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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7764879 | Control apparatus and imaging apparatus A control apparatus configured to control a control target in response to an operation by a user includes a first operation member configured to control the control target at a speed corresponding to an operation amount given by a user per unit time, a second operat... | 07/27/2010 |
| 7643745 | Electronic device with auxiliary camera function An electronic device includes circuitry for carrying out an operation unrelated to camera operation, and camera circuitry for carrying out a camera related operation, the camera circuitry including circuitry for providing autofocus control. The electronic device fur... | 01/05/2010 |
| 7522829 | Camera system A camera system including an imaging optical system including a focus lens, a driving device which drives the focus lens, a moving speed command value input device which inputs a moving speed command value of the focus lens, a wobble amount calculating device which ... | 04/21/2009 |
| 7505679 | Image-taking apparatus The present invention provides an image-taking apparatus whose CPU causes a display section to display recommended shooting modes according to a time frame on a liquid crystal monitor. The apparatus allows a user to readily select one, which is suitable for the scen... | 03/17/2009 |
| 7444074 | Autofocus lens apparatus and camera system with the same An autofocus lens apparatus is disclosed which is capable of changing a focus target area in position and size without degrading the operability of manual focusing when taking images with an autofocus function. The autofocus lens apparatus comprises an operating mem... | 10/28/2008 |
| 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 |
| 7355634 | Moving image pickup apparatus carrying out automatic focus adjustment and still image recording method therefor A moving image pickup apparatus which is capable of attaining both enhanced focusing accuracy and increased chances of snapshooting. A predetermined time period is determined according to a designated image pickup period. Responsive to designation of still image rec... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7280148 | Optical control system The optical control system includes a control unit and an optical apparatus. The control unit includes an output switching section. The output switching section is switchable between a first state, in which the command signal from a command signal generation section... | 10/09/2007 |
| 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 |
| 7202898 | Self gating photosurface A semiconductor surface is provided comprising a plurality of light sensitive pixels wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels comprises an electronic circuit formed on or in the semiconductor surface, the circuit comprising: a photosensor that generates a signa... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7142780 | Camera system and lens barrel A camera system comprises a camera body; a lens barrel having a photographing optical system, which can be mounted at the camera body; a shutter release switch disposed at the camera body and operated to start a shutter release operation; and a first operating switc... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7099576 | Lens barrel incorporating a one-way rotational transfer mechanism A lens barrel includes a distance adjustment ring for moving a movable lens group; a hand-operated ring and a motor for rotating the distance adjustment ring; a one-way rotational transfer mechanism which transfers torque of the hand-operated ring to the distance ad... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7071976 | Image sensing apparatus and control method therefor When the image sensing apparatus is turning on, whether or not a manual image sensing mode was set when the image sensing apparatus was last shut down is determined. If the manual image sensing mode was set, image sensing conditions stored in memory when last shutti... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7071985 | Optical device and method for selecting object of focus A camera capable of automatically detecting a main object in a sensed image. A distance distribution generation unit discriminates a plurality of areas in the sensed image on the basis of a predetermined condition, and a main object area determination unit automatic... | 07/04/2006 |
| 6977687 | Apparatus and method for controlling a focus position for a digital still camera An apparatus for controlling a focus position for a digital still camera allows a user to take a picture with a certain focused position by moving a focus to a desirable position of the subject. The apparatus comprises a display unit for displaying an image correspo... | 12/20/2005 |
| 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 |
| 6853502 | Lens system In a lens system, an auto-focus (AF) mode switch for selecting an AF mode is provided at a focus demand and, for example, a continuous AF mode is selected by the AF mode switch. Then, a CPU switches the continuous AF to a manual focus (MF) when an operation of the f... | 02/08/2005 |
| 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 |
| 6788890 | Switching mechanism of a lens barrel for switching between automatic and manual focusing modes A switching mechanism of a lens barrel includes a stationary barrel having a stop groove; a lens holding ring, a distance adjustment ring and an AF/MF switching ring, each positioned concentrically with the stationary barrel. The AF/MF switching ring is prevented fr... | 09/07/2004 |
| 6771899 | Camera and control method for focusing device In a camera of this invention, the first candidate point of a plurality of points in a frame is determined by a first release switch, and the second candidate point of the plurality of points which is different from the first candidate point is selected by a second ... | 08/03/2004 |
| 6757020 | Detecting/setting the on/off state of a display in a video camera with manual and automatic function It is an object of the invention to prevent a taken image which is contrary to the intention of the user, from being derived in a video camera which comprises means for disabling an operation of a video monitor for displaying a taken image, and in which an exposure ... | 06/29/2004 |
| 6748166 | Lens-barrel and camera system having the lens-barrel A lens-barrel and a camera system including the lens-barrel are in an automatic focus mode in which a focusing unit is automatically driven by an automatic focus unit, during a time when a manual operation member is not operated. When the manual operation member is ... | 06/08/2004 |
| 6714246 | Portable image pick-up apparatus and method of controlling operation thereof If a digital still camera is set for a manual focus adjustment and the luminance of a subject has a value less than a predetermined threshold value, the amplification factor of an amplifier circuit is set to a display amplification factor higher than that of the ord... | 03/30/2004 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 6349172 | Lens drive device A lens drive device that is located inside a camera main body and can drive lenses that are interchangeably mounted to the camera main body, said lens drive device having a coupler that transmits the drive force to the lenses, a drive motor that rotates a... | 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 |
| 6285511 | Manual and automatic apparatus for lens barrel The present invention is an apparatus not requiring the change of manual and automatic operations, preventing a lens from unexpectedly moving under manual operation, and making it possible to perform manual operation when a driving speed is low even under... | 09/04/2001 |
| 6144804 | Camera with visual line detection capability A camera which has a visual line detection device to detect the visual line of a photographer, and which inhibits visual line detection and automatic focus adjustment operations when these operations are unnecessary. Visual line detection may be inhibited... | 11/07/2000 |
| 6128443 | Camera and interchangeable lens A camera which performs data communication with a mounted interchangeable lens includes a command generating circuit for generating a command which is not directly related to the data communication; and a control circuit for discontinuing the data communi... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6094538 | Autofocus lens barrel A lens barrel capable of selecting an autofocus mode and a manual focus mode includes a fixed drum, a focusing lens movable in an optical axis direction, a driving motor, constructed of a rotor and a stator, for moving the focusing lens, the rotor rotatin... | 07/25/2000 |
| 5983034 | Lens barrel having a surface wave motor A lens barrel including a surface wave motor to generate surface waves to drive a photographic optical system. The surface wave motor includes a fixed member to generate surface waves to drive the moving member which drives the photographic optical system... | 11/09/1999 |
| 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 |
| 5872661 | Automatic focusing apparatus for a telephotographic system An automatic focusing apparatus for a telephotographic system includes a telephotographic system which moves a focusing lens along an optical axis to control the focus, a focus detector which detects the focus state through the telephotographic system, a ... | 02/16/1999 |
| 5765052 | Camera with plurality of camera modes and methods The operating mode contents of a camera can easily be set by the visual alignment action of the photographer and by manual operation. In a first embodiment, a camera is equipped with a visual line position detection device that detects the position of the... | 06/09/1998 |
| 5765055 | Lens-exchangeable camera In a program reset processing, a camera confirms stopping of the lens by a focus lens drive state obtaining communication. Then, a lens request obtaining communication is performed. When the lens can return to the AF mode and is in the MF mode, an "AF/MF ... | 06/09/1998 |
| 5748998 | Camera A camera comprising a mode setting portion in which either mode is set out of a first focusing mode and a second focusing mode; a mode switch; detecting means; focusing means; and focusing mode controlling means for performing such a control, after comple... | 05/05/1998 |
| 5721983 | Camera having red-eye reducing function The present invention relates to a camera having a red-eye reducing function to prevent occurrence of the so-called red-eye phenomenon by preliminarily projecting light to a subject in photo-taking with flash light. The camera of the above type is so arra... | 02/24/1998 |
