Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroyasu Sugihara

Futoshi Hirai

A driving apparatus reduces degradation of driving performance and durability when a driven body is displaced using a lead screw. The lead screw has a lead groove that is formed over first and second members and has first and second surfaces that face to each other in a width direction. The lead screw is rotated by a driving source. A moving member engages with the lead groove, and moves parallel to the lead screw according to rotation of the lead screw. A driven body is displaced between first and second positions according to movement of the moving member. A first energization member energizes the moving member toward the second surface when the moving member passes across a first junction that occurs at a boundary between the first and second members in a stroke where the moving member contacts with a drive surface of the first surface to be moved.

Driving apparatus that drives driven body using lead screw, and image pickup apparatus equipped with this driving apparatus

An image pickup apparatus capable of reducing unnecessary reflected light without narrowing an exposure area. A holding member holds a semi-transparent mirror and is rotatably supported by a mirror box so as to move between a mirror-down position in a photographing light path and a mirror-up position out of the photographing light path. A shading member is supported on an object-side end of the holding member via a rotation shaft so as to rotate between a closed position close to the holding member and an opened position apart from the holding member. An urging member energizes the shading member toward the opened position when the holding member is in the mirror-down position. An engagement portion engages with the shading member when the holding member rotates toward the mirror-up position so as to rotate the shading member toward the closed position against the urging force.

Image pickup apparatus equipped with semi-transparent mirror

An imaging-device cleaning apparatus is attached to a camera by engaging with a lens mount of the camera typically used for attaching a camera lens. The imaging-device cleaning apparatus includes a nozzle for removing dust and dirt in the vicinity of an imaging section of the camera, and a motor and a fan for supplying air to the nozzle to remove the dust and dirt from the vicinity of an image sensor of the camera.

Imaging-device cleaning apparatus

An electronic apparatus, such as a camera, is configured to be driven by a fuel cell. The fuel cell includes a fuel unit and a power generation unit. The fuel unit is configured to store fuel, and the power generation unit is configured to generate electric power with at least one power generation cell by receiving fuel from the fuel unit. The camera includes a fuel cell storage section configured to store both the fuel unit and the power generation unit, and a power generation unit determination device configured to determine an output characteristic of the power generation unit. A memory in the power generation unit holds information on one of a voltage, an electric current, and an internal resistance. This information is read by a system controller in the camera.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Hiroyasu Sugihara