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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8121471 | Focusing system for motion picture camera A camera focusing system employs left and right video cameras flanking a principal photographic camera. The video cameras are coupled to respective video monitors, each of which has a vertical cursor line superimposed in the middle of the screen representing 90°. A... | 02/21/2012 |
| 7945153 | Focus adjustment mechanism and photo device having the same A focus adjustment mechanism is used for a photo device for adjusting a focus of a lens assembly of the photo device. The focus adjustment mechanism comprises a focus adjustment button connected to a casing of the photo device and comprising a contact portion, and a... | 05/17/2011 |
| 7636519 | Lens control system In a lens control system, a temporary target position is obtained such that the turning operation is not limited to a value within the movable range of the movable lens in correspondence with the rotational position of the operating member; a normal target position ... | 12/22/2009 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 7149421 | Image pickup apparatus and power supply control method therefor In order to be able to reduce power consumption while making possible manual operation in any scene when the photographic situation demands its use, an image pickup apparatus has a ring member arranged concentrically with the optical axis of lenses, a detecting devi... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7116502 | Optical apparatus An optical apparatus is disclosed which can control a position of a driven member with precision using a simple control algorithm. The optical apparatus includes an actuator, a driven member, a transmission mechanism for transmitting a driving force from the actuato... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7013082 | Optical apparatus and lens apparatus An optical apparatus is disclosed with which the correspondence between the movement of a movable lens and the position of an operating member can be maintained and the operability can be improved. The optical apparatus comprises a lens drive unit which drives a mov... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6937285 | Image pickup apparatus and power supply control method therefor In order to be able to reduce power consumption while making possible manual operation in any scene when the photographic situation demands its use, an image pickup apparatus has a ring member arranged concentrically with the optical axis of lenses, a detecting devi... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6831793 | Optical apparatus and image-pickup apparatus An optical apparatus capable of reducing processing burden on the controller and achieving high-speed driving and improvement of the resolution of stop positions of an optical element. The optical apparatus includes a drive unit that drives the optical element, an o... | 12/14/2004 |
| 6788888 | Optical device and image sensing system An optical device has an optical member that includes the optical device, an operating ring which can be rotated about the optical axis of the optical member and is used to drive the optical member, a switching mechanism which transmits the drive force from a motor ... | 09/07/2004 |
| 6580571 | Lens apparatus The lens apparatus permits rapid focusing by the operator demanding an autofocus start-up direction to carry out AF in the direction in an AF mode. When a start of the AF mode is instructed, an AF standby state of waiting for the operator to demand the AF... | 06/17/2003 |
| 6564012 | Photographic camera having lens movement control with pivotable grip surfaces and adjacent shutter release A camera has a main module and a lens movement control. The lens movement control has opposed front and rear grip surfaces that are disposed adjacent respective front and rear faces of the main module. The grip surfaces are pivotable relative to the main ... | 05/13/2003 |
| 6456796 | Manual and electric motor operated apparatus for lens barrels The present invention provides a lens barrel apparatus dispensing with deliberate switching between manual and automatic operation modes and permitting quick adjustment of conditions regarding the object. In this apparatus, a gear moving plate of a clutch... | 09/24/2002 |
| 6349173 | Camera with motor-driven lens barrel A camera has a movable lens barrel that is stowed in a camera body while the camera is inactive, and is protruded from the camera body to a near range focusing position or a far range focusing position by rotating a drive ring in one direction. The movabl... | 02/19/2002 |
| 6301441 | Lens driving device A lens driving device for driving a focusing lens of a photographing lens for a camera is provided with a focusing ring that is rotated to move the focusing lens, an AF motor and an MF (manual focusing) ring. Each of the AF motor and the MF ring is connec... | 10/09/2001 |
| 6208809 | Camera with motor-driven lens barrel A camera has a movable lens barrel that is stowed in a camera body while the camera is inactive, and is protruded from the camera body to a near range focusing position or a far range focusing position by rotating a drive ring in one direction. The movabl... | 03/27/2001 |
| 6148151 | Control system for an objective of a camera A control system for an objective of the camera, in particular a film camera, includes one or several drive units for automatically positioning at least one lens ring, e.g., for adjusting the focus position, the opening of the iris diaphragm and/or the fo... | 11/14/2000 |
| 5940633 | Lens barrel A lens barrel includes an optical lens having an optical axis, an operation ring substantially cylindrical and operable about the optical axis to move the optical lens along the optical axis thereof, and a slidable contact member slidably in contact with ... | 08/17/1999 |
| 5918078 | Lens driving device A lens driving device is disclosed, whereby it is made unnecessary for a user side to determine focusing when focusing is to be performed by an operation ring in a manual preference automatic focusing mode. The lens driving device includes an operation ri... | 06/29/1999 |
| 5895130 | Auto-focus camera An auto-focus camera performs a focusing and a photometry when a shutter button is half depressed in an auto-focus mode. In this case, when an MF button is depressed, a result value of the focusing is held as long as the MF button is depressed even if the... | 04/20/1999 |
| 5893651 | Camera system and camera lens control unit In order to connect a stepping motor driven type camera unit to a camera control unit intended for a DC motor driven type camera apparatus, a camera system includes a lens block provided with a stepping motor for adjusting lens operation, an A/D conversio... | 04/13/1999 |
| 5884107 | Lens controller A signal determining circuit determines the voltage of a control signal which is output according to a rotational angle of a thumb ring. When the determined voltage of the control signal is lower than a predetermined cutoff voltage, an armature of a switc... | 03/16/1999 |
| 5832318 | Movable optical member control device in optical apparatus having a control means and a conversion means A driving device includes a movable object, a driving part for moving the object, a manual operation member, a pulse generator for generating a plurality of pulses successively according to an operation of the operation member with pulse intervals varying... | 11/03/1998 |
| 5819122 | Camera When CPU 2 is in the standby state, switch S4 is turned OFF such that switch S1 is not connected to condenser C1 and the signals from switch S1 are pulled up by means of resistor R2. When CPU 2 becomes activated through the detection of a change in the st... | 10/06/1998 |
| 5678074 | Power focus device for a camera A power focus device for a camera provides a user-friendly lever interface allowing efficient camera operation. A lever, located outside a camera cover, is movable in two opposing directions but is biased to remain at a neutral position between two extrem... | 10/14/1997 |
| 5654757 | Focusing apparatus for video camera or the like A focusing apparatus for video camera or the like in which a change-over between automatic focusing and manual focusing is possible comprises an endlessly rotatable and hand-worked manipulator, a detector for detecting the direction and amount of manipula... | 08/05/1997 |
| 5400109 | Power-driven focusing apparatus A photographing apparatus for electrically detecting manipulation of a manually manipulated member and driving a photographing lens into an in-focus state by driving a motor in accordance with the manipulation comprises a continuous drive device for drivi... | 03/21/1995 |
| 5278598 | Camera with non-TTL type finder A camera with a non-TTL type finder may avoid a mechanical complexity, may be produced with a gentler standard in dimensional accuracy than conventional cameras of such a type, and may lower consumption of a power battery. A finder focusing dial is manual... | 01/11/1994 |
| 5109245 | Electric focusing device A camera comprises an operation member, a picture-taking lens, a drive for driving the picture-taking lens so as to focus the picture-taking lens, an information output for outputting stop value information of the picture-taking lens and a control for con... | 04/28/1992 |
| 4896179 | Lens drive apparatus for camera A lens drive apparatus includes a manual operating member. A pulse generator produces pulses as the operating member is moved. Based on a phase shift between the pulses, the speed with which and the direction in which the operating member is moved are det... | 01/23/1990 |
| 4851869 | Lens driving apparatus A power focusing apparatus, while a rotary operating member is rotated calculates a motor driving speed in accordance with a rotating speed of the operating member or calculates an amount of driving the motor in accordance with a speed and an amount of ro... | 07/25/1989 |
| 4843415 | Automatic focus detection system An automatic focus detection system for use in a camera system comprises focus detecting unit having one light receiving element corresponding to, in an objective field, a focus detection area whose center is deviated from the optical axis of the objectiv... | 06/27/1989 |
| 4835561 | Focus detecting device for camera A focus detecting device which is capable of focus detection under both passive and active type of autofocussing modes. The device has a light projecting element which projects light at specific wavelengths in a boundary region between visible light and i... | 05/30/1989 |
| 4801963 | Focus detecting system A focus detecting system having a focus detecting apparatus for performing focus detection based on the output signal from a photo-sensing device, and a pattern projector for projecting a pattern onto an object, wherein the aforesaid pattern is so arrange... | 01/31/1989 |
| 4796044 | Auto-focus camera An apparatus emitting a radiation, scanning the emitted radiation and driving a photo-taking lens to the in-focus position in accordance with the outputs of a plurality of light-receiving elements for receiving the radiation reflected by the object field ... | 01/03/1989 |
| 4782356 | Automatic focusing apparatus An automatic focusing apparatus configured such that a projected light from a light emitting element is reflected on an object and the reflection light is passed through a flat plate so as to be received by a light receiving element. The position where th... | 11/01/1988 |
| 4768053 | Distance measuring apparatus A distance measuring apparatus of the present invention converges the reflected light on objects through a converging lens and detects the light by a multi-divisional photodiode. The multi-divisional photodiode comprises a plural number of light receiving... | 08/30/1988 |
| 4743932 | Focus detection device for a camera A focus detection system for a camera, especially for a single lens reflex camera, is disclosed. The focus detection system comprises a light projection means for illuminating an object at the active AF and means for switching positions and/or sizes of ir... | 05/10/1988 |
| 4288151 | Power source switch for use in camera circuit to detect a focused condition The present invention relates to a power source used in a camera having a circuit for detecting a focused condition determining the distance at which the focused condition is established. The invention is particularly suited; for preventing careless openi... | 09/08/1981 |