Nikon Corporation

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Canon Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha

Myotoku Ltd.

Minoru Kato

Hidenori Miyamoto

Isao Soshi

Junichi Omi

Shigeru Shirai

Yoshio Imura

Yasushi Fujioka

Takayoshi Arai

Hiroshi Wakabayashi

Keishi Saito

Tatsuo Amanuma

Kiyosada Machida

Hideya Inoue

Noriyasu Kotani

Yoshihiro Takeuchi

Daiki Tsukahara

Keishi Saitoh

Toshiyuki Nakamura

Tadao Takagi

Ken Utagawa

Yuji Katano

Hiroshi Terunuma

Jirou Asami

Yutaka Hayashi

Norikazu Yokonuma

Akira Katayama

Teruo Misumi

Hitoshi Aoki

Tetsuya Takei

Tatsuyuki Aoike

Sueyuki Ohishi

Masahiro Yamamoto

Nobuhiko Terui

Toshimi Watanabe

Toshio Sosa

Yoshiaki Ohtsubo

Tadashi Otani

Michio Yanagi

Koichi Hara

Shuji Iijima

Hachiro Kanai

Masaaki Yamamura

Masayuki Fujimura

Masato Odagiri

Mutsuhiro Yamada

Yasuo Nakagawa

Yumiko Hamanaka

Nobuaki Kaneko

A camera includes an imaging unit that generates image data, an inserting-image setting unit that sets an inserting image to be inserted into an image of the image data, a first detecting unit that detects a main subject area in a subject image, a second detecting unit that detects a background area in the subject image based on the main subject area, an inserting-area selecting unit that selects an inserting area into which an inserting image is inserted from the background area, and a magnification determining unit that determines a magnification for enlargement or reduction of the inserting image in accordance with a size of the inserting area and a size of the inserting image, and thereby inserts an inserting image of an appropriate size.

Camera

A digital camera includes: an image processing unit that creates first display image data and second display image data; a display device that displays a first screen image and a second screen image so as to allow a user to observe the first screen image when viewed along a first direction with respect to a display face and so as to allow the user to observe the second screen image when viewed along a second direction that differs from the first direction; and a control unit that instructs the display device to display the first display image data as the first screen image, and the second display image data as the second screen image.

Digital camera

A retractable lens camera includes: a lens barrel; three or more lens groups provided in the lens barrel; a retracting unit that retracts the lens barrel and the lens groups into a camera body; and a displacing unit that displaces at least two lens groups to an escaping space out of an optical axis.

Retractable lens camera

A camera is provided which has a vibration detection unit that detects vibration, a photographic focal length detection unit which detects the focal length of the photographic optical system, and a distance-measurement unit that measures the distance to the object being photographed. The vibration compensation device employs drive motors as a vibration compensation unit. The drive motors have a start up time which is at least as fast as the acceleration of a vibration having roughly a sine wave shape with a frequency of 10 Hz and a maximum velocity of 7.5 mm/sec. Such a motor is able to reach the maximum velocity of the vibration in under 25 ms. Additionally, a correct compensating coefficient calculation unit is provided which, from the output of the photographic focal length detection unit and the output of the distance-measurement unit, calculates a correct compensation coefficient for determining how much to change the optical axis of the photographic optical system relative to the output of the vibration detection unit. The vibration compensation device compensates for vibrations by driving the motor to change the optical axis of the photographic optical system of the camera in response to the compensation coefficient and the output of the vibration detection unit.

Camera with vibration compensation device varying the compensating action in accordance with the focal length of a lens and the distance to the subject

A vibration correction system for a camera using a correcting lens driven by a reduction gear train attached to a motor. Image deflection, originating from vibration and the like of the camera, is prevented by shifting the correcting lens. A movement detector, to detect the amount of movement of the correcting lens, is arranged near the drive shaft of the motor or near the first couple of gears of the reduction gear train. After the correcting lens has been driven, the connecting lens is reset to a predetermined standard position, based on the output of the movement detector. By placing the movement detector on or near the drive shaft, a high resolving power is obtained. Accordingly, the correcting lens can be shifted with fine precise movements, and accurate correction of image deflection becomes possible.

Vibration correction system for a camera

A first magnetic core has a first portion that determines the track width, a second portion extending from the first portion substantially vertically, a third portion that extends from the second portion substantially vertically and is longer than the first track width, and a fourth portion extending from the third portion substantially vertically. The first to fourth portions form a substantially rectangular ring-like shape with its portion between the first and second portions being notched. A second magnetic core has a fifth portion longer than the first track width, a sixth portion extending from the fifth portion substantially vertically, and a seventh portion extending from the sixth portion substantially vertically. The fifth to seventh portions form substantially the shape of letter C. The first and second magnetic cores are joined to each other so that the first and fifth portions are joined through a gap spacer, the outer circumferential surfaces of the first and fifth portions form a surface to be brought into slidable contact with a magnetic medium, and at least parts of the third and seventh portions and at least parts of the fourth and sixth portions are respectively stacked and joined to each other.

Magnetic head element, magnetic head, pressure plate using magnetic head

An image deflection preventing device for a camera, such as a still camera which is used to drive a deflection preventing optical system in accordance with readings from angular velocity sensors and other circuitry. Moreover, an exposure mode selection device is included to select strobe photography according to the focusing distance from a distance measuring unit maintained in the camera to a subject to be photographed. The selection device can select strobe photography when the focusing distance is closer than a predetermined distance or when photographic magnification from a focal length detection unit to a subject to be photographed is greater than a predetermined value. The selection of strobe photography is done using results from a photometric unit in conjunction with the determination of a brightness level. In particular, if a given brightness level is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, strobe photography is selected, otherwise, exterior light photography is selected. The brightness level for selection of strobe photography is typically higher at closer distances, longer focal lengths, or larger photographic magnifications.

Camera with device to prevent image blurs

An optical lens barrel having a lens group which serves as a vibration compensation lens group and a focusing lens group. The lens group is held by a holder movably secured to a plate. The lens group is movable within the plate on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the lens group via a pair of DC motors and associated gear trains. The DC motors and associated gear trains are mounted on the plate. The plate is slidably movable parallel to the optical axis of the lens group by a stepping motor via a series of concentric drive rings disposed around the plate. The drive rings also actuate an aperture mechanism which serves as a shutter. This reduces both the number of lenses and components needed to provide vibration compensation and autofocusing functions.

Optical lens barrel with an optical lens group shiftable perpendicular

A camera displacement mechanism control device can maintain the time required to effect removal of backlash within a set time. Zooming-down is started by the zoom-down switch being turned ON, and the lens barrel is driven as far as the wide-angle terminus if the zoom-down switch is not turned OFF during zooming-down. Alternatively, if the zoom down switch is turned OFF during zooming-down, the lens barrel is driven to the next halt position after the position where the zoom-down switch was turned OFF. In either case, the lens barrel is caused to overshoot the target halt position in the direction of scrolling-in for a time interval long enough to effect removal of backlash, and is subsequently driven in the direction of scrolling-out and halted at the described target halt position.

Displacement mechanism control device in a camera

A camera includes, but is not limited to, a focus adjustment optical system such as a zoom or a non-zoom type optical system, for example, an actuator generating a drive force which moves the focus adjustment optical system, a transmission mechanism transmitting the drive force from the actuator to the focus adjustment optical system, a drive amount detection mechanism detecting an amount of drive of the focus adjustment optical system caused by the actuator; and wherein the actuator, the transmission mechanism and the drive amount detection mechanism are disposed in the camera in a position which is on the outer circumference of the aforementioned focus adjustment optical system and which is on a long side of an aperture that forms light fluxes into a rectangular shape to become incident on a film surface. Also provided is a camera that includes, but is not limited to, a variable power device conducting focus distance variable power operations based on multiple photographic lens groups by moving the multiple photographic lens groups in a direction of their optical axes, a vibration detection device to detect a vibration and to generate vibration signals in relation thereto, a vibration compensation device to correct vibration corresponding to the vibration detection signals from the vibration detection device and wherein the variable power device houses the vibration compensation device inside a main cover of a camera body when the camera is not in use and wherein the vibration compensation device is made to extend to a position outside of the main cover of the camera to a specified region when the camera is in use. Finally, a camera is provided that includes, but is not limited to, a lens groups positioned along an optical axis, a drive device changing a distance between a first lens group of the lens groups and the lens groups. The drive device includes an actuator and a displacement transmission device. The drive device is positioned in the camera along an exterior circumference of a second lens group of the lens groups. The second lens group is closest to an image forming plane.

Camera equipped with a device for focus adjustment during times of

A camera capable of operating in a red-eye prevention mode. The camera has an electronic flash device which is activated by a drive circuit in synchronization with the exposure. The electronic flash device also serve as a pre-light-emission device capable of performing pre-light-emission for the purpose of preventing red-eye effect. When it is judged from the photographing condition that red-eye effect may occur, a controller activates the electronic flash device to effect a pre-light-emission for reducing the size of pupils of eyes of a person to be photographed, before the main flashing which is executed in synchronization with the exposure.

Control device for preventing red-eye effect on camera

A lens camera having a viewfinder mechanism and an adjustable strobe light generating unit, wherein the zoom viewfinder mechanism has a disk cam to cause a lens group of a viewfinder optical system to move back and forth in an optical axis direction according to a difference of the distances in the radial direction from the rotation center of shafts of individual lenses of the lens group, the shafts fitting in grooves of the disk and driving the individual lenses of the lens group in order to perform variable power of a zoom viewfinder. Drive gears drive the disk cam and one of the drive gears is a helical gear which has a predetermined angle for a lead angle, the rotation center of the disk cam and the rotation axis direction of the one drive gear being positioned so as to intersect. The strobe light generating unit is moved in the direction of the optical axis of the camera so that a radiating angle of a strobe fitted in the strobe light generating unit is changed according to the variable power of operation of the lens. Jaw portions are integrally formed on the strobe light generating unit and engage rail grooves formed on the body of the camera.

Lens shutter camera having a zoom viewfinder mechanism and an adjustable

A lens device having a base unit, a lens unit and an intermediate member. The base unit includes a drive ring which is rotatable around an optical axis of the lens device and has a coupling portion which protrudes into the housing space. The lens unit is inserted into a housing space of the base unit. Moreover, the lens unit is rotatable around the optical axis of the lens device and rotatably coupled to the base unit so that the rotation of the lens unit around the optical axis of the lens device causes the lens unit to move along the optical axis. The intermediate member is connected to the lens unit and has a groove. The coupling portion of the drive ring is engaged in the groove so that the rotation of the drive ring causes the coupling portion to interact with the groove to move the intermediate member. The movement of the intermediate member causes the lens unit to rotate around, and thereby move along, the optical axis in accordance with the rotation of the drive ring. The lens unit includes a notch so that, when the lens unit is inserted into the housing space of the base unit, the coupling portion of the drive unit passes through the notch and engages with the groove of the intermediate member, thereby allowing the lens unit to be inserted into the housing space of the base unit without being obstructed by the coupling portion.

Lens device having a focusing lens unit coupled to a drive ring by a

A lens barrel is provided with a lens group that can move against a camera main body, an electrical device that can move with the lens group, and a plurality of flexible printed circuit boards arranged one on top of the other within a space inside the lens barrel, in order to electrically connect the electrical device to an electrical device that is provided outside the lens barrel.

Lens barrel with flexible printed circuit boards

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Minoru Kato