Fujifilm Corporation

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Sanyo Semiconductor Co., Ltd.

Hisao Ito

Hideo Yoshida

Tetsuya Tokoro

Takezo Nagamitsu

Yukihiko Shigeoka

Yukihiko Sigeoka

An imaging apparatus includes: a distance detection unit that detects an object distance; a shake detection unit that detects an amount of shake of the imaging apparatus; a driving unit that moves an optical element or an imaging element included in an imaging optical system to correct an image blur caused by a shake of the imaging apparatus; and a control unit that calculates an amount of movement of the optical element or the imaging element moved by the driving unit based on the amount of shake detected by the shake detection unit and controls the driving unit, and the control unit directs the imaging element to continuously capture images in response to an imaging instruction and changes a correction gain which is used to calculate the amount of movement for each imaging operation, depending on the object distance detected by the distance detection unit.

Imaging apparatus and imaging method with a distance detector

A driving apparatus includes a piezoelectric element which undergoes expansion/contraction motion by a driving signal; a driving shaft which is mounted on the piezoelectric element, and undergoes reciprocating movement according to the expansion/contraction motion of the piezoelectric element; a first movement member which is friction-engaged with the driving shaft, and moves due to the reciprocating movement of the driving shaft; and a first control portion which applies driving signals to the piezoelectric element; the first control portion applies driving control pulse signals when the first movement member is to be moved, and applies stop control pulse signals when the stopped first movement member is not to be moved to put the first movement member into a vibration-arrested state. By this means, the stopped first movement member can be smoothly moved, and the first movement member in motion can be smoothly stopped.

Driving apparatus, optical apparatus, and driving signal control circuit

Abnormal noise generated while driving a piezoelectric actuator is prevented. A pulse-generation circuit is capable of selectively generating a displacement pulse and a stationary pulse as a drive pulse for application to a piezoelectric element, the displacement pulse having a duty ratio for causing a lens to be displaced by a predetermined step width, and the stationary pulse having a duty ratio for causing the lens to remain stationary in a current position. The pulse-generation circuit controls the production of the drive pulse continuously for a plurality of times within the servo control cycle, causes the displacement pulse to be produced when the remainder of a required amount of displacement is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and causes the stationary pulse to be continuously produced until the initiation of the next servo control cycle when the remainder is less than the threshold value.

Method for driving piezoelectric actuator, piezoelectric-actuator control circuit, and image-stabilization control circuit

A coupling/uncoupling device for use in a combination appliance including a main appliance combined with an auxiliary appliance. The device includes an accommodation recess for accommodating the auxiliary appliance in it, which is formed in the main appliance, a first locking member for locking the auxiliary appliance at its accommodating position, a supporting member for supporting the auxiliary appliance in the accommodation recess, a second locking member for locking the supporting member, and a lock releasing member for releasing the locking of the auxiliary appliance and that of the supporting member simultaneously.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Hisao Ito