Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Hoya Corporation

Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.

Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.

Pentax Corporation

Asahi Kogaku Kogyo K.k.

Asahi Kogaku Kabushiki Kaisha

Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kaisha

Asahi Optical Co., Ltd.

Norio Numako

Takeo Kobayashi

Yasushi Tabata

Katsutoshi Nagai

Shinsuke Kohmoto

Keisuke Haraguchi

Shigeru Kondoh

Hideki Ohkubo

Takuma Sato

Saburo Sugawara

Hiroshi Nomura

Yoshinari Tanimura

Masaaki Kishimoto

Takao Nishida

Takamitsu Sasaki

Kazuyoshi Azegami

Hirofumi Matsuo

Katsuhiko Nomura

Etsuro Nishio

Haruo Ishii

Susao Nakamura

Takeo Kobayshi

Masahiro Kawasaki

Kazuhiro Kagami

Kosei Kosako

Naoto Nakahara

Takayuki Ito

Katsuotoshi Nagai

Masushi Tabata

Hideki Oukubo

In the photographing apparatus and the photographing control method, a processor can set one of a still-image photographing mode, and a specified photographing mode other than the still-image photographing mode. An LPF controller allows the optical low-pass filter effect to be obtained by moving the movable member via a driver when the processor has set a photographing mode to the still-image photographing mode, and prohibits an obtaining of the optical low-pass filter effect, obtained by moving the movable member via the driver, when the processor has set the photographing mode to the specified photographing mode.

Photographing apparatus and photographing control method to generate a low-pass filter effect

A photographing apparatus and a photographing control method are provided, including an exposure-commencement instructing device configured to provide an instruction to commence an exposure of the image sensor, and an exposure-commencement controller configured to commence a driving of the movable member via the driver upon the image sensor being instructed to commence an exposure by the exposure-commencement instructing device in a non driving state of the movable member, performed by the driver, and after a predetermined unstable-operation period of time of the low-pass filter operation lapses from the commencement of the driving of the movable member, the exposure-commencement controller commences an exposure of the image sensor.

Photographing apparatus and photographing control method

A digital camera having an image mover includes a controller, a location information inputter, an orientation information inputter, a focal length information inputter, and an exposure time setter which sets an exposure time for which a celestial body image is exposed to an image sensor. The controller calculates a movement path of the celestial body image, which moves relative to the photographing optical system due to the rotation of the earth within the exposure time, using the location information that is input to the controller via the location information inputter, and the azimuth information and the altitude information that are input to the controller via the orientation information inputter. The controller drives the image mover in accordance with the calculated movement path to move the image sensor in a manner such that the image of the celestial body remains at a stationary position on the image sensor.

Digital camera having an image mover

An interchangeable lens which can communicate with an associated camera body when the interchangeable lens is detachably attached to the camera body to exchange data of the interchangeable lens, the interchangeable lens includes a logic IC via which the interchangeable lens communicates with the camera body; and a memory which is provided independent of the logic IC, connected to the logic IC, and stores the data of the interchangeable lens.

Interchangeable lens and lens-data communication method

An interchangeable lens which can communicate with an associated camera body, the interchangeable lens including an interface logic IC; and a memory connected to the interface logic IC, and stores the data of the interchangeable lens. Fixed data of the interchangeable lens is allocated to a predetermined number of bytes of data sent from the interchangeable lens to the camera body so that terminals of the interface logic IC serve as at least one group of fixed data set-pins to which levels corresponding to the fixed data are set. In communication with the camera body for a predetermined number of bytes thereof, the interface logic IC reads the fixed data set by the group of fixed data set pins to send the read fixed data to the camera body, and sends data of the interchangeable lens which is read from the memory to the camera body.

An interchangeable lens which can communicate with a camera body to which the interchangeable lens is detachably attached to exchange data of the interchangeable lens, includes a logic IC serving as an interface via which the interchangeable lens communicates with the camera body; a memory which is provided independent of the logic IC, connected to the logic IC, and stores the data of the interchangeable lens; and a controller, connected to the logic IC, for controlling operations of the interchangeable lens. The logic IC selectively switches connections of terminals thereof with the memory and the controller for communication therewith upon receiving a communication signal from the camera body.

Interchangeable lens

A lens drive control apparatus for a camera having a zoom lens provided with variable lens groups, at least one of the variable lens groups including a switching lens group having two sub lens groups, wherein one of the two sub lens groups serves as a movable sub lens group. The lens drive control apparatus includes a main drive device for moving the plurality of variable lens groups; and a sub lens group drive device for moving the movable sub lens group within the switching lens group to be positioned at a movement extremity on the object side or the image side, with respect to the other sub lens group, in accordance with a zooming zone from the short focal length extremity to an intermediate focal length position, or a zooming zone from the intermediate focal length to the long focal length extremity.

Lens drive control apparatus for zoom lens system having a switching lens group

A lens drive control apparatus includes a movable lens which is movable along the optical axis; a lens driver; a code plate having two limit positions respectively serving as mechanical movement limit positions of the movable lens, the code plate including first and second codes; a code detector which moves together with the movable lens; a pulse generator which generates pulses according to the movement of the movable lens; a pulse counter; and a position determining device which determines an absolute position of the first code detected by the code detector, based on the number of pulses counted by the pulse counter from the time when the code detector detects the first or second code until the time when the code detector detects the subsequent other of the second code or first code.

Lens drive control apparatus

A distance measuring apparatus includes a light receiving device having at least one array of photoelectric conversion elements, wherein each of the photoelectric conversion elements converts light received thereon into an electric charge and accumulates the electric charge so that each the accumulated electric charge is output in order from each photoelectric conversion element as an electrical picture signal of the light receiving device; an A/D converter which converts the picture signal into digital image data; a converting device which performs a logarithmic transformation on the digital image data to replace the digital image data with sensor data; and an operation device which performs a distance measuring calculation in accordance with the sensor data.

Distance measuring apparatus

A flash control system remotely controls an external flash by a camera. In the camera, a stop value is calculated as a photographic exposure factor for the external flash, and a flash-light emission timing of the external flash is calculated. A built-in flash of the camera is controlled to emit two light signals at a time interval representing the stop value. The external flash detects the two light signals. A timing of a flash-light emission of the external flash is controlled in accordance with one of the two light signals. An amount of the flash-light emission of the external flash is controlled in accordance with the time interval.

External flash control system

A flash control system remotely controls a an external flash by a camera. In the camera, a first factor is calculated to determine an amount of a flash-light to be emitted from a built-in flash of the camera, and a second factor to determine an amount of a flash-light to be emitted from the external flash, a total amount of both the flash-light emissions of the flashes corresponding to a proper exposure with which an object should be photographed. The built-in flash emits two light signals therefrom at a time interval such that the second factor is represented by the time interval between the signals. An amount of the flash-light emission of the external flash is controlled according to the time interval such that the flash-light amount of the external flash coincides with the second factor.

A flash control system remotely controls an external flash by a camera. In the camera, a guide number is calculated as an exposure factor for the external flash, and a flash-light emission timing of the external flash is calculated. A built-in flash of the camera is controlled to emit two light signals at a time interval representing the guide number. The external flash detects the two light signals. A timing of a flash-light emission of the external flash is controlled in accordance with one of the two light signals. An amount of the flash-light emission of the external flash is controlled in accordance with the time interval.

A lens barrier apparatus includes a lens barrier having opened and closed positions, The lens barrier is positioned on the front face of a lens barrel and protects a camera lens. A motor which drives the opening/closing of the lens barrier and an encoder outputs a predetermined signal together with the rotation of the motor. A drive control when a battery is loaded in the camera, drives the motor in a direction in which the lens barrier is closed and, when the predetermined signal is not output from the encoder during the driving process, drives the motor in a direction in which the lens barrier is opened and then drives the motor in the direction in which the lens barrier is closed again.

Camera with lens barrier apparatus

An electronic device includes a first non-volatile memory for storing a control program for controlling an operation of the electronic device, and a second non-volatile memory for storing at least one modifying program for modifying the control program. The second non-volatile memory also stores modification information related to a modification of the control program. At least one predetermined portion of the control program can call a software modification management routine. The modification information is then read and the electronic device determines whether a modifying program to be executed is present in accordance with the modification information and address information, which indicates a current operating position of the control program, in response to the calling of the software modification management routine. The control program and the modifying program are then executed if the electronic device determines that the modifying program is present.

Programmable electronic device

A zoom lens for a camera having a between-the-lens shutter includes a motor for moving the lens along an optical axis in forward and rearward directions. A switch is operable by an operator to control operation of the motor for moving the lens from an initial position on the axis to a final stationary position that establishes the focal length of the lens. Control apparatus is responsive to the setting of the switch for operating the motor such that movement of the lens from its initial position to its final position always ends after the lens travels to its final position in a predetermined direction.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Norio Numako