Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Hironori Honsho

Fuminari Saito

Naoto Yumiki

Kaoru Matsuoka

Yoshihiro Ueno

Yoshiyuki Shimizu

Jirou Kajino

Tetsuro Tanaka

A lens barrel includes a fixed barrel having an approximately cylindrical shape; a lens framedisposed inside of the fixed barrel for holding the lens group; at least one shaftA engaging in the lens framefor guiding the lens framein a direction parallel to the optical axis of the lens group; and a guide shaftB provided to a perimeter of the lens frame for regulating a rotation of the lens frame about the shaft. The lens frameis disposed in the fixed barrel so that a center axisof the fixed barrel and an optical axisof the lens group do not coincide with each other, but are deflected in parallel, The shaftA and the guide shaftB are disposed so that a central angle &#x3b8;formed with respect to the center axisof the fixed barrel is less than 180 degrees.

Lens barrel and image pickup device including lens barrel

A lens barrel for holding a lens group includes: a holding mechanism for movably holding the lens group in a direction parallel to an optical axis; an electromagnetic motor including a cylindrical stator with an axis parallel to the optical axis being taken as a center axis and a cylindrical rotor that is coaxial with the stator and rotates about the center axis with respect to the stator; a converting mechanism for converting a rotating motion of the rotor to a straight-ahead motion for allowing the holding mechanism to move the lens group in the direction parallel to the optical axis; and force applying means that applies a magnetic force to the rotor in the direction parallel to the optical axis.

A digital signal recording method of the present invention for recording data divided into at least two segments in a recording track on a magnetic tape with a magnetic head mounted onto a rotational drum, includes the steps of: recording a first segment; recording a preamble having a length PR in a recording track direction so that the preamble is adjacent to a front edge of the first segment; recording a postamble having a length PO in the recording track direction so that the postamble is adjacent to a back edge of the first segment; and recording a second segment after the step of recording the first segment, wherein a relation PR=PO=G is substantially satisfied where 'G' is a length of a gap in the recording track direction between the first segment and the segment.

Method and apparatus for recording digital signal and drum unit for

Two or three-dimensional position coordinates of a plurality of objects are measured without contact by installing at least one set of light emitting and receiving optical systems on opposite sides of the plurality of objects. During measurement, the light emitting optical system emits a laser beam towards the plurality of objects from a plurality of different directions, and light boundaries generated by the plurality of objects are detected by the light receiving optical system. A computer and a processor are provided to compute two or three-dimensional position coordinates of and distances between centers of the plurality of objects from outputs of the light receiving optical system. Where three-dimensional position coordinates of the plurality of objects are required, one of the object and the light emitting and receiving optical systems is moved vertically relative to the other.

Method of and device for measuring position coordinates

When detaching or attaching a rotary cylinder in a rotary cylinder device having a hydrodynamic bearing, a gap is formed between the end surface of a shaft and a thrust plate and this gap is maintained by inserting an insertion member between opposing surfaces of stronger parts of the device. In this state, the rotary cylinder is removed from or assembled to the device. Accordingly, the force required to remove or fix the cylinder from or to the device acts on the stronger parts of the device and is thus not transmitted to the thrust plate and end surface of the shaft.

Method for detaching and attaching a rotary cylinder

A tape cassette comprises a pair of reels fixedly holding leading and trailing ends of a tape; and a cassette case containing the pair of reels with a forwardly exposed portion of the tape being extended at the front of the case. An opening is provided inside a forward portion of the case, and left and right side walls are arranged in the cassette case for defining the opening. Two or more tape guides are arranged adjacent to left and right ends of the opening, respectively, for guiding the forwardly exposed portion of the tape. A front lid is pivotably supported by the cassette case for covering the front of the forwardly exposed portion of the tape when closed, and an inner lid is pivotably supported by the front lid for covering the back of the tape when closed. Guiding grooves are arranged in the left and right side walls, respectively, for controlling a pivotal movement of the inner lid. At least one of the tape guides is spaced by a distance L from the opening-side end of its corresponding left or right side wall which has a thickness of T, such that L&lt;T is established.

Tape cassette having front and inner pivotal lids

Tape cassette for cassette recording/reproducing apparatus

A tape cassette which protects the tape thereof from dust, and which can be accommodated in a small volume. This is achieved by providing both a front lid and an inner lid and by making a distance between a rotation axis of the cassette front lid and a cassette bottom surface greater than a distance between a surface of the tape stretched along the front of the cassette case and the rotation axis of the cassette front lid. In addition, a restriction plate is provided for restricting rearward movement of the tape stretched along the front of the cassette case.

Tape cassette with front and inner tape covering lids

A magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus has incorporated therein a tape cassette adapter which can house therein a small tape cassette and which has a mechanism for drawing out a magnetic tape from the small tape cassette to attain nearly the same tape travel path to that of a large tape cassette in order to load the magnetic tape on a tape drive mechanism. The tape cassette adapter can have a position that it will not interfere with the loading and unloading of the large tape cassette, a position where at least a part of the tape cassette adapter is projected outside from the apparatus so that the samll tape cassette can be housed into or removed from the adapter, and a position where the drawn-out magnetic tape is driven by a tape drive mechanism of the apparatus. Either the small or large tape cassette can be easily loaded on or unloaded from the apparatus.

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Neyagawa, Japan

Hironori Honsho