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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8068286 | Variable focal lens and imaging apparatus A variable focal lens which does not require a reduction of a zoom factor and eliminates an origin sensor is provided. A microcomputer 15 functions as a focus adjustment section which controls a stepper motor 13 to move a focusing ring 5 for a f... | 11/29/2011 |
| 7813053 | Lens apparatus A lens apparatus including an optical element includes a motor configured to drive the optical element; a position detector configured to detect a relative position of the optical element; and a controller configured to detect an origin of the optical element by ret... | 10/12/2010 |
| 7782548 | Lens barrel and imaging device An interchangeable lens unit includes a second lens group unit, a focus lens unit, a fourth lens group unit, a zoom ring unit, a focus motor, and a photosensor. The zoom ring unit is arranged to mechanically transmit operational force inputted to a zoom ring to the ... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7777969 | Camera module and portable terminal employing the same A camera module in which a lens holder holding one or more optical lenses is movable in the direction of the optical axis and in which an auto-focus function and a zoom function are incorporated is reduced in size and weight. A bearing section is formed in the lens ... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7760442 | Voice coil motor control device and method of driving the same, image pickup device The present invention provides a control device capable of improving hysteresis characteristics of a voice coil motor (31) and attaining a suitable lens position without complicating the structure of the control device. As solving means of the invention, a vo... | 07/20/2010 |
| 7623301 | Auto-focus and zoom module with vibrational actuator and position sensing method Systems for positioning a functional element, such as an optical lens, include a housing, a primary guide pin coupled to the housing, a functional group that includes the functional element, and a vibrational actuator assembly. The functional group is movably couple... | 11/24/2009 |
| 7551368 | Auto-focusing camera module and auto-focusing lens module An auto-focusing camera module (100) includes a base (110), a first lens barrel (120) mounted on the base, a second lens barrel (130) threadedly engaged with the first lens barrel, a first lens (140) arranged in the second lens bar... | 06/23/2009 |
| 7499227 | Lens apparatus and image-pickup apparatus Provided is a lens apparatus mounted to a camera including an image-pickup element, including: a focus lens means movable in an optical axis direction for focusing; a zoom lens unit; a zoom detector for detecting a zoom value of the zoom lens unit; an aperture-stop ... | 03/03/2009 |
| 7450321 | Lens module A lens module including a guide rod set, a first lens barrel movably disposed on the guide rod set, at least one first lens disposed inside the first lens barrel, a first optical grating connected to the first lens barrel, a first position sensor, and a first voice ... | 11/11/2008 |
| 7436607 | Lens module A lens module includes a base; a focusing ring rotatably mounted to the base and having at least one driving portion formed on a torus thereof, the driving portion having at least two positioning portions and at least one inclined portion in connection with the two ... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7428377 | Focusing drive apparatus A focusing drive apparatus includes a determination device that is configured to determine whether a present focusing condition is an AF-able condition or an AF-unable condition. In the AF-able condition, the focusing lens group can be moved to the in-focus position... | 09/23/2008 |
| 7417803 | Focusing mechanism for a vision detector A machine vision image acquisition system is provided with a housing or enclosure that protects the acquisition system components from an industrial environment. The machine vision image acquisition system has a focusing mechanism that can be actuated externally to ... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7418200 | Optical unit and imaging device A collapsible type optical unit is described that is capable of moving its optical system between a working position and a retracted position as well as an image-pickup apparatus including the optical unit. The optical unit and the image-pickup apparatus are capable... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7405888 | Image taking apparatus An image taking apparatus is provided with a lens driving unit that includes a magnetic shaft in which the S pole and the N pole are alternately aligned in a longitudinal direction of the shaft. The lens driving unit also includes a first lens holding frame that hol... | 07/29/2008 |
| 7397609 | Imaging apparatus An imaging apparatus suppresses deterioration in an image quality caused by an electronic zoom. A digital camera equipped with a plurality of optical systems includes a fixed focal distance lens and a zoom lens. When a user sets a zoom position between discrete opti... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7388720 | Imaging apparatus A lens-controlling device controls a first lens unit which moves for zooming and a second lens unit which moves for correcting the displacement of an image plane caused by zooming and for focusing. The lens-controlling device includes a memory which stores data for ... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7355646 | Drive control apparatus for driving magnification-varying lens unit to wide-angle end or telephoto end when switching from AF mode to MF mode A drive control apparatus has a controller which operates in a first mode carrying out auto focusing control and a second mode not carrying out auto focusing control and carries out control so as to drive forcibly a magnification-varying lens unit to a wide-angle en... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7355802 | Driving device, lens barrel and imaging apparatus A driving device including: a vibrating body composed of a plurality of electric elements which are arranged to intersect in a predetermined angle, to vibrate based on a high frequency signal; a driven member having disk shape to be rotated by vibration of the vibra... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7345836 | Zoom lens driving apparatus A zoom lens driving apparatus achieves the object of driving multiple lens groups by a single motor and low production cost. When a first lens group, which includes a first lens, moves along guide rods, a leading cam of a leading member drives a leading pin of a fol... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7339147 | System and method for automatic focusing of images A method for automatic focusing of images, which is typically used in image measuring. Key aspects of the method involve a step of controlling a moveable part to move within a predetermined focusing area, a step of processing consecutive images to obtain definition ... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7330212 | Drive controller of lens apparatus A drive controller of a lens apparatus including a first lens unit movable to perform manual focus and a second lens unit disposed closer to an image than the first lens unit. The drive controller includes a detection device detecting a focal state of the lens appar... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7330647 | Autofocus system In a lens system in which a momentary mode in which AF is operated when an AF switch SW2 is pressed and a continuous mode in which the AF is continuously operated can be selected, a CPU uses the AF switch SW2 for use in the momentary mode as an AF stop... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7321471 | Lens barrel and lens system The invention is directed to a lens barrel and a compact lens system incorporating the lens barrel where notches defined in a cam barrel to serve as bolt holes and disengage the studs are reduced in dimensions both along and around the optical axis, thereby ensuring... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7321108 | Dynamic focusing method and apparatus A method and apparatus for dynamically focusing an imaging mechanism on a moving target surface having a variable geometry is herein disclosed. Apparatus for focusing an imaging mechanism may include an objective, a prism, or another optical device that forms part o... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7294950 | Electrostatic actuator, electrostatic actuator driving method electromechanical transducer, and electromechanical transducer driving method An electrostatic actuator includes a stator having an electrode substrate, a movable unit having a movable element and an electrode arranged opposite to the electrode substrate, a plurality of first operation modules each of which issues an operation command for rea... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7280287 | Zoom lens apparatus A zoom lens apparatus is provided. In the zoom lens apparatus, rotation of a motor is transmitted to a cam drive gear by reducing a speed thereof by a plurality of reduction gears. The cam drive gear transmits rotation thereof to a zoom cam provided coaxially therew... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7277237 | AF control apparatus for zoom lens system An AF control apparatus for a zoom lens system includes a movable lens group serving as a zooming lens group and a focusing lens group in the zoom lens system; a focusing table which stores focusing data for the movable lens group; a zooming table which stores zoomi... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7265914 | Lens device and photographing apparatus including the same In a lens device, when a lens is subjected to speed control and when initialization in which an absolute position of the lens is initialized after a power supply is turned on is completed, the lens is returned to a position before the lens is initialized. ... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7254322 | Drive controller of a lens apparatus A drive controller of a lens apparatus including a first lens unit moving for performing manual focus and a second lens unit moving for performing auto-focus has a control device switchable between a first mode for performing an auto-focus control of the second lens... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7248419 | Electronic imaging device An electronic imaging device is provided which includes a first lens group which takes in a luminous flux from a subject along a first optical axis, an optical axis conversion member which bends the luminous flux along a second optical axis which intersects with the... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7233358 | Autofocus adaptor An autofocus adapter for detachably mounting between an imaging lens and a camera body and for detecting the focus state of the imaging lens is disclosed. The autofocus adapter includes two focus state detecting elements with light receiving surfaces slightly displa... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7221520 | Camera control using wireless technology A video connection is established using cameras which are able to be remotely controlled by a distant viewer. A local radio link is established between a telephony device such as a cellular telephone or other wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU). A distant viewer c... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7218849 | Lens device having a controller for controlling optical elements and photographing apparatus including the lens device In a lens device, when a lens is subjected to speed control and when initialization in which an absolute position of the lens is initialized after a power supply is turned on is completed, the lens is returned to a position before the lens is initialized. ... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7215060 | Electrostatic actuator, electrostatic actuator driving method, electromechanical transducer, waveform output device and electric element An electrostatic actuator includes a waveform output register which generates waveform data having a drive time and a drive pattern on the basis of an operation request from the outside and has queues 0 and 1 to 3 holding the waveform data, a wa... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7209295 | Optical system, and optical apparatus The invention relates to an optical system that has reduced power consumptions, ensures noiseless operations and fast responses, contributes to cost reductions due to simplified mechanical structure, and, albeit having a small outside diameter and small size, is cap... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7205543 | Auto focusing apparatus and method An auto focusing method and apparatus for determining a focusing evaluation value, comparing the focusing evaluation value with an acceptance level of a preset focusing evaluation value, and iteratively focusing, while widening the depth of focus, when the focusing ... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7177093 | Afocal zoom system The invention is directed to an afocal zoom system, particularly for use in microscopes, comprising at least four optical assemblies, two of which assemblies are movable relative to one another and to the rest of the assemblies for the purpose of changing the magnif... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7173661 | Image-capturing device and camera An image-capturing device includes a photographic optical system; an image-capturing element provided rearward of the photographic optical system along an optical axis of the photographic optical system, which captures an image of a subject by receiving a light flux... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7170692 | Mechanical cam type zoom lens device A mechanical cam type zoom lens device includes a movement position detector detecting movement positions of focus and zoom lenses moved by respective drivers, a reference compensation value calculating unit setting a plurality of zooming positions for a zoom lens w... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7158316 | Suspension apparatus for auto-focus lens device and a method for fabricating the same A suspension apparatus comprises a lens holder, a suspension spring and a supporting base. The supporting base is formed with an opening for accommodating the lens holder. The lens holder is for positioning a lens unit. The suspension spring is manufactured by stamp... | 01/02/2007 |
