Sankyo Seiki Mfg. Co., Ltd

Omron Corporation

Nidec Sankyo Corporation

Masao Yajima

Sadayoshi Yasuda

Kazuo Higashiura

Hidekazu Yoneyama

Toshifumi Tsuruta

Yoichi Nakanishi

Ryuji Kawamoto

Yuji Fujita

Yuichi Suzuki

A lens driving device includes a moving body having a lens and a drive magnet that is moveable with the lens in an optical axis direction of the lens, and a fixed body that moveably supports the moving body in the optical axis direction. The fixed body includes a first drive coil and a second drive coil that are disposed in the optical axis direction and form magnetic circuits with the drive magnet, and a first magnetic member and a second magnetic member that are disposed opposite the first drive coil and the second drive coil, respectively. The moving body is retained at a first position by magnetic attraction working between the drive magnet and the first magnetic member when energization of the first drive coil is stopped. The moving body is also retained at a second position by magnetic attraction working between the drive magnet and the second magnetic member when energization of the second drive coil is stopped.

Lens driving device and portable equipment with camera

An optical switch device for driving a movable member mounting a light reflection member thereon by a magnetic drive circuit, wherein, in an optical waveguide switching device () as an optical switch device, a movable member () mounting thereon an optical waveguide switching prism mirror () is driven in an X direction by a magnetic drive circuit while being floated from a fixing-side member () in order to improve stability of a light outputting position. When the movable member () is moved to a desired position in the X direction, power supply to solenoids () is stopped in a clamp mechanism (), and a clamp plate () presses the movable member () against the fixing-side member () to fix it. A V-groove () formed in the movable member () and a V-groove () formed in the fixing-side member () mesh each other to position the movable member () in the X direction.

Optical switch device

A camera includes a lens driving device and an image obtaining device. The lens driving device is formed from a lens holder that holds a lens and a driving device that moves the lens holder in an optical axis of the lens, wherein the lens holder is intermittently stoppable at least at two positions in the optical axis direction of the lens. The image obtaining device captures optical images of different magnifications at least at the two positions, and obtains zoom images at least between one of the optical images and the other of the optical images based on at least one of the optical images and electronic images generated based on the at least one of the optical images.

Camera and portable equipment with camera

An automatic focusing apparatus to be used for an optical system comprises an image pickup device for picking up an image of the subject supported on a support by way of the optical system and transmitting video signals for the subject, an extracting device for extracting only the video signals corresponding to the pitch of movement of focus adjustment from the signals transmitted from the image pickup device and an in-focus state detecting device for determining the in-focus position of the subject with the area for in-focus detection determined by the pitch setting device and a drive for moving either the support or the optical system for focus adjustment depending on the result of detection of the in-focus state detecting device.

Automatic focusing apparatus using scanning line weighting of a video

An automatic focusing apparatus comprises an image pickup device for obtaining an image of a subject by way of an optical system and transmitting a video signal of the image, a device for specifying an in-focus position detection area within the field of the optical system and a CPU for storing in-focus signals transmitted from the in-focus device and detecting the in-focus position of the subject within the area predetermined by the in-focus device on the basis of the stored in-focus signals.

Growing community of inventors

Nagano, Japan

Masao Yajima