Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Asahi Kogaku Kogyo K.k.

Asahi Kogaku Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroshi Kurei

Fumio Urano

Tahei Morisawa

Tetsuji Shono

Katsuhiko Nomura

Masahiro Kawasaki

Akihiro Arai

Keisuke Haraguchi

Eiichi Tano

Hiroyasu Ozaki

Tadayuki Kirigaya

Takumi Kobayashi

Yukio Takaoka

Naoyuki Uno

Kunio Mita

Hideyuki Irie

Kaoru Imakyure

An indicating apparatus within a finder of a single lens reflex camera includes a mirror which reflects light of an object transmitted through a photographing lens to form an object image on a focusing plate, and a finder optical system through which an image of the object formed on the focusing plate is viewed. The indicating apparatus further includes a mirror box which supports the mirror, and a photographing information projector provided on the lower portion of the mirror box to project and indicate an image of the photographing information onto the focusing plate without interfering with the front end of the mirror.

Indicator within finder of single lens reflex camera

A film rewind apparatus is employed in an automatic camera that is capable of automatically rewinding a film that has been pulled out of a cartridge. The film is automatically rewound in either a first or a second operation mode. The rewinding operation is completed with a leading end of the film retracted into the cartridge when the film is rewound in the first operation mode, while the rewinding operation is completed with the leading end of the film remaining outside of the cartridge when the film is rewound in the second mode.

Automatic camera with film rewind apparatus and method capable of

A camera having a flash, a focal plane shutter, a mechanism for changing a size of a film frame by changing a size of an aperture of the camera, and a mechanism for setting a flash synchronized shutter speed. The focal plane shutter has a leading-shutter-curtain and a trailing-shutter-curtain, which are moved in a vertical direction of the aperture to thereby open and close the aperture. The changing mechanism changes the aperture size in the vertical direction to obtain a panoramic style frame and a standard frame. The setting mechanism sets the flash synchronized shutter speed to a high speed when the aperture is changed to a panoramic style frame having a vertical size which is smaller than that of a standard frame. The output of the flash can be started at a time at which a trailing edge of the leading-shutter-curtain passes a lower side of the panoramic style frame.

Camera having flash

An object distance measuring apparatus of a camera including an image area size varying device which varies the size of an image area, a multi-point measuring device having a plurality of object distance measuring elements to meter the object distances of an object in a large picture plane at different measuring points, and an object distance measuring element selecting device which selects a plurality of outputs of the object distance measuring elements in accordance with the size of the image area selected by the image area size varying device.

Object distance measuring apparatus of camera

A camera having a variable photographing aperture, including a photographing aperture size changing device that changes the size of the photographing aperture, and an exposure calculating device for calculating exposure factors including a diaphragm value and a shutter speed in accordance with the brightness of an object to be photographed. The camera further includes an exposure adjusting device which modifies the exposure factors when the photographing aperture is changed. The invention is also directed to a control method of a variable photographing aperture camera.

Camera having a variable photographing aperture and control method

Apparatus for kinematic linkage in interchangeable lens type of camera

An abutment pin is provided for defining the fully open position of the aperture release member on an interchangeable lens. The aperture drive member on the camera is biased toward the abutment pin so that the rest position of the drive member will always correspond to a fully open aperture regardless of lens misalignment. The aperture stop down is then controlled by measuring the movement of the drive member from its rest, or start, position.

Aperture control mechanism

In a single lens reflex photographic camera including a shutter release and a diaphragm, a mirror is movable between a first position for view finding and a second position for film exposure. The mirror is placed in the second position and the diaphragm is stopped down responsive to the shutter release. Prior to exposure, the diaphragm stop down mechanism is locked. After exposure, a shutter completion mechanism is actuated. Responsive to the actuation of the shutter completion mechanism, the diaphragm stop down mechanism is unlocked and the mirror is placed in the first position. A reduction in complexity results because both resetting operations are executed responsive to the same element, namely the shutter completion mechanism. An actuating pin operates twice during each camera cycle--once at the time of resetting the mirror and once at the time of shutter charging. A control magnet has an armature and a core. The diaphragm is locked responsive to the repulsion of the armature from the core and unlocked responsive to the attraction of the armature against the core. The armature is driven against the core responsive to the operation of the actuating pin, thereby unlocking the diaphragm stop down mechanism and insuring that the armature is not separated from the core prior to a subsequent shutter release.

Resetting apparatus for single lens reflex photographic camera

An electromagnetic release device for a single lens reflex camera in which the force urging a release lever into abutment with a locking lever is released upon completion of a photographing operation. A rotatably mounted release lever is coupled through a pin to a coupling lever and armature which is adapted to be attracted and held by an electromagnet assembly. A release spring is looped around the shaft upon which the release lever is mounted and has a forwardly-extending end which abuts a portion of a rotatably mounted charge lever when the charge lever is in its position at the completion of a winding operation. Upon application of an electrical pulse to the coil of the electromagnet assembly, the armature is released and the release lever kicks a locking lever. Upon completion of a photographing operation, the charge lever is restored and contact between the charge lever and release spring removed to thereby eliminate the force produced by the release spring which urges the armature away from the electromagnet assembly.

Electromagnetic release device for single lens reflex camera

An automatic exposure camera of the lens stop value control type is provided with a controlled disengaging device operated in association with the bottom shutter curtain running operation. The disengaging device releases the lens stop mechanism so that the operator can confirm the depth of field after an exposure has been made but before the winding operation.

Controlled disengaging device in automatic exposure camera of the lens

A self-timer device for a camera in which the set lever of an electronic self-timer device may be automatically restored and in which, even if the self-timer device has been set, it can be reset so that it is possible to perform an ordinary photographing operation. The device includes a self-timer set lever and a first cam rigidly coupled thereto with a bent portion standing away from the set lever and abutting a cam surface of a second cam member. The second cam member, upon being released by activation of a release button, is rotatable by the self-timer set lever through the bent portion of the first cam member rotating until it is locked in position by a locking lever. An operating member is provided which is activatable by a release lever which upon activation releases the second cam member. The bent portion of the first cam member also abuts a control switch of the electronic control circuit including an electrical delay circuit for providing a preferred delay time.

Self-timer device

A mirror operating mechanism in a single lens reflex camera having a first reflecting mirror which is provided to swing from the view finder observation position to the photographing retraction position. A second reflecting mirror introduces light passed through the first reflecting mirror at the finder observation position to a light measuring element. The second reflecting mirror is mounted swingably on the first reflecting mirror. The second reflecting mirror has a rotary shaft around which the second reflecting mirror can swing. Both ends of the rotary shaft are rotatably mounted on both sides of a frame supporting the first reflecting mirror. The end portion of an operating arm of the second reflecting mirror is brought into contact with a cam fixedly secured to a stationary member by means of a spring.

Mirror operating mechanism in single lens reflex camera

A shock absorbing device for a mirror in a single lens reflex camera having a shock absorbing lever with a stopper portion adapted to set the lower position of the mirror for observing through a view finder of the camera. A first spring provides suitable friction for the lever with respect to a stationary member. A second spring acts on the lever to cause the stopper portion of a mirror holder to stop at a predetermined position against of a mirror lowering force. The first and second springs may be replaced by one compression and torsion coil spring having an adjustable elastic force.

Mirror shock absorbing device in single lens reflex camera

A camera having an automatic exposure control mechanism wherein aperture priority, shutter speed priority and manual modes of operation can be set without the possibility of the switching mechanism being set to inoperable positions. The aperture ring of the camera lens is provided with a protrusion which interlocks with a corresponding protrusion on a ring of the camera body through which aperture information is transmitted. The shutter dial of the camera is provided on its reverse side with plural semicircular conductive pads which selectively engage with contact brushes as the dial is rotated to set the various modes of operation. A variable resistance contact portion is also provided on the dial for manually setting the shutter speed.

Three operational mode camera

Full and minimum aperture information is transmitted to a camera body from an interchangeable lens by coding possible combinations of the two values into various discrete single values and transmitting the single value to a decoder in the camera body. For instance, a projection may be provided on the lens barrel having a height corresponding to a particular combination of full and minimum aperture values.

Growing community of inventors

Kawagoe, Japan

Hiroshi Kurei