Seikosha Co., Ltd.

Seiko Precision Inc.

Kabushiki Kaisha Seikosha

Seiko Instruments Inc

Seiko Koki Kabushiki Kaisha

Seiko Precision Circuits Inc.

Hajime Oda

Masuo Ogihara

Yoichi Seki

Hiroshi Yamazaki

Nakanobu Moritani

Masanori Fujita

Toshihide Samejima

Toshiya Tamura

Takuma Takahashi

Tadashi Ishikawa

Tsuyoshi Hayakawa

Hiroaki Ishida

Hiroyuki Saito

Atsushi Takami

Toshio Matsumura

Takashi Kogo

Hiroyuki Kojima

Shoichi Sato

Yukiharu Shimizu

Akio Tajima

Hiroshi Takahashi

Hiroyuki Harada

Tadashi Nakagawa

Haruo Inoue

Yoichi Nakano

Shinichi Endo

Michio Kawai

Michio Taniwaki

Hiroshi Sudo

Tadahiko Yamaoka

Atsushi Misawa

Katsuhito Niwa

Hitoshi Ito

Keiji Arai

Kimitaka Kishimoto

Takeshi Iwasawa

Takashi Kougo

Harukazu Shimizu

Kazunori Kawashima

Takahiro Miyajima

There is disclosed a power-saving sensor system such as a distance measurement sensor making use of light projection type triangulation. The sensor system has a sensor means and a CPU for controlling the supply of electrical power to the sensor means, accepting the output from the sensor means, and performing desired processing. The CPU turns on signals P, P, Pin response to a trigger signal Tp from a timer circuit, thus supplying electrical power to a distance measurement module. A distance measurement IC within the module produces an emission signal when the operating signal Pis turned on. This activates the sensor means to perform a measurement of a distance. The presence or absence of an object is determined from the detected distance value. According to the presence or absence, a transistor Tris turned on or off. A signal indicating the distance or the presence or absence of an object is produced from a terminal T. The CPU detects the end of light projection by making use of an inversion Iri of the emission signal. Immediately thereafter, a signal Pis turned on to turn on a switch SW. The signal is accepted through a terminal Data. Immediately after the end of the acceptance, the signals P, P, P, and Pare turned off, cutting off the supply of power to the distance measurement module.

Sensor system

Display device designed to prevent surroundings from being adversely affected by noise includes an inner circuit board on which a support frame is mounted in a specific position. A liquid crystal panel is mounted on the support frame and held stationary by a frame. An EL panel for illuminating the liquid crystal panel is mounted behind the liquid crystal panel. An EL circuit board holding an EL driver circuit thereon is bonded to the bottom surface of the EL panel. A shielding plate is mounted on a top surface of the inner circuit board surrounded by the support frame, and is located opposite the EL panel. The shielding plate cuts off noise generated by the EL driver circuit. The EL panel is connected with electrodes on the EL circuit board via lead wires. An electrode on the EL circuit board and an electrode on the circuit board are connected via a contact member. Electric power and control signals are supplied via this contact member.

Display device

To prevent temporary reduction of battery voltage when driving a shutter, an exposure control drive apparatus is provided with a boosting circuit for boosting a voltage of the battery and outputting a boosted voltage. A capacitor is charged by the boosted voltage for driving an actuator of an exposure control mechanism. A detecting circuit detects a current flowing in the boosting circuit and a control circuit controls operation of the boosting circuit in accordance with a magnitude of the detected value so that the boosting circuit is prevented from boosting the battery voltage when the detected current exceeds a predetermined level and is permitted to boost the battery voltage when the detected current is below the predetermined level. In this manner, the current flowing from the battery is prevented from exceeding a maximum level.

Exposure control drive apparatus

It is possible to enhance accuracy in photometry measurements without an increase in unnecessary actual measurement data and design value data in the case where on a low ambient luminance side, an output of a first light sensor, which receives light collected from a large area, is linear and an output of a second light sensor, which receives light collected from a small area, is non-linear. The number of luminance measurement points used for performing measurement with the second light sensor is set at low ambient luminance values to be larger than the number of luminance measurement points used for performing measurements with the first light sensor. Accordingly, it is possible to enhance accuracy of photometry measurements without an increase in unnecessary actual measurement data and design value data where an output of a brightness detecting circuit based on an output of the second light sensor is non-linear and an output of a brightness detecting circuit based on an output of the first light sensor is linear.

Photometric apparatus

An object sensing apparatus comprises a distance measuring device for measuring a distance to an object to be sensed, and a filter member having a surface disposed in confronting and spaced-apart relation to the distance measuring device. The distance measuring device has a light projecting element for projecting light toward the object and a light receiving element for receiving the light projected by the light projecting element and reflected by the object. The filter member is disposed at a preselected angle of inclination with respect to the distance measuring device. When the light projecting element projects light toward the object, light reflected or scattered by the surface of the filter member is directed in a direction away from the light receiving element.

Object sensing apparatus having filter member

A low cost, low power photometric circuit suitable for use in a low end camera includes a first counter for counting successive pulses produced by a first oscillator having a substantially constant oscillation frequency and a second counter for counting successive pulses produced by a second oscillator having an oscillation frequency which varies in accordance with ambient brightness. The ambient brightness is judged according to outputs of the counters so that even if the oscillation frequency of the second oscillator varies only slightly due to a change in ambient brightness, the slight variation is easily detectable as an accumulated count value. Accordingly, costly, high-precision components are not needed. The low cost photometric circuit requires no microcomputer, analog/digital converter or comparator and can be fabricated in a single integrated circuit operated at a low voltage of 1V or less, and is thus suitable for incorporation into a low end camera.

Photometric device and camera having the photometric device

A camera shutter having a shutter aperture, shutter blades, and a driving device for driving the shutter blades to open and close the shutter aperture. The driving device includes a pair of lever members spaced apart and confronting each other across the shutter aperture, each of the lever members having a first end portion and a second end portion. A piezoelectric element is connected to and between the lever members at the first end portions thereof for undergoing elastic deformation to oscillate the lever members. An elastic member is connected to and between the lever members at the second end portions thereof for undergoing elastic displacement in response to oscillation of the lever members. A transmission member is integrally connected to a central portion of the elastic member for transmitting the displacement of the elastic member to the shutter blades to open and close the shutter aperture.

Camera shutter and driving device having piezoelectric element for use

A device for determining the measurement zone of an object which permits the adjustable setting of a plurality of measurement zones bounded by user-defined division points comprises a distance measurement apparatus for measuring a distance to an object, a specific division point setting circuit, such as a digital switch, for adjustably setting a specific distance point within the effective measurement range of the distance measurement apparatus, a circuit for adjustably setting one or more predetermined division points on at least one of the near side and the far side of the specific distance point, such that the specific distance point and the at least one predetermined division point define a plurality of measurement zones within the effective measurement range of the distance measurement apparatus, and a judgment circuit for judging which of the plurality of measurement zones a distance measurement result of the distance measurement apparatus belongs to. A measurement zone having a fixed width can be set by the setting circuit and the distance setting of division points can be performed by merely placing an object at an easily measurable point and pressing a switch. The division points can be set with very few manual operations. Also, a timer may be included to permit setting of the division point on the far side even when only one operator is present.

Device for determining a distance range of an object

A distance measurement device is provided which determines the measurement zone of an object and also determines the direction of movement of the object within the measurement zone. The distance measurement device comprises distance measurement means for measurement a distance to an object, judging means for judging which measurement zone from a plurality of measurement zones divided within the full distance measurement range of the distance measurement means that the object belongs to, storing means for storing the distance measurement result, movement detection means for comparing a current distance measurement result with a preceding distance measurement result stored in the storing means, determining whether the object has moved away from, toward, or remained stationary with respect to the distance measurement means in accordance with the comparison result, and output means for generating a first output signal in accordance with a judgement result of the judging means and a second output signal in accordance with a determination of the movement detection means.

Distance measurement device

A distance measurement device comprises at least one switch for generating a start signal, a distance measurement device for measuring the distance to an object in response to the start signal, a memory device for storing distance data measured by the distance measurement device, the stored data defining a plurality of measurement zones within the full range of distance measurement of the distance measurement device, and a judgement circuit for judging which measurement zone the result of the distance measurement performed by the distance measurement means belongs to from the plurality of measurement zones defined by the distance data stored in the memory device. In accordance with this configuration, division points can be set if an object is placed at an actual division point desired and a switch is pressed. Accordingly, when an operator sets the division point, it is unnecessary to depend on memory, perception, or calculation, and the setting of the division points becomes easier. A timer may be used to facilitate the setting of the long distance side division point even in the case of only one operator. In addition, setting circuitry, such as a digital switch, becomes unnecessary, so the construction of the device may be substantially simplified. Moreover, since the division points can be easily set to any distance within the distance measurable range, they can be set with a high degree of accuracy.

A distance measurement device includes a distance measurement device for measuring a distance to an object, a processor for determining which respective measurement zone a measurement result of the distance measurement device is in, from a plurality of measurement zones within a range of distance measurement of the distance measurement device; and a plurality of output terminals for outputting, based on the determination by the processor, a predetermined output signal corresponding to the respective measurement zones. The output terminals output a signal which is not representative of any respective measurement zone for a predetermined period of time at the time of the end of a distance measurement operation.

A distance measurement device comprises distance measurement device for measuring a distance to an object, a processor for judging a result of the distance measurement of the distance measurement device, a first digital switch connected to the processor for setting a first division point where a measurement range of the distance measurement means is divided into a first long distance side and a first short distance side, a second digital switch for setting a second division point where a range between the first division point and the first short distance side is further divided into a second long distance side and a second short distance side. Based on the set states of the first and second digital switches, the processor determines which area the measurement result of the distance measurement device belongs to, from the plurality of distance areas into which the measurement result of the distance measurement device is divided with the first division point and the second division point.

An inexpensive and easily adjustable distance measuring apparatus judges whether an object is located at a far distance or at a near distance relative to a certain set distance. The distance measuring apparatus comprises an oscillator for generating pulses, a light emitting element for emitting light for a predetermined time in synchronization with the pulses generated by the oscillator, a plurality of light receiving elements disposed adjacent to each other to receive reflected light emitted by the light emitting element and reflected by an object whose distance is to be measured, a plurality of delay circuits connected to respective ones of the light receiving elements, and a phase discriminating circuit for comparing the phases of the output signals of each of the delay circuits. To minimize misjudgments caused by noise and unclear judgment in the case the object is located at the boundary between the far and near distances, a majority decision circuit is connected to the phase discriminating circuit for counting the High and Low output levels of the phase discriminating circuit during each predetermined time period to output a signal having a level corresponding to that which occurred most often during the predetermined time period.

Active trigonometrical distance measuring apparatus with delay circuits

Ink is reserved in a cartridge case. On this cartridge case, there are fixed an ink jet head and an electric connecting member in a stacked state. The ink jet head is constructed to include: ink supply holes adapted to be supplied with the ink from the cartridge case; ink passages communicating with the ink supply holes; nozzles formed in the leading ends of the ink passages; and ink ejecting device such as piezoelectric elements disposed to correspond to the ink passages for ejecting the ink from the nozzles. These nozzles and the ink passages are substantially perpendicular. Moreover, the stacking direction, the ink supply direction from the cartridge case to the ink supply holes, and the ink ejecting direction from the nozzles are made substantially identical. The electric connecting member is made of a flexible frame or a metal lead frame. Thus, the ink jet head is assembled merely by stacking those individual components in the common direction.

Ink jet head block

A proximity sensor of the electrostatic type has a pulse-generating circuit and first and second delay circuits which are respectively connected to an output of the pulse-generating circuit. The first and second delay circuits are of the integrating type having capacitances which are charged over time. The second delay circuit is a reference circuit and has a delay based on a fixed capacitance. The first delay circuit has its capacitance based on a capacitance of a detection electrode. The first and second delay circuits each have their respective capacitances charged or drained by constant current circuits, each moving the same amount of current. Outputs of the first and second delay circuits are each applied to a respective limiting amplifier such as a Schmitt trigger, each Schmitt trigger then has an output to input to a common phase detector. The phase detector determines the sequence of arrival of pulses generated by the first and second delay circuits. Since the constant current sources charge their respective capacitances in a linear fashion, arrival of noise spikes anytime during the charging period results in consistent errors which are less than errors associated with a noise spike of the same level in the prior art.

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Yotsukaido, Japan

Hajime Oda