Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Ricoh Corporation

Junichi Shinohara

Atsushi Sato

Yoshimi Ohno

Takashi Tada

Hiroshi Morohoshi

Ryota Kaga

Mayu Takano

Koji Yokoyama

Shu Kambe

Kenji Shiraishi

Ikuya Tsurukawa

Atsushi Satoh

Masami Nasu

Yoshio Serikawa

Shigeru Irisawa

Tomoya Kitajima

Takashi Kajiyama

Kohichi Sugiura

Tohru Nishida

Hiroshi Takeda

Noriaki Ojima

Tatsutoshi Kitajima

Katsuhiko Nuno

Terunori Koyama

Keiji Himuro

Kunihisa Yamaguchi

Kouji Yokoyama

Kaoru Ito

Norihiro Yoshida

Tohru Yamano

Yoshio Nakamura

Daisuke Kishida

Hiroyuki Chiba

Keiichiroh Hirahara

Naoki Koshida

Akihiro Etoh

Takashi Hongou

Akemi Miyoshi

An imaging apparatus whose posture is easily adjustable is provided. The imaging apparatus is configured to include an inclination detector detecting a degree of inclination of one of the imaging apparatus and an image captured by the imaging apparatus relative to a horizontal direction orthogonal to a direction of gravity; a display unit; a first inclination indicator unit allowing the display unit to display an indicator to indicate the degree of inclination according to a detection result from the inclination detector; a second inclination indicator unit notifying via sound according to a detection result from the inclination detector that the degree of inclination is over a predetermined value; and a selector unit allowing at least one of the first and second inclination indicator units to operate.

Imaging apparatus

A camera body () of the present invention is provided with a concave portion (A) in which an imaging unit () including a rectangular solid shaped case () having an optical system and an imaging device is detachably disposed. When the case () is viewed from a front side in a state where the case () is disposed in the concave portion (A), the camera body () includes a back face portion (B) having a back face wall () located on the back of the case () and facing a back face of the case (), a side face portion (C) having a side face wall () facing a side face of the case (), and an upper face portion (D) having an upper face wall () facing an upper face of the case (). The concave portion (A) is defined by the back face wall (), the side face wall (), and the upper face wall (), and is open on three sides where the remaining faces of the case () are located at the time of attachment.

Body structure of imaging apparatus

An imaging apparatus comprising an imaging unit in which an optical system and an imaging device are provided, a camera body formed with a concave portion on/from which the imaging unit is mounted/removed, the imaging apparatus photographing the subject image by mounting the imaging unit on the camera body, wherein the concave portion includes three walls of a back wall portion, a side wall portion, and an upper wall portion, viewed from the subject side in a direction of an optical axis of the optical system, wherein the apparatus includes a locking member and a locking member to be locked, wherein an unlocking member for unlocking a lock of the camera body and the imaging unit by means of the locking member is disposed in an intersection portion of the side and upper wall portions, and wherein at least three wall portions which compose the concave portion, are opened.

Camera body, imaging unit mounted/removed on/from the camera body and imaging apparatus

A camera body includes a recess to which an image pickup unit is detachably attached to be placed therein. The image pickup unit includes a housing having an optical system, an image pickup device, a first connector section. The recess has three wall sections including a back wall section facing a rear of the housing of the image pickup unit and a side wall section facing a side surface of the housing when the image pickup unit is placed in the recess. The side wall section includes a second connector section to be connected to the first connector section to perform communication. The back wall section is provided with a controlling member. A rear of the image pickup unit has an insertion opening into which the controlling member is to be inserted and an abutting section to allow the controlling member to abut thereon. When the image pickup unit is attached to the recess, the first connector section and the second connector section are connected to each other when the controlling member is inserted into the insertion opening, and the first connector section is not connected to the second connector section when the controlling member abuts on the abutting section.

Camera body and image pickup unit attachable to and detachable from camera body, and imaging apparatus

A camera body to which an image pickup unit including an optical system, an image pickup device, and an image-pickup-unit connector is detachably attached, includes a recess to which the image pickup unit is freely detachably attached and which includes a back wall, an upper wall, and a side wall to be opened on a lower side, a lateral side, and a front side of the camera body. The back wall faces a rear of the image pickup unit, the upper wall is located on an upper side of the camera body in a normal use state. The camera body includes a locking mechanism to control a movement of the image pickup unit placed in the recess in a direction in which the image pickup unit moves away from the side wall, a first unlocking mechanism provided to be exposed from the camera body and configured to unlock a locked state made by the locking mechanism in response to an unlocking manipulation, and a second unlocking mechanism provided to be enclosed inside the camera body and configured to unlock the locked state made by the locking mechanism in response to an unlocking manipulation.

Camera body and imaging apparatus including an unlocking mechanism

A camera body includes a camera body connector and a recess to which an imaging unit including an optical system, an image pickup device, and an imaging unit connector is detachably attached to be placed therein. The recess includes a back wall, an upper wall, and a side wall to be opened to a lower side, a front side, and a lateral side of the camera body. The camera body has a guide mechanism to control a position of the camera body connector in relation to a position of the imaging unit connector. The imaging unit has a rear surface on which at least two guiding grooves provided to be extended between opposite edges of the imaging unit and an engagement plate section are formed. The imaging unit has a biasing member to bias the imaging unit toward the back wall. The guide mechanism has at least two guide protrusions provided on the back wall and inserted into the at least two guiding grooves and an engagement claw formed on the back wall so as to face the engagement plate section and to engage with the biasing member when the imaging unit is attached to the camera body.

Camera body and imaging unit attachable to and detachable from camera body, and imaging apparatus

An image capturing apparatus includes an optical unit for forming an image of a subject, a first light extinction unit present on an optical axis of the optical unit and configured to adjust an amount of light by changing a dimension of a aperture stop thereof, a second light extinction unit to be present on said optical axis of the optical unit and configured to adjust an amount of light passing therethrough by changing a transmittance of the light, and a controller for controlling operations of said first and second light extinction units so as to make an exposure optimum at a time of photographing. The controller has precedence on the adjustment of the light amount with the first light extinction unit until a predetermined aperture stop diameter and has precedence on the adjustment of the light amount with the second light extinction unit in a state that the light is to be reduced beyond a state in the predetermined aperture stop diameter, thereby attaining optimization of the exposure.

Image capturing apparatus

An AF controlling unit () starts an outside light AF operation controlled by an outside AF unit () by a half-pressing of a shutter release button (), and a change over between the outside AF operation and a CCDAF operation controlled by a CCDAF unit () is controlled corresponding to an elapsed time t (timer) from a starting of the operation of the outside light AF operation and a pressing condition (a detection of the half-pressing by a half-pressed detecting unit (), the detection of a full-pressing by a full-pressed detecting unit () or a press-in releasing) of a shutter release button () after the starting of the outside light AF operation controlled by the outside AF unit () by the half-pressing of the shutter release button ().

Imaging apparatus including an auto focusing function

In an image input device including a multistage aperture () which reduces a quantity of light by changing an aperture, and an ND filter () which reduces a quantity of light by changing transmittance of passing light, if ghosts tend to occur due to the second light reducing means, the generation of ghosts is effectively avoided. An object determining unit determines whether a strong light source is present on an object image formed by an optical unit () for imaging based on luminance distribution on the object image. The multistage aperture () and the ND filter () are controlled in order to obtain a proper exposure to pickup the object image. If the object determining unit determines which a strong light source is present on the object image, the ND filter (), which reduces the quantity of light by changing the transmittance of passing light, is used as less as possible, and the multistage aperture () is functioned preferentially.

Image input device

The image input unit comprises a pixel shift evaluation value and reliability calculating section that calculates a pixel shift evaluation value based on image data for a plurality of images photographed before and after an image sensing device is displaced for a predetermined amount. Moreover, a system controller judges whether pixel shift photography has been normally performed or not based on the pixel shift evaluation value, and displays the judgment result on a display.

Method of and unit for inputting an image, and computer product

An image capture device includes a focusing unit, a focus driving unit and an autofocus control unit; the focusing unit is provided to focus on a subject. The focus driving unit is provided for driving the focusing unit to driving-target position. The autofocus control unit is provided to control driving of the focus driving unit according to a determination of executing or omitting a one-way-driving-control. One-way driving control controls driving direction of the focus driving unit into a predetermined direction at a peripheral range before driving-disactivation of the focus driving means, determined based on a shooting-condition.

Image capture device and associated method of compensating backlash

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Junichi Shinohara