Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Motonobu Matsuda

Yoshihiro Tanaka

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Yasuhiro Nanba

Hiroshi Ueda

Motohiro Nakanishi

Hiroshi Ootsuka

Masayoshi Sahara

Shinji Tominaga

Takeo Hoda

Yoshito Tanaka

Toru Matsui

Tohru Matsui

Norio Beppu

Tokuji Ishida

Seiji Yamada

Yoshiharu Ohta

Yoshio Kuramoto

Masatoshi Ito

An electronic still video camera includes photography means having video signal production means for producing a video signal with respect to an object, color balance adjustment means for fixedly adjusting the color balance of the video signal of said video signal production means to a color temperature for daylight, judge means for judging as to whether an object is able to be photographed without flash light, and flash firing means for firing flash light when said judge means judges that flash light is necesary. The electronic still video camera can simplify the construction of color balance circuit.

Electronic still video camera

In an electronic camera having a photographic objective lens, a blocking member is disposed in the path of a propagation of a bundle of light rays from an object. The blocking member is adapted to prevent the bundle of rays from impinging on an image pickup device except during a photographic operation. The blocking member is retractable from the path to permit the bundle of rays to be incident on the image pickup device. A photoelectric conversion circuit includes photoelectric conversion elements arranged in the form of a matrix. A charge control circuit controls the amount of charges to be stored in the photoelectric conversion circuit while the blocking member is completely retracted from the path. An image processing circuit produces an image signal based on the amount of stored charges.

Electronic camera having a controllable light blocking member

The present invention can be applied to a control device wherein the probability of giving the proper exposure to the primary object photographed is high even when the regions to be found in range within the photographing distance are plural, thereby to being capable of more positively judging the backlight condition, an automatic focus adjusting apparatus capable of more reflecting the photographing intention of the photographer, an exposure control apparatus capable of normally providing the proper exposure amount with respect to the photographed object independently of the distance to the object photographed even when the daylight synchronized flash photographing operation is performed, and a control device which does not need a switching circuit and the switching operation by it.

Control device for use in a camera having an objective lens

A distance measuring device for measuring a distance to an object has an LED for projecting a pulse light to the object, photoelectric cells for receiving a reflected pulse light from the object in addition to an ambient light and producing a pulse signal representing the reflected pulse light and a noise signal representing the ambient light, a circuit for generating a level signal which increases as the ambient light becomes brighter, thereby locating the noise signal below the level signal, a comparator for comparing the level signal with the reflected light signal and producing, when the reflected light signal is below the level signal, an infinite signal indicating that the object is located at an infinite distance.

Infinite level setting device for a distance measuring device

A distance measuring apparatus of the present invention converges the reflected light on objects through a converging lens and detects the light by a multi-divisional photodiode. The multi-divisional photodiode comprises a plural number of light receiving elements so that each of the light receiving elements detects the reflected light from the corresponding object to provide an electric signal according to the quantity of reflected light. The quantity of light in the peripheral portions of the flash or the converging lens is inherently smaller than the quantity of light in the central portion thereof. This distance measuring apparatus is improved so that a constant electric signal is obtained by any of the light receiving elements as far as the distance to the objects is constant. For example, such improvement is made in a manner in which: the quantity of received light of the central portion is limited by a filter provided between the converging lens and the multi-divisional photodiode; the light receiving areas of the light receiving elements are increased in peripheral portions of the multi-divisional photodiode compared with those in the central portion thereof; or the obtained electric signal is electrically corrected.

Distance measuring apparatus

An image position detector includes a light receiving element for receiving an image of an object and for producing an electric signal generated by the image, and a signal processing circuit for processing the electric signal and for producing a position signal representing a position of the image on the light receiving element. The light receiving element is defined by a semiconductor device having an n-type substrate and p-type region formed in the substrate. A current generated between the n-type substrate and p-type region is in relation to the distance to the image from the p-type region. The signal processing circuit receives the generated current and determines the position of the image by the level of the generated current.

Image position detector

The disclosure is directed to a focus detection device which is provided with first to third reference signal generators for generating reference signals which are compared with a focus condition signal varying with the amount and direction of the adjustment required for the objective lens to focus on a target object, and also, to an automatic focusing device for a camera, which is equipped with an objective lens operating system for the focusing, and a motor for controlling the objective lens operating system in response to a signal from a focus condition determining means.

Focus detection device and automatic focusing device for camera

Automatic range finder

A light emitting diode constituted by a pair of semiconductor layers having a planar P-N junction therebetween, the semiconductor layers having at least one side surface extending transversely across the P-N junction and from which light is emitted in a direction parallel with the plane of the P-N junction, a pair of electrodes on the respective outer surfaces of the pair of semiconductor layers parallel with the plane of the P-N junction plane, at least one of the pair of electrodes covering an area less than the total area of the P-N junction and being located adjacent to the one side surface from which the light is emitted, the remainder of the area of the outer surface of the semiconductor layer not being covered by the electrode, and a light shielding member covering the remainder of the area of the outer surface of the semiconductor layer which is not covered by the one electrode. The light shield member is made of a material identical with that of the one electrode, and is insulated from the one electrode, and the light shielding member and the one electrode are spaced from each other to define a gap therebetween for insulating them from each other.

Light emitting diode

A distance measuring device comprises a light emitter, a light receiver including a plurality of photo-responsive elements for sensing the pulsating light beam emitted by the light emitter and subsequently reflected from a target object relative to which the distance from the device is to be measured, and a signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit includes a logic circuit so designed as to determine the applicability of an output signal from one of light measuring circuits connected to the respective photoresponsive elements in relation to output signals from the other of the light measuring circuit.

Automatic distance measuring device

An improved distance indication arrangement for use in an automatic focus control camera in which a distance signal produced by a distance measuring device is utilized for giving warning so as to prevent under-exposure in the case of flash light photographing.

Distance indication arrangement for automatic focus control camera

A photographic camera having an automatic rangefinder system wherein a light emitter projects a beam of light through a convergent lens to illuminate a target object. This beam of light is detected through another convergent lens by one of a group of photoresponsive elements forming a light receiver. Depending upon which photoresponsive element of the light receiver detects the reflected beam of light, the range of the target object to be photographed from the photographic camera is indicated. The light emitter and the light receiver are supported by a single support member in laterally offset relation to each other and the lens elements for converging the projected beam of light and the reflected beam of light, respectively, are integrally formed of a synthetic resin. The rangefinder elements are assembled into a rangefinder module.

Automatic rangefinder system for photographic camera with light emitting

A distance measuring device has a light emitter, a light receiver including a plurality of photoresponsive elements for sensing the pulsating light beam emitted by the light emitter and subsequently reflected from a target object relative to which the distance from the device is to be measured, and a signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit includes a logic circuit so designed as to determine the significance of an output signal from one of a number of light measuring circuits connected to the respective photoresponsive elements in relation to output signals from the other of the light measuring circuits.

A distance measuring device is disclosed which includes a light emitting diode for projecting a light beam and photoresponsive elements for receiving the reflected light beam from an object. The photoresponsive elements are coupled to a circuit for producing a signal indicative of the distance between the device and the object. A circuit is provided for generating a timing signal in relation to the phase of the alternative fluctuations in the intensity of the ambient light. The light emitting diode is so controlled as to be allowed to project light beam when the timing signal is produced. The timing signal is arranged to occur during periods of zero or minimal ambient light fluctuations so that the distance measuring device is immune to the ambient light fluctuations.

Growing community of inventors

Kawachinagano, Japan

Motonobu Matsuda