Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Koichi Sugiura

Kazuyasu Ohashi

Katsuhiko Nuno

Tatsutoshi Kitajima

Kei Itoh

Takuro Yasuda

A lens driver having a manually operated ring, rotation detection means for detecting rotation direction and rotating speed of the manually operated ring on the basis of rotation the manually operated ring, a switching means for switching a control mode, on the basis of detection result of the rotation detection means, between a normal control mode in which a lens is driven at normal driving speed depending on rotating speed of the manually operated ring and a high-speed control mode in which the lens is driven at high driving speed which is faster than the normal driving speed, and a driving control means for controlling a driving means so that the lens is driven at the normal driving speed when the normal control mode is set and controlling the driving means so that the lens is driven at the high driving speed when the high-speed control mode is set.

Lens driver

A lens barrel including a telescopic cylinder configured to be accommodated within a fixed frame; a plurality of lens groups configured to be retained in the telescopic cylinder; a lens driving device configured to drive the plurality of lens groups along a longitudinal axis of the telescopic cylinder between a collapsed position in which at least one portion of the plurality of lens groups is stored in the fixed frame and an extended position in which the at least one portion of the plurality of lens groups is extended out of the fixed frame; and a retractable lens group configured to be retracted into the fixed frame through an opening in a wall of the fixed frame when the telescopic cylinder is in the extended position.

Lens barrel, camera and mobile information terminal

A lens drive control device for a lens barrel, which controls at least a part of a plurality of lens groups respectively including at least one lens, wherein a state of the lens barrel transits from a retracted state to a photographing extended state, the lens drive control device comprising: a detection device which detects that the at least one lens group reaches a reference position, and a determination device which determines an abnormal actuation based upon a detection by the detection device, upon actuation when the at least one lens group is moved from the retracted position to the position on the optical axis, wherein the determination device determines that the actuation is abnormal when the detection device detects that the at least one lens group reaches the reference position for a plurality of times.

Lens drive control device and image pickup device

An imaging device includes a three-axis acceleration detector, an inclination calculator to calculate an amount of inclination of the imaging device according to an output value of the acceleration detector, a determining element to determine whether or not the imaging device is dropping or receiving an impact according to the output value of the acceleration detector, a mode switching element to set the acceleration detector to be in either an electronic level mode or an impact detection mode by changing at least one of a measuring range and a sampling rate of the acceleration detector, and a storing element to store detected acceleration data in time series. When the determining element determines that the imaging device has dropped or received an impact in the impact detection mode, the storing element stores acceleration data detected at a time when the drop or impact has occurred.

Imaging device

A lens driving-control device including a plurality of lens groups having variable magnification function, a plurality of lens driving devices each of which being configured to adjustably drive a driving speed of each of the plurality of lens groups, a control device configured to control each of the plurality of lens driving devices to adjust the driving speed of each of the plurality of lens groups, and a plurality of lens position-detecting devices each of which being configured to detect a position of each of the plurality of lens groups, when the plurality of lens driving devices drive the plurality of lens groups simultaneously, the control device being configured to control the lens driving devices to switch driving speeds of the plurality of lens groups to a driving speed of a lens group to be adjusted depending on a positional relationship among the plurality of lens groups, the positional relationship being detected by the lens position-detecting devices.

Lens driving-control device and imaging apparatus including the lens driving-control device

A photographing lens driving control apparatus includes a plurality of lens groups constituting a zooming optical system including a lens group (A) on an object side and a lens group (B) on an imaging side, a plurality of tens driving device (A,B,C) configured to drive the plurality of tens groups, respectively, and a control device (B) configured to control the plurality of lens driving devices; the control device (B) adjusts a driving speed of the lens group on the object side according to a position of the lens group on the imaging side relative to a position of the lens group on the object side, when driving the lens group on the object side.

Photographing lens driving control apparatus

A photographic lens drive control apparatus according to the present invention includes a cap detection section which determines that a lens cap is attached to a lens barrel when a lens barrel movement detection section does not detect movement amount of the lens barrel while a lens barrel drive section allows the lens barrel to move from a contained position to a standby position; and a cap detection control section which performs a series of control over the lens barrel drive section to move the lens barrel from the contained position to the standby position and to stop the lens barrel from moving when the cap detection section determines that the lens cap is attached to the lens barrel, in which a cap detection area where the lens barrel moves from the contained position within a predetermined amount is set in a movement area of the lens barrel.

Photographic lens drive control apparatus, drive control method for same, and imaging apparatus including same

A photographing lens driving control device includes a plurality of lens groups (A-C) having a magnification function, a plurality of lens driving devices (A-C), which drives the plurality of lens groups, and a control device (A,B), which controls the plurality of lens driving devices, and when driving a lens group (A) positioned in an object side of the plurality of lens groups, the control device adjusts a driving speed of another lens group (B) depending on a position of the another lens group with respect to a position of the lens group positioned in the object side.

Photographing lens driving control device

A lens barrel including a telescopic cylinder configured to be accommodated within a fixed cylinder; a plurality of lens groups configured to be retained in the telescopic cylinder; a lens driving device configured to drive the plurality of lens groups along a longitudinal axis of the telescopic cylinder between a collapsed position in which at least one portion of the plurality of lens groups is stored in the fixed cylinder and an extended position in which the at least one portion of the plurality of lens groups is extended out of the fixed cylinder; and a retractable lens group configured to be retracted into the fixed cylinder through an opening in a wall of the fixed cylinder when the telescopic cylinder is in the extended position.

Lens barrel, camera, and mobile information terminal

An imaging apparatus including a ranging device for measuring a distance to a subject, a device for radiating fill-light to the subject, and a re-ranging determining device for determining as to whether re-measurement is executed based on a measured result of the ranging device, when the re-ranging determining device determines that the re-measurement by the ranging device is required, the fill-light radiating device radiating the fill light to the subject based on the determination of the re-ranging determining device, the ranging device having a ranging element mechanism for allowing a light flux from the subject to image thereon to measure the distance to the subject, a ranging arithmetical mechanism for achieving an arithmetic of the ranging based on outputting data of the ranging element mechanism, and an area selecting mechanism for selecting an area based on an arithmetical result of the ranging arithmetical mechanism.

Imaging apparatus and imaging method

In a voice mode, when a shutter button of a camera is fully depressed, first and second switches are turned ON, recording of voice starts. The shutter button is released. When the shutter button is half depressed after the shutter button is released the recording of the voice is stopped. Since the recording of voice is performed between when the shutter button is released and when it is depressed half, no mechanical sound is recorded.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Koichi Sugiura