Nikon Corporation

Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Hiroshi Terunuma

Hiroshi Wakabayashi

Akira Katayama

Daiki Tsukahara

Noriyasu Kotani

Yoshihiro Takeuchi

Hidenori Miyamoto

Isao Soshi

Minoru Kato

Shigemasa Sato

Makoto Kimura

Toshiyuki Nakamura

Kazuyuki Kazami

Hideya Inoue

Yoshio Imura

Kiyosada Machida

Tatsuo Amanuma

Yoshikazu Iida

Yuji Katano

Akio Nishizawa

Hiroyuki Tsuru

Shuji Iijima

Kenichi Magariyama

Mitsuru Higuchi

A camera, such as a video camera or other electrically recordable camera, has scale imprintable capabilities and a method for imprinting a scale onto memory storage media. The camera and method imprints, optically or electrically, a standard scale on memory storage media for the purpose of estimating the size of a subject image. A photographic magnification calculation circuit calculates the photographic magnification based on a subject distance, and a reference scale setting circuit sets a reference scale for the purpose of estimating the size of the subject image on the memory storage media regardless of the magnification during picture taking or print size. An imprinting circuit imprints, optically or electrically, the reference scale onto the memory storage media in accordance with the reference scale setting circuit, and only when needed or wanted. The reference scale can be imprinted in a vertical or horizontal direction in accordance with a mode selection switch. In addition, date, time and other information can also be imprinted onto the memory storage media. Picture taking will not be performed when it is not possible to accurately superimpose the reference scale and warning displays are generated.

Camera having scale imprintable capabilities and method for imprinting

A camera having a common control circuit comprises a control circuit for selectively executing at least a first program for a first type of camera and a second program for a second type of camera, and an identifying circuit for identifying any one of the two programs to be executed on the basis of an input identifying signal. The identified one of the programs is executed by the control circuit, and the identifying signal is output when electrical parts inherent to the first and second types of cameras are installed to the camera respectively.

Camera having common control circuit usable with different types of

In a system comprising photographing apparatus for recording photograph information and reproducing apparatus for reproducing the photograph information, control information recorded in the photographing apparatus forces the reproducing apparatus to reproduce photograph information that would otherwise be excluded from reproduction based on consideration of a characteristic of the photograph information.

Photograph information recording apparatus capable of recording

A camera has a light shielding member surrounding an axially movable lens housing arranged to project through a circular opening in a camera housing. The light shielding member has an annular disc portion with an inner peripheral grooved surface frictionally engaging an outer cylindrical surface of the lens housing. The disc portion is positioned between a transverse inner surface of the camera housing cover and a surface of a helicoid member. At its outer periphery, the light shielding member has a generally cylindrical flange that projects axially between a longitudinal inner surface of the camera housing and the helicoid.

Camera with annular light shielding member around axially moving lens

A camera selects one of three or more photograph image sizes to be printed while a viewfinder provides a visual display corresponding to the selected one photograph image size. The camera includes a photographic optical system which focuses a subject on a camera film. A control unit is incorporated within the camera to select first print size information, second print size information, and third print size information. A viewfinder within the camera verifies the field to be printed on the photographic film while a display inside the viewfinder corresponds to the selected photograph image size. Print size selection switches select the print size and the control unit selects the print size information in response thereto. A plurality of aperture blades disposed within the camera define an aperture frame. First and second aperture blades move inwardly to define a horizontally oblong photograph image size and third and fourth aperture blades move inwardly to define a vertically oblong photograph image size. All aperture blades move outwardly to define a standard image size. A plurality of liquid crystal display segments are disposed within the viewfinder to define a variable viewing area corresponding to the selected image sizes. A control unit selects the image size in response to a switch.

Variable camera viewfinder corresponding to variable camera aperture

In a lens barrel having at least two joinable cylinders made of plastic, a sink mark is hard to be formed in the two cylinders and the compactness of the lens barrel and low cost are maintained while the construction is not complex and the number of parts is not increased. The leakage of light is prevented even when a joint is shallow.

Lens barrel having at least two cylinders which join to block out

A camera having a built-in first flash light emitting unit located directly above a photographic lens on the front surface of the camera body, and a second flash light emitting unit located at an upper corner of the front face of the camera body. The camera has autofocus capabilities, and reduces shadows created during close-up photography and reduces the 'red eye' phenomenon created during far away photography through the control of each of the two flash light emitting units.

Camera having built-in flash light emitting device for improving picture

A camera includes a camera body and a regulation component mounted directly to the camera body with flatness of the film desired for photography being maintained by rail surfaces and a regulation surface. The dimensions of the camera body, the regulation component and the dimension allowances of the camera body and the film regulation component have a relationship that forms a space smaller than the thickness of the photographic film when the regulation component mounting surface and the camera body mounting surface of the regulation component are in contact, allowing the regulation component to be mounted directly to the camera body while the regulation surface of the regulation-component and the outer rail surface of the camera body maintain flatness. Alternatively, deformation units may be used to deform plastically or elastically with the tightening of an anchoring unit, which directly anchors the regulation component to the camera body to maintain flatness of the outer surfaces of the camera body and the regulation surfaces of the regulation component. The camera body and the regulation component may be made of the same material or materials with the same or nearly the same coefficients of thermal expansion so that when temperature changes occur involving the camera, the amount of thermal deformation of both the camera body and the regulation component is the same to assist in maintaining the flatness of the film regulation surfaces.

Camera

A lens driving device for a zoom and a multifocus lens housing of a camera, the lens driving device comprising a holding member for holding imaging lenses and having a first helicoid formed relative to the optical axis of the lenses; a rotary member having a second helicoid which is arranged to engage to the first helicoid, the rotary member being arranged to be engaged to the holding member via the two helicoids and rotatably supported relative to the optical axis to a camera housing; a guide member which is provided for either of the holding member or the camera housing and which has two guide surfaces extending in the direction of the optical axis; and supporting members provided for the residual one of the holding member and the camera housing and having at least one pair of rotary members to which the guide surfaces of the guide member are brought into contact, whereby the contact of the guide member and the supporting members prevents the rotation of the holding member and allows the holding member to rectilinearly move in the direction of the optical axis in accordance with the rotation of the rotary member. As a result, the contact between the guide member and the supporting member prevents the rotation of the holding member, allows the holding member to rectilinearly move in the direction of the optical axis of the lens in accordance with the rotation of the rotary member so that the lens group can smoothly rectilinearly moves.

Camera with guiding of rectilinear lens movement

A camera which releases the shutter based on the wink of a photographer when vibrations are affecting the camera. The camera includes a wink detection device which detects a wink of the photographer and produces a corresponding wink detection output signal, and a vibration detection device which detects vibrations affecting the camera and produces a corresponding vibration detection signal. A control mechanism is responsive to the wink detection output signal and the vibration detection signal to control the release of the shutter. The wink detection device operates by emitting a visible light signal towards the photographer's eye, reflecting the signal off the photographer's eye, and then receiving the reflected signal. A wink of the photographer is detected based on the amount of reflected light received by the light receiving device. The wink detection device includes an LED which emits the signal. The LED can also operate as an indicator in the viewfinder to notify the photographer that the shutter will be released upon a wink. A cover member can be arranged between the camera and the face of the photographer to protect the wink detection device and the photographer's eye from being exposed to dust and particles, thereby preventing unintended blinking or inaccurate detection of a wink.

Camera which operates a shutter according to a photographer's wink and

The driving control CPU and the data display panel of a camera are integrated on top of a single mounting board, such as a circuit board, which is built into the interior of a camera main body. The display panel is held to the mounting board by a holding frame, which is affixed to the top of the mounting board. This display panel is situated so as to overlie the upper portion of the CPU, which is affixed to the circuit board. The electrical connections (bonding pads) for the display panel and for the shutter mechanism can be situated on opposite sides of the CPU. The connections (e.g., bonding pads) for the display panel are pressed against the connections on the mounting board to electrically connect the CPU and display panel. Similarly, the connections of the wiring connection from the shutter mechanism are pressed against the connections for the shutter mechanism formed on the mounting board to electrically connect the CPU and the shutter mechanism.

A battery check device, suitable for use in a camera, for reliably checking the essential capacity of a battery power source without affecting the voltage recovery of the battery power source after a long period of non-use. The battery check device monitors a starting switch, for example, a main switch or a release button, with a timer circuit and compares a switch interval between a previous time the starting switch was set ON and a present time the starting switch is set ON with a predetermined time. When the switch interval is within the predetermined time, a battery check circuit checks the power supply capacity of the battery power source using a light load circuit. When the interval is not within the predetermined time, the battery check circuit checks the power supply capacity of the battery using a heavy load circuit.

Battery check device for a camera

A lens driving device for a zoom and a multifocus lens housing of a camera, the lens driving device comprising a holding member for holding imaging lenses and having a first helicoid formed relative to the optical axis of the lenses; a rotary member having a second helicoid which is arranged to engage to the first helicoid, the rotary member being arranged to be engaged to the holding member via the two helicoids and rotatably supported relative to the optical axis to a camera housing; a guide member which is provided for either of the holding member or the camera housing and which has two guide surfaces extending in the direction of the optical axis; and supporting members provided for the residual one of the holding member and the camera housing and having at least one pair of rotary members to which the guide surfaces of the guide member are brought into contact, whereby the contact of the guide member and the supporting members prevents the rotation of the holding member and allows the holding member to rectilinearly move in the direction of the optical axis in accordance with the rotation of the rotary member. As a result, the contact between the guide member and the supporting member prevents the rotation of the holding member, allows the holding member to rectilinearly move in the direction of the optical axis of the lens in accordance with the rotation of the rotary member so that the lens group can smoothly rectilinearly move.

Camera lens driving device with rectilinear guide and flexible

A focusing controller for photographic apparatuses includes: a distance meter which detects film-to-object distance to calculate and emit a distance signal; a lens shifting distance calculating device which calculates a lens shifting distance for effecting focusing in a focusing optical system on the basis of the distance signal by using one or two or more linear expressions; and a driving device for driving the focusing optical system in accordance with the lens shifting distance; the focusing controller allowing both the lens shifting amount for the focusing optical system and the reciprocal of film-to-object distance to be set at equal intervals.

Focusing controller

A lens barrel including a fixed drum, a rotary drum rotatably fitted in the fixed drum and a lens drum, disposed in the rotary drum, for accommodating lens. The lens drum is movable in the optical-axis direction of the lens with a rotation of the rotary drum. The lens barrel has an adjusting drum disposed in a subject-side position between the fixed drum and the rotary drum. The adjusting drum thread-engages with the fixed drum. The adjusting drum is, when rotated, moved in the optical-axis direction. With this movement, the rotary drum and the lens drum also move in the optical-axis direction, thus adjusting a relative position of the rotary drum with respect to the fixed drum.

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Ichikawa, Japan

Hiroshi Terunuma