Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Optical

Akihiko Hashimoto

Yoshihisa Maitani

Tamotsu Koiwai

Toshihiro Kitahara

Masahiro Kitagawa

Muneaki Yoshida

Kunio Shimoyama

Takao Rokutan

Hiroshi Hashi

Toyohiko Kimura

Isao Kondo

Hitoshi Shirai

Fuzio Enomoto

Tatsuya Suzuki

Shinya Takahashi

Yukio Nakajima

Hiroshi Miyajima

Masatoshi Ida

Tadashi Kimura

Yoichi Yoshida

Kazutoshi Shiratori

Atsushi Kidawara

Hiroshi Akitake

Akira Katoh

Fujio Enomoto

Hirotsugu Nakazawa

Hiroyuki Hagita

Satoru Kato

Koji Maruyama

Makoto Oishi

Kouichi Shijima

An apparatus for reading and writing a data signal from and on an optical card including an optical head having a semiconductor laser for emitting a writing light beam, a light emitting diode for emitting a reading light beam, a first object lens for projecting the reading light spots onto the optical card, a second objective lens for projecting the reading light beam reflected by the optical beam onto a photodetector and a half mirror arranged in an optical axis of the second objective lens, a driving mechanism for moving the optical card in it lengthwise direction, and a focusing control mechanism for moving the optical head in a direction normal to the surface of the optical card.

Data reading and/or writing apparatus of type using optical card

An apparatus for reading information out of an optical record medium including a semiconductor laser diode for emitting a laser beam, a collimator lens, a beam splitter, an objective lens, converging lens and a photodetector. The laser beam emitted from the laser diode is made incident upon the optical record medium via the collimator lens, beam splitter and objective lens, and a light flux reflected by the optical record medium is made incident upon the photodetector via the objective lens, beam splitter and converging lens. The laser diode and collimator lens are arranged such that the laser beam is projected upon the optical record medium in a de-focused condition, while the objective lens is in-focused on the optical record medium.

Optical record medium reading apparatus having a de-focussed light beam

A driving apparatus for moving reciprocally a rectangular optical card in a longitudinal direction thereof, including two sets of three edge guide rollers each arranged along respective side edges of the optical card and separated from each other by a distance substantially equal to half of the longitudinal distance of the optical card, two sets of three periphery guide rollers each arranged along respective upper peripheries of the optical card and separated from each other by a distance substantialy equal to half of the longitudinal distance of the optical card, and driving rollers each arranged underneath the respective middle periphery guide rollers. The driving rollers are resiliently urged against the lower surface of the optical card and a shaft to which the driving rollers are secured and a motor connected to the shaft via gears are arranged movably up and down in conjunction with each other.

Apparatus for driving card-like record medium

In an optical card having a card substrate on which binary data are recorded by a portion having high reflectivity and a portion having low reflectivity, a background portion is formed by a material having low reflectivity. Therefore, even if a positional relation between a light receiving region of a light receiving element and a bit portion is varied, the data can be accurately read out. Further, since the background portion can be formed by the printing method or the photo developing method and can be used for the other of binary data, the optical card can be manufactured in an inexpensive manner without generating a skew.

Optical card

The invention relates to a method of recording a data signal on an optical card having a photosensitive layer applied on a metal layer. A number of light beams are emitted from a number of light sources such as semiconductor laser diodes and thin film electroluminescent elements, each light source being selectively driven in accordance with the data signal to be recorded. The light beams are simultaneously made incident upon the photosensitive layer via a projection optical system such as optical fibers and lenses, while the optical card is moved in a longitudinal direction of the optical card. The recording light beams are aligned in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing optical card

An optical card for storing a data signal as optically readable pits including a plurality of track units, each track unit being composed of a single control track having an array of square control blocks extending in first direction, and a plurality of data tracks disposed on respective sides of the control track. The control and data tracks are aligned in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Data signals forming a single byte are recorded over a plurality of data tracks at positions which are aligned in the second direction. The control blocks in the control track are arranged such that focusing error, tracking error and clock pulses can be detected by processing signals obtained by optically scanning the control blocks.

Optical card for data storage for use in a data recording and retrieving

An apparatus for reading and writing a data signal from and on an optical card including an optical head having a semiconductor laser for emitting a writing light beam, a light emitting diode for emitting a reading light beam, a first object lens for projecting the reading light spots onto the optical card, a second objective lens for projecting the reading light beam reflected by the optical beam onto a photodetector and a half mirror arranged in an optical axis of the second objecive lens, the first and second objective lens having inclined optical axes with respect to a surface of the optical card, a driving mechanism for feeding the optical card in its lengthwise direction, and a focusing control mechanism for moving the optical head in a direction normal to the surface of the optical card. The photodetector includes first and second detectors which are arranged to receive equally an image of a part of the optical card illuminated by the reading light beam only in a focused condition. By deriving a difference between the first and second detectors there is produced a focusing error in response to which the focusing control mechanism is driven to correct the focusing error.

Data reading and/or writing apparatus for use with an optical card

An exposure control device for an electronic photographing apparatus comprises a gate circuit, which can transfer a transfer gate driving signal to a transfer gate in synchronism to the horizontal vertical synchronization control of said solid state image sensor, and a shutter driving circuit, which can operate a shutter in synchronism with a transfer gate driving signal first generated after the appearance of a shutter release signal. While the shutter is open, the gate circuit inhibits the transfer gate driving signal.

Exposure control device for electronic photographing apparatus

A zoom lens assembly with an auto-focus function includes first and second lens groups, and a control device for causing a drive mechanism to rotate a distance-presetting ring which moves one of the lens groups, to adjust a focus in accordance with a signal sent from a light-receiving element for indicating the focused state of a foreground object. A line pattern substrate is arranged to move with the distance-presetting ring. A change in the focal length caused by the rotation of a zoom ring is sensed by a substrate detecting element which informs the control device of that extent to which the distance-presetting ring is to be rotated in order to assure a proper focus notwithstanding the changed focal length. The corrective rotation of the distance-presetting ring is detected by movement of the line pattern substrate relative to the detecting element. The light-receiving element is supplied with a beam of light reflected from the foreground object through the first and second groups of lenses.

Auto-focus zoom lens assembly

An exposure control device for camera includes a detector for detecting the opening of a sector shutter. By detecting an actual opening of the sector shutter, an amount of incremental exposure is calculated based on the opening and the corresponding time interval. Such amount is accumulated to provide an accumulated value. An amount of proper exposure is determined on the basis of photographing information including the brightness of an object being photographed and a film speed. The sector shutter is controlled in accordance with the accumulated value and the amount of proper exposure.

Exposure control device for camera

A focal-plane shutter comprises first leading and trailing cylinders rotatably disposed on the winding side and fitted with leading and trailing screens, respectively, second leading and trailing cylinders rotatably disposed on the charge side and fitted with the leading and trailing screens, respectively, gears for rotating the first leading and trailing cylinders so that the first leading and trailing cylinders are wound with the leading and trailing screens, respectively, and charge springs for rotating the second leading and trailing cylinders at shutter release so that the second leading and trailing cylinders are wound with the leading and trailing screens, respectively. The first and second leading cylinders are substantially coaxial with said first and second trailing cylinders, respectively.

Focal-plane shutter

A lens shutter camera includes a distance adjusting mechanism which is operated by the rotation of a single ring in one direction as it is driven by a drive source such as a motor. A distance adjustment is performed by a movement of a movable taking lens barrel in the direction of an optical axis thereof. Rotation of the ring in the other direction operates a lens shutter mechanism to open the shutter blades. A shutter closing spring is charged by a shutter controlling electromagnet, and is enabled to close the shutter blades.

Lens shutter camera

An automatic focusing apparatus for a camera comprises a first focusing optical system with a half mirror transmitting light from a subject, a second focusing optical system with a mirror to lead another light from the subject to the half mirror and a single focusing element for receiving said different lights thereby focusing detection.

Automatic focusing apparatus for cameras

A lens shutter mechanism for camera includes a shutter opening/closing lever which opens or closes a shutter blade or blades. The lever is pivotally mounted on a movable shaft which is fixedly mounted on a shutter close lever. At the same time as an electromagnet, which is used to maintain the shutter open, is deenergized, the shutter close lever is operated to cause the shutter opening/closing lever to close the shutter blade or blades.

Lens shutter mechanism for camera

A triaxial focal plane shutter includes a second blind winding drum which is rotatably supported by a pair of support members disposed above and below it. A first blind winding shaft extends through the second blind winding drum and the pair of support members, and fixedly carries a pair of first blind winding pulleys on its upper and lower ends, thereby allowing an independent rotation of the second blind winding drum and the first blind winding pulleys.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Akihiko Hashimoto