Combi Co., Ltd.

Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Nidec Copal Corporation

Copal Company Limited

Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Kouichi Kobayashi

Shinroku Nakao

Norifumi Nakagawa

Tomio Kurosu

Tetsuo Sakamoto

Mutsumi Naruse

Takanori Kohno

Fumio Ishihara

Teruyuki Tongu

Manabu Inoue

Junichi Matsumoto

Yoshiyasu Ishii

Hiroaki Matsuda

Yoshiaki Hata

Kazuo Moriya

Yuzo Abe

Haruki Ooe

A step motor is composed of a rotor, first and second stators, and a magnetic member. The rotor is rotatably supported and comprised of a magnet having magnetic poles magnetized in four angular sections. The first stator has a pair of counter poles disposed in opposed relation to the magnet and a coil wound around the first stator. The second stator has another pair of counter poles disposed in opposed relation to the magnet and another coil wound around the second stator. The second stator is opposite to the first stator with respect to the rotor such that the counter poles of the first and second stators surround the rotor to stepwise rotate the rotor in response to electric pulses applied to the coils of the first and second stators. The magnetic member has a pair of interpoles positioned in a middle of the first and second stators in opposed relation to the rotor such as to stabilize a rest position of the rotor, which is held when the electric pulse is not applied to the coils.

Step motor with interpole pair stabilizing rest position

A lens drive includes a stepper motor that can be rotated forward and reversely; a motor control for controlling the driving of the stepper motor, a photographing lens for forming a subject image on a predetermined image surface, a lens driver for driving the photographing lens, and a coupler for coupling the stepper motor and the lens driver.

Lens drive and lens shutter unit

Method and apparatus for controlling exposure of camera

In an electromagnetic actuator, a rotor composed of a permanent magnet is mounted rotatably in two directions between a first end position and a second end position via an intermediate position. A coil is wound around the rotor to rotate the rotor in an energizing state where an electric current is applied to the coil. An auto-retaining device is provided for retaining the rotor at one of the intermediate position, the first end position and the second end position under a non-energizing state where the electric current is not applied to the coil. The auto-retaining device has an elastic member that regulates the rotor at the intermediate position by a mechanical elastic force, a first magnetic member that is opposed to the permanent magnet and that retains the rotor at the first end position by a magnetic attractive force, and a second magnetic member that is opposed to the permanent magnet and that retains the rotor at the second end position by a magnetic attractive force.

Electromagnetic actuator with auto-retaining of rotor at triple positions

In a drive apparatus, an operating member is driven by a step motor under control of a control section in response to a signal from a detection section. The control section sets the operating member to an initial position from a mechanically stopped position by forward rotating the step motor at a predetermined step number. At a time of starting an operation of the operating member from the initial position, the control section temporarily reverse rotates the step motor to move the operating member to a detection zone so that the detecting section may detect the signal when the operating member performs a normal movement. Then, the control section responds to the signal to forward rotate the step motor so as to move the operating member to a target position. At a time of a returning operation to the initial position from the target position, the control section reverse rotates the step motor so as to return the operating member from the target position to the detection zone so that the detecting section may detect the signal when the operating member performs a normal movement. Then, the control section responds to the signal to forward rotate the step motor to move the operating member to the initial position, thereby finishing a series of the operations.

Step motor driving apparatus

An exposure control method and apparatus for a camera having a two-area divided brightness measurement system. A central light value is determined based on a central area brightness of a photographic scene, and a peripheral light value is determined based on a peripheral area brightness of the scene. After determining by comparison between the central and peripheral light values whether the scene is back-lighted or front-lighted, a correction coefficient specific to back-lighted scenes or that specific to front-lighted scenes is read from a memory. An exposure value suitable for a main subject is calculated according to the following equation:

The camera shutter comprises two shutter blades which have first opening forming portions and second opening forming portions capable of alternatively forming two exposure openings different in area on an exposure aperture. These shutter blades are opened and closed by a shutter blade opening and closing lever which can be retained at a neutral position by a closing spring. The shutter blade opening and closing lever is turned by a motor which starts from the neutral position rotates in one of two directions opposite to each other. The lever is equipped with a opening spring capable of exerting a resilient force in the rotating directions of the opening and closing lever. The resilient force of the opening spring is weaker than that of the closing spring. The first opening forming portions form an exposure opening when the motor is started in a first direction and the second opening forming portions form an exposure opening when the motor is started in a second direction. Sizes of the exposure openings are adjustable by turning an adjustable eccentric stopper. This camera shutter can perform accurate and stable exposure operations though it has a simple construction and can be manufactured at a low cost.

Shutter blade opening and closing device

A main driving member coupled with a stepping motor is advanced or returned by normal and reverse rotation of the stepping motor. When the main driving member is advanced, a lens driving member follows the main driving member to be advanced to a focused position and is engaged at the focused position. A shutter mechanism is opened and closed in the course of the returning of the main driving member and subsequently the engagement of the lens driving member is released in the course of the returning of the main driving member so that the lens driving member is returned to its initial position. Any one of a sensor for detecting the initial position of the main driving member or a sensor for detecting the initial position of the lens driving member is provided. By employing one of the two sensors, a single sensor is used to confirm the operation of both of the lens driving member and the main driving member.

Lens shutter driving mechanism using lens driving mechanism

A camera including operable means changeable from an initial position to a predetermined position and vice versa, drive means for driving the operable means, detection means for detecting that the operable means reaches the predetermined position, control means for controlling the drive means, whereby the operable means is forcibly reset in the initial position when an erroneous operation occurs. The camera detects the occurrence of erroneous operations and automatically suspends the driving of the operable means so as to eliminate the influence of erroneous operations and assure accurate photography.

Camera

A driving unit using an electrostrictive element drives mechanical members such as, for example, a diaphragm and a shutter or a shutter blade having the function of a diaphragm blade by deformation of the electrostrictive element produced when a voltage is applied to the element, and is adapted to obtain a desired deformation quantity from the electrostrictive element regardless of the magnitude of an initial deformation quantity due to hysteresis of the element. A reference switch such as, for example, a photointerrupter operates when a predetermined reference deformation quantity is obtained in an area where the deformation quantity changes linearly in respect to variation of an applied voltage. A voltage obtained by superposing a voltage corresponding to a difference between a desired deformation quantity of the element and the reference deformation quantity on a voltage applied to the electrostrictive element when the reference switch is operated is applied to the electrostrictive element so that a desired deformation quantity is obtained regardless of the magnitude of the initial deformation quantity.

Driving unit using electrostrictive element

Baby stroller

The upper back portion of a seating sheet is suspended from the handle of a baby carriage by a slidable clip arrangement including a first loop clip suspended from the carriage handle and a second loop clip adjustably secured to the upper portion of the seating sheet.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kouichi Kobayashi