller, and a light receiver. The light projector projects light toward an object to be measured, and the controller controls the light projector to carry out a first light projection to emit a first light at a predetermined angle with a first light distribution, and subsequently to carry out a second light projection to emit a second light at the predetermined angle with a second light distribution which is different from the first light distribution. The light receiver receives the first and second light emitted by the light projector and reflected from the object, and produces light reception signals, and a circuit arrangement calculates a distance to the object by means of the light reception signals. With the invention, by projecting multiple distance measuring beams of light having different luminous intensity distributions toward a certain distance measurement point of the object at different times and calculating the object distance based on the output from the light receiver means which is obtained as a result of the projections, correct object distance information can be obtained even if vignetting exists.

A distance measuring device is arranged to emit spot-shaped light toward a subject and receive light reflected from the subject by means of a light receiving sensor having a plurality of light receiving areas, thereby measuring the distance to the subject. In the distance measuring device, among the plurality of light receiving areas, a peripheral light receiving area is selected to be larger than a central light receiving area so that the accuracy of distance measurement is improved.

An image shooting apparatus has a detector for acquiring information needed to control the focus of a taking lens in a plurality of target areas within the shooting area, and a light emitter having a plurality of light-emitting portions for illuminating the plurality of target areas. The light-emitting portion that is located farthest away from the taking lens illuminates the target area that is located opposite to that light-emitting portion with respect to the taking lens. Moreover, the light-emitting portion located farthest away from the taking lens and the other light-emitting portions use a common light source so that light from this common light source is divided and shone onto the plurality of target areas. Furthermore, the plurality of light-emittining portions are so arranged that the optical paths of the light beams emitted therefrom cross one another.

An active type distance measuring apparatus is provided with sensors for a plurality of distance measuring fields, and, in performing multi-point distance measuring, obtains distance information in a macro region on the basis of outputs from at least two sensors used for different distance measuring fields.

To provide a distance measuring device for a camera using divided photocells which is resistant to beam deficiency, the device includes one or more light emitting elements for emitting measuring light to an object to be photographed, a plurality of photocells for measuring light reflected by the object, an adding circuit for adding outputs of an arbitrary continuous plurality of photocells, an integrating circuit for integrating an output of the amplifying circuit, and a CPU for calculating a distance to the object based on an output from the integrating circuit. The CPU determines a combination of one of the light emitting elements and a first photocell group at which a result of the addition is maximized, sets a second photocell group comprising the first photocell group and a single one or a plurality of the photocells contiguous to the first photocell group from the determined light emitting element and the determined first photocell group, divides the second photocell group into a plurality of subgroups and measures the distance to the object based on outputs from the respective divided subgroups.