Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Corporation

Mitsuhiro Sato

Tatsuo Takanashi

Tamotsu Koiwai

Yasuo Asakura

Shinya Takahashi

Keita Takahashi

Kazuyuki Iwasa

Shinichi Kodama

A body of a lens frame, which is a lens barrel of the present invention, consists of an inner frame for holding a lens, an intermediate frame in which an adjusting screw is screwed, and an outer frame in which an adjusting screw is screwed. The frames are connected to one another by parallel springs. In the case of this lens frame, the inner frame is displaced in the direction of X-axis or a horizontal axis by screwing the adjusting screw thereinto in the direction of the horizontal axis and screwing another adjusting screw thereinto by the direction of a vertical axis. Thus, the inner frame is displaced in Y-direction through the intermediate frames. Consequently, the translation of the position of the optical axis of the lens is performed without inclination of the intermediate frame. Hence, the adjustment of the position of the optical axis is easily achieved. Moreover, this lens frame achieves a reduction in the cost of components thereof.

Lens barrel

A photographing lens of a camera comprises a non-circular lens and a light blocking mask. The non-circular lens receives an optical image from an object and forms an image on a photographing medium. The light blocking mask is fixed in front of the non-circular lens, and blocks noise light generated in relation to the non-circular lens.

Photographing lens of a camera having a mask for blocking off noise light which generates in relation to a non-circular lens

A lens housing including an anti-flare aperture device in the form of a thin planar aperture member. In one embodiment, a plurality of guide pins extend from a group-3 lens element, with a compression spring on one of the guide pins to bias the group-3 lens in the direction of its optical axis. The aperture member, the position of which is defined by two guide pins, is sandwiched between the group-3 lens and the compression spring, thereby being supported. The aperture member moves backward and forward together with the group-3 lens supported by the guide pins. In a second embodiment, the aperture device is attached directly to one side of the lens elements.

Lens housing having aperture device

Lens barrel having deformable member

A lens holding structure is incorporated in an optical system, such as the photographing optical system of a camera. The lens holding structure has a holding member (i.e., a lens frame) for holding a non-circular lens included among the lenses of the photographing optical system. The non-circular lens has an arcuate outline portion and a linear portion. The holding member holds the non-circular lens by supporting it at at least three points on the arcuate outline portion without touching the linear portion of the lens. The lens holding structure is simple and enables easy and accurate assembly of the optical system of the camera.

Lens holding structure

A camera optical system has a photographic optical system and a finder optical system. The photographic optical system has a photographic lens section that receives an optical image from a subject to be photographed and forms an image on a film. The finder optical system has a nonphotographic lens provided integrally with the photographic lens section of the photographic optical system.

Camera optical system having nonphotographic lens formed integrally in

A lens barrel with a stationary frame fixed relative to a camera body; a flare diaphragm movable in a direction of an optical axis for cutting off harmful incident light; an urging spring urging the flare diaphragm in the direction of the optical axis; a third group frame including a protruding portion which is driven into abutting contact with the flare diaphragm to restrict a position of the flare diaphragm in the direction of the optical axis, the third group frame being moved in the direction of the optical axis; and, a supporting shaft rigidly positioned on the stationary frame. The supporting shaft guides the movable flare diaphragm in the direction of the optical axis, while being snugly fitted to the flare diaphragm. In addition, the supporting shaft includes a stepped front portion for restricting such movement of the flare diaphragm to a predetermined position.

A lens barrel with a cam mechanism, manufactured by molding plastic, comprising a plurality of cams having a plurality of parting lines, for lens driving, and a plurality of cam followers that are engaged with the plurality of cam faces of the respective cams. The plurality of parting lines are arranged on the plurality of cam followers in a manner that the positions of the parting lines relative to the respective cam followers are set to be different from each other. In the driving of lenses, no two cam followers are simultaneously positioned at their respective parting lines so that the lenses may be free from the effect of a step at each parting line. Thus, the deviation of the position of each lens is minimized.

Lens barrel with a cam mechanism comprised of plastic material

A lens assembly includes a third lens group frame having an end face extending in an optical-axis direction and provided with an end-face cam having displacement along a peripheral direction, for retaining a third group of lenses, a second lens group frame having a cam follower abutted against the end-face cam for retaining a second group of lenses, a second lens group spring for biasing the second lens group frame toward the third lens group frame, rotational regulator for regulating rotation of one of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame around an optical axis, and a rotator for rotating the other of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame around an optical axis when zoom operation is performed, wherein the end-face cam and a cam follower are operated by relative angular movement of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame, around the optical axis at the time the zoom operation is performed to modify spacing therebetween in the optical-axis direction.

Lens mount

A lens assembly includes a third lens group frame having an end face extending in an optical-axis direction provided with an end-face cam having displacement along a peripheral direction, for retaining a third group of lenses, a second lens group frame having a cam follower abutted against the end-face cam for retaining a second group of lenses, a second lens group spring for biasing the second lens group frame toward the third lens group frame, a rotational regulating for regulator rotation of one of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame around an optical axis, and rotator for rotating the other of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame around an optical axis when zoom operation is performed, wherein the end-face cam and a cam follower are operated by relative angular movement of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame, around the optical axis at the time the zoom operation is performed to modify spacing therebetween in the optical-axis direction.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Mitsuhiro Sato