Nikon Corporation

Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Akira Ezawa

Koichi Daitoku

Tsutomu Wakabayashi

Kazuyuki Kazami

Tetsuro Goto

Hideya Inoue

Naoki Tomino

Akira Yamamoto

Norikazu Yokonuma

Hirotake Nozaki

Takayuki Uchiyama

Toshio Sosa

Kimio Uematsu

Tomoaki Kawamura

Keiji Osawa

Yousuke Kowno

Katsumasa Nishijima

Tomoyuki Takada

Kazuto Ohtsuka

Toshihiro Sato

Hiroshi Wakabayashi

Masaaki Yanagisawa

Hidehiro Ogawa

Keiji Ohsawa

Shinichi Tsukada

Yoshio Matsuzawa

Masaru Shida

Kei Ikeda

Kazuto Otsuka

Kazyuki Kazami

An image-capturing element that receives light of a subject image entering within a camera body through an interchangeable photographic lens is packaged and is mounted at the camera body via a holder. A camera-side mounting surface and a holder-side mounting surface are machined in advance and formed respectively relative to the mounting surface for the photographic lens formed at the camera body and the light-receiving surface of the image-capturing element. By mounting the image-capturing apparatus with the camera-side mounting surface and the holder-side mounting surface placed in contact with each other at the camera body using screws, the light-receiving surface is aligned with the image-forming position of the photographic lens.

Image-capturing apparatus, electronic still camera, method and apparatus for processing mounting surface of image-capturing apparatus and metal member contact structure

An electronic camera displays recorded information, such as image frames, to permit the selection of items of information to be transferred to external equipment. Each time an item of information is transferred, an informative indication (e.g., an icon) is displayed in association with the transferred item to confirm the transfer and to permit an operator to select items of recorded information that may be erased. If an error occurs during transfer of a series of items, the operator can determine from the display the point at which the error occurred, avoiding the need for transferring items that have already been transferred.

Electronic camera apparatus and method in which data are recorded, transferred, and erased

By using a focal plane shutter having one set of shutter blades as a shielding member of an image pick-up element, it is possible to miniaturize the shutter compared to a focal plane shutter having two sets of blades. This enables the operation to be simplified, and also saves space. Furthermore, in an electronic camera having this focal plane shutter, because the shooting lens side of the image pick-up element that is disposed in the main camera body can be disposed protruding into the shutter unit, the length of the main camera body in the direction of the optical path of the shooting lens can be reduced, and it is possible to form the main camera body small compared to a conventional main camera body.

Electronic camera having an image pick-up unit opposing a shutter unit

An electronic camera includes: an image-capturing device that stores a signal electrical charge achieved by performing photoelectric conversion on a subject image projected on a photosensitive surface and reads out the signal electrical charge to generate an image signal; and a photographing preparation device that executes photographing preparations for photoelectric conversion performed at the image-capturing device. And the photographic preparation device executes at least some of the photographing preparations for photographing a next frame during an electrical charge read period at the image-capturing device.

Electronic camera achieving higher frame speed

Electronic camera and method of operating an electronic camera

A film feeding device for a camera uses first and second electric motors associated with first and second planetary gearing mechanisms, respectively. In one embodiment, the first motor and first planetary gearing mechanism drive a spool shaft of a film cartridge to supply film to a winding spool. The winding spool is driven by the second motor and second planetary gearing mechanism to wind film onto the winding spool, at which time the first motor is stopped and the first planetary gearing mechanism is automatically disconnected from the spool shaft. For rewinding, the second motor is operated in reverse and the second planetary gearing mechanism is automatically disconnected from the winding spool and connected to the spool shaft of the film cartridge. In a second embodiment, the first motor and the first planetary gearing mechanism are employed to drive the spool shaft of the film cartridge in a film supply direction or a film rewind direction, and the second motor and the second planetary gearing mechanism are only used to drive the winding spool in a film winding direction.

Film feeding device for camera

The film forwarding device of the present invention includes: a take up spool which takes up a film upon a circumferential outer surface of the take up spool, the film having, upon a leading end of the film, a projecting portion a normal line to which is substantially parallel to a direction of forwarding of the film, and a sloping portion, connected to the projecting portion, which slopes with respect to a transverse direction perpendicular to the direction of forwarding the film; a pressure member which presses the film against the circumferential outer surface of the take up spool; and an advancing mechanism which pushes out the film from a film cartridge and advances the film at least until taking up of the film by the take up spool has started, wherein the pressure member is located so as to initially come into contact with the projecting portion of the leading end of the film, when the taking up of the film by the take up spool starts.

Film forwarding device

Multi-motor film feeding device with planetary gearing

A film supply device that accurately stops the film in a short length of time at a predetermined position even when using increased film supply speed. A film supply device includes a motor and a transfer mechanism. The transfer mechanism has an input gear rotated by the motor and that transfers the input gear rotation to a winding shaft for the film. The film supply device further includes a revolution preventing mechanism and a planetary clutch mechanism having a sun gear and a planetary gear. The sun gear is rotated by the motor. The planetary gear revolves about the sun gear and is rotated by the sun gear. The planetary gear enmeshes with the input gear and revolves in a connected direction when the sun gear rotates in a first direction. The planetary gear is separate from the input gear and revolves in a release direction when the sun gear rotates in a second direction. The revolution preventing mechanism prevents revolution of the planetary gear in the release direction when the sun gear decelerates in a first direction and the input gear is driven by the planetary gear.

Film supplying device and method

A one-way clutch includes a first engagement element of a rotation transmitting element that is attached to a rotatable drive member. The first engagement element is forced toward a second engagement element that is attached to near the center or to the radially inner perimeter of an annular outer edge of a driven member. When the drive member rotates in one direction, the first and second engagement elements connect and the rotation of the rotatable drive member is transmitted to the rotatable driven member. The rotation transmitting element is connected to the drive member in a manner that allows it to rotate freely and so that the first engagement element may separate from or connect to the second engagement element. The rotation transmitting element is designed with its center of gravity located so that the rotation transmitting element will, through the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the rotatable drive member, pivot in the direction that will cause the first and second engagement elements to engage only upon rotation of the rotatable drive member in the one direction.

One-way clutch

An information recording/reproduction apparatus for a camera includes a magnetic reading unit which can contact a magnetic recording medium arranged in advance on a film, and a drive control unit for, when the magnetic reading unit reaches a predetermined position with respect to the film, bringing the magnetic reading unit into contact with the magnetic recording medium.

Information recording/reproduction apparatus for camera

A film feeding apparatus in a camera comprises a feeding device for feeding film from a film cartridge, a take-up spool device for taking up the film fed by the feeding device, and a judgment device for judging on the basis of a variation in the movement speed of the film whether the film has been taken up by the take-up spool. The movement speed of the film is determined by the feeding device before the film extending from the film cartridge is taken up by the take-up spool device, and the movement speed of the film is determined by the take-up spool device after the film has been taken up by the take-up spool device. The movement speed of the film driven by the feeding device differs from the movement speed of the film driven by the take-up spool device.

Film feeding apparatus in a camera

A film guide mechanism of a camera has two opposite film guide surfaces which are substantially parallel and which define a film passage between a film cartridge chamber and a film take-up spool. Rotation of a spool shaft of a film cartridge delivers film, which has been wound around the spool shaft, through a delivery port of the film cartridge and into the film passage. At least one inclined plane formed between the delivery port and the film passage guides a leading edge of the film from the delivery port to the film passage.

Film guide mechanism of camera

A load driving system uses two gear trains with different characteristics. The load driving system includes a motor, a first pinion gear which is installed on the output shaft of the motor, a first gear train transmitting the rotation from the first pinion gear to a load, a second pinion gear separate from the first pinion gear which is also mounted on the motor output shaft, a second gear train having different characteristics from the first gear train and transmitting the rotation from the second pinion gear to the load, a connector for connecting the first gear train to the load while separating the second gear train from the load and for connecting the second gear train to the load while separating the first gear train from the load, and a controller for selecting one of the first and second gear trains based on a battery discharge level. The first and second gear trains are selected by selecting a rotational direction of the motor.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Akira Ezawa