Nikon Corporation

Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Daiki Tsukahara

Hiroshi Wakabayashi

Hideya Inoue

Hitoshi Aoki

Hidenori Miyamoto

Noriyasu Kotani

Kiyosada Machida

Yuji Katano

Yoshio Imura

Kazuyuki Kazami

Toshiyuki Nakamura

Minoru Kato

Hiroshi Terunuma

Tomoaki Kawamura

Noboru Akami

Hidenobu Kaji

Tadashi Ohtani

Akira Katayama

Tsugio Takahashi

Yoshikazu Iida

Nobuya Kawahata

Hiroyuki Tsuru

Jun Nagai

Masaru Muramatsu

Koichi Daitoku

Tatsuo Amanuma

Yoshiaki Ohtsubo

Akio Nishizawa

Tadashi Otani

Riichi Higaki

Norikazu Yokonuma

Isao Soshi

Hiroshi Sakamoto

Junichi Omi

Toshio Sosa

Shigemasa Sato

Youichi Yamazaki

Hidefumi Ota

Keishi Urata

Yoshihiro Takeuchi

Shuji Iijima

Hachiro Kanai

Yukikazu Iwane

Seijiro Noda

Jun Matsushima

Junici Omi

Mitsuru Higuchi

A portable electronic device includes a display component and a device aperture component which are mounted on separate segments of the electronic device. Each segment can be rotated with respect to the other, thus permitting a user to photograph an object while adjusting the display to a desired viewing condition.

Portable device

The invention provides improved operability for portable electronic devices. A portable electronic device includes a display component and a device aperture component which are mounted on separate segments of the electronic device. Each segment can be rotated with respect to the other, thus permitting a user to photograph an object while adjusting the display to a desired viewing condition.

Electronic camera having rotatably coupled first and second body sections

A display apparatus in a camera for displaying photographic information using rotating elements. The display apparatus includes rotating pointers which rotate about display scales to display the photographic information. The display apparatus further includes a control unit which receives camera control information and in response to the control information, the control unit controls driving circuitry which causes the rotating display pointer to point to an index on the display scale representing the photographic information.

Camera display apparatus having rotating elements to indicate information

An electronic camera includes: a substantially rectangular parallelepiped image-capturing unit main body provided with an image-capturing device for generating an image signal by capturing an optical image formed by a photographic lens unit; a substantially rectangular parallelepiped display unit main body provided with an external display device for displaying an image based upon the image signal generated by the image-capturing device; and a linking portion that links the image-capturing unit main body and the display unit main body in a manner that the image-capturing unit main body and the display unit main body can rotate relative to each other. And, at the display unit main body, a shutter release button is provided and a grip portion is provided near an end surface furthest away from the image-capturing unit main body; and at the image-capturing unit main body, an optical viewfinder unit is provided beside the photographic lens unit.

Electronic camera

Portable display device

When displaying operational settings and measurements on a pointer type display device, the starting position of the needles is automatically adjusted even when there are battery exchange and needle drive process errors. The display device may be used to display physical quantities using pointers which move above scale plates. Even though the displays may be changed by electric supply loading, battery exchange or a fall in electric supply voltage, the display can be automatically corrected. A memory stores the movement destination position of the pointers, and instructions are generated by a controller which calculates the movement destinations of the pointers after the electrical supply voltage is stabilized properly. The instructions which control operation of a driver for the pointers preferably use a combination of movement to predefined positions and incremental movement. This minimizes the number of instructions when moving automatically, while enabling the pointers to follow movement of operator controls.

Rotary pointer display device

An electronic device has a plurality of prestored limit times that define a time period of non-use, after which the electronic device will enter an energy-saving state. A different one of the plurality of limit times can be selected for different operating modes of the electronic device. Thus, when the electronic device is switched between different modes, different limit times, which define the duration of the non-use period prior to entering the energy-saving state, will take effect. Additionally or alternatively, a different one of the plurality of limit times can be selected for different geographical conditions. Thus, when the electronic device is being used in a first geographical condition, for example, a place where batteries are readily available and inexpensive, the limit time is increased in order to improve the operability of the electronic device. Conversely, when the electronic device is used in a geographical condition where batteries are expensive and/or difficult to find, the limit time is decreased so as to conserve battery power. According to one embodiment, the invention is applied to an electronic camera to set different limit times for shutting off an LCD of the camera.

Energy saving electronic device

A control device for use with a view finder optical system of a view finder camera having a variable focal length photographic optical system. The control device includes a view finder having a view finder optical system with a variably set view finder focal length that is set based on the focal length of the photographic optical system, a view finder angle of view detection unit that detects a view finder angle of view in accordance with a position of the view finder optical system and that outputs a first signal, a photographic optical system angle of view detection unit that detects a photographic optical system angle of view in accordance with the position of the photographic optical system and that outputs a second signal, and a view finder drive unit that receives the first and second signals and moves the view finder optical system so that the view finder angle of view and the photographic optical system angle of view correspond. Also provided is an imaging unit that includes a variable focal length view finder optical system, a variable focal length imaging optical system and a control unit that determines a focal length of the variable focal length imaging optical system and that causes the variable focal length view finder optical system to maintain a focal length that corresponds to the focal length of the imaging optical system. Finally, a method for adjusting a view field of a view finder is provided and involves determining the focal length of a variable focal length photographic optical system and adjusting the focal length of a variable focal length view finder optical system in accordance therewith.

Control device for a view finder optical system of a view finder camera

A camera capable of operating in a red-eye prevention mode. The camera has an electronic flash device which is activated by a drive circuit in synchronization with the exposure. The electronic flash device also serve as a pre-light-emission device capable of performing pre-light-emission for the purpose of preventing red-eye effect. When it is judged from the photographing condition that red-eye effect may occur, a controller activates the electronic flash device to effect a pre-light-emission for reducing the size of pupils of eyes of a person to be photographed, before the main flashing which is executed in synchronization with the exposure.

Control device for preventing red-eye effect on camera

The display apparatus according to the present invention includes a display device which has a rotating indicator pointer and which displays information by rotationally driving the indicator pointer, an operating device which is capable of being operated in two manners for rotating the indicator pointer, and a drive control device which rotationally drives the rotating indicator pointer in the same rotational direction, whichever be the one of the two manners in which the operating device is operated.

Rotating indicator pointer type display apparatus

A camera having a multiple speed film driving mechanism that can accurately read film data on a film cartridge. The camera has a motor that drives a spool axis of the film cartridge, and a reading device that can read film data stored on a recording medium on the film cartridge. When the film cartridge is loaded into the camera, the reading device reads film data on the recording medium that is rotated together with the spool axis at a first speed. When film data reading is finished, the spool axis is rotated at a second speed to feed the film into the camera. A motor drive control circuit and CPU controls spool axis rotation at multiple speeds and directions.

Camera having multiple speed film drive

A device (e.g., a camera) loaded with a film unit operates to detect a characteristic of the film unit, such as the state of an information part of the film unit. The detection result is used as a basis to control the performance of a further operation, such as a phototaking operation or a state-setting operation for the information part.

Operation method of device loaded with a film unit

A camera control device is provided with a determination device for dividing the image frame into plural areas including a central area and determining the object distance in each of the areas; a focal length detecting device for detecting the focal length of a phototaking lens; an eye-gaze direction detecting device for detecting the position of the eye-gaze of the user, corresponding to one of the areas of the image frame, thereby specifying the area desired by the user; a phototaking magnification calculating device for calculating the phototaking magnification in each of the areas, based on the output of the focal length detecting device and that of the determination device; and an area selecting device for selecting either the central area in case the phototaking magnification in the central area, calculated by the above-mentioned calculating device exceeds a predetermined value, or an area specified by the eye-gaze direction detecting device in case the above-mentioned predetermined value is not exceeded.

Camera control device

A camera adapted to receive a film cartridge having a recording member on which is recorded information relating to a total number of available frames in a film is provided. This camera includes an information detector that detects the information relating to the total number of available frames that is recorded on the recording member, a display unit that displays the information relating to the total number of available frames, an abnormality judging unit that determines whether any abnormality is present in the information relating to the total number of available frames that is detected by the information detector, and a display controller that controls a display of the display unit according to a result of judgement made by the abnormality judging unit.

Camera capable of displaying information relating to the number of

A detecting apparatus which includes a balancer which generates a moment of rotation around an axis; and a pressure sensing sheet which contacts at one or more contact points with the balancer and outputs a pressure signal corresponding to a force acting on the contact point and depends on the moment of rotation. An attitude detecting apparatus and a detecting apparatus for difference of attitude each of which includes, the detecting apparatus; and an arithmetic circuit which receives a pressure signal at predefined time intervals in order and processes a calculation.

Detecting apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Hiratsuka, Japan

Daiki Tsukahara