Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Hoya Corporation

Pentax Corporation

Asahi Kogaku Kabushiki Kaisha

Shigeo Enomoto

Ken Hirunuma

Shinji Tsukamoto

Shinji Urata

Hitoshi Hirobe

Mitsuhiko Shimoda

Harumi Aoki

Shuzo Seo

Tahei Morisawa

Fumio Urano

Tadashi Minakuchi

Taminori Odano

Makoto Niwa

A stage apparatus includes a stationary support plate; a stage member provided on the stationary support plate so as to move on a reference plane parallel with the stationary support plate; Y-direction magnetic flux generating devices secured to one of the stationary support plate and the stage member; and Y-direction moving coils secured to the other of the stationary support plate and the stage member, the Y-direction moving coils receiving magnetic flux from the Y-direction magnetic flux generating devices so as to generate a driving force in a specific Y-direction between the Y-direction magnetic flux generating devices and the Y-direction moving coils. The Y-direction moving coils are secured to the stage member so that the Y-direction moving coils at least partly overlap each other in an X-direction, which is parallel with the reference plane and perpendicular to the Y-direction, and do not overlap in the Y-direction.

Stage apparatus and image movement correction apparatus for camera using stage apparatus

A supporting mechanism comprises a movable unit and a fixed unit. The movable unit is movable in a reference plane. The fixed unit has a rectangular frame that is connected with the movable unit, that is composed of strips perpendicular to the reference plane, and that is fixed to another part of the fixed unit. The fixed unit movably supports the movable unit through an elastic transformation of the rectangular frame.

Supporting mechanism

An anti-shake apparatus of a photographing apparatus comprises a hand-shake quantity detector and a controller. The hand-shake quantity detector has a first detector having an angular velocity sensor and has a second detector having an angular displacement sensor. The controller performs an anti-shake operation based on a first angular signal from the first detector and a second angular signal from the second detector.

Anti-shake apparatus

An anti-shake system includes a movable portion to which an optical element is mounted; a support member which holds the movable portion in a manner to allow the movable portion to move freely in directions orthogonal to an optical axis; and a drive system which drives the movable portion in the directions orthogonal to the optical axis. A natural frequency of the movable portion that originates from the movable portion and the support member is set within the range of frequencies of shaking of an apparatus equipped with the anti-shake system which is caused by hand shake.

Anti-shake system

An imaging unit to be inserted into a camera body from a predetermined direction, thus to constitute a digital camera in combination with the camera body, is provided. The imaging unit is provided with an image pickup unit including an imaging device that obtains an object image, an imaging device driver that drives the imaging device, an image processor that processes an output signal of the imaging device; a casing for accommodating the image pickup unit, the imaging device driver and the image processor, and a lid attached to the casing so as to slide between a closed position where the lid covers a receiving surface of the image pickup unit, and an open position where the lid does not cover the receiving surface of the image pickup unit. In this structure, the lid is moved to the open position by a force exerted for inserting the imaging unit into the camera body.

Imaging unit, camera body and camera system

A stage apparatus includes a stationary support member, a movable stage plate supported by the stationary support member to be movable in a plane relative to the stationary support member, at least one magnetic force generator which is provided integral with the stationary support member, and at least one coil which is mounted on the movable stage plate and receives a magnetic force generated by the magnetic force generator to produce a driving force for driving the movable stage plate in the plane. At least one hole in which the coil is fixedly fitted is formed on the movable stage plate.

Stage apparatus and camera shake correction apparatus using the stage apparatus

A stage apparatus includes a Y-direction deformable body including a stationary support member, a movable support member and a pair of X-direction leaf springs to form a substantially rectangular shape in a free state; and an X-direction deformable body, positioned in the Y-direction deformable body, including a connecting member, a support member and a pair of Y-direction leaf springs to form a substantially rectangular shape in a free state. The support member of the X-direction deformable body includes a support member joint portion which joins the support member to the movable support member of the Y-direction deformable body. The X-direction deformable body and the Y-direction deformable body are integrally molded by synthetic resin together with the support member joint portion.

A digital camera comprises a solid state imaging device provided with an optical low-pass filter. A photographing optical system forms an object image on a light receiving surface of a CCD through the optical low-pass filter. An electronic-charge accumulation-time control program is stored in a ROM of a system control circuit to determine optimum exposure parameters according to which a photography is performed. The electronic-charge accumulation-time control program has a program diagram showing a relationship between an electronic-charge accumulation-time and an aperture value and/or an ISO speed.

Digital camera

A first rotating board is supported on a fixed member, being rotatable around a first pivot shaft. A second rotating board is supported on the first rotating board, being rotatable around a second pivot shaft. The first and second rotating boards are respectively rotated by first and second driving mechanisms. A lens holding member, which holds a correction lens, is fixed at an opening portion of the second rotating board. The lens holding member pierces through opening portions of the fixed member and the first rotating board. The first and second driving mechanisms are controlled such that a focused image tremble can be canceled by a combination of the displacement of the correction lens due to the rotation of the first rotating board and the displacement of the correction lens due to the rotation of the second rotating board.

Focused image tremble correcting device

A correction lens is supported in a generally cylindrical supporting member such that its optical axis is coaxial with the central axis of the supporting member. A flange is formed on an outer surface of the supporting member. A first opening is formed in a first rotating board, and a second opening is formed in a second rotating board. First and second cylindrical portions at both end sides of the supporting member respectively penetrate through the first and second openings. The flange is positioned between the first and second rotating boards. When the first rotating board is rotated, the first cylindrical portion is supported by the upper and lower sides of the first opening and is led by the second opening. When the second rotating board is rotated, the second cylindrical portion is supported by left and right sides of the second opening and is led by the first opening.

When an exposure of a film is started, the A/D conversion of angular speed signals output from the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction sensors and the storing of these digitalized angular speed signals to a memory are repeated at predetermined intervals. After the exposure time has elapsed, the A/D conversion and the storing are stopped, and the film is wound by one frame. Angular data are calculated by integrating the digitalized angular speed signals, and a tremble amount is calculated based on the angular data and a focal length of a photographing optical system. The tremble amount is compared with a permissible amount. If the tremble amount exceeds the permissible amount, the exposure is repeated. The photographing is repeated until the tremble amount becomes less than or equal to the permissible amount.

Camera provided with tremble detecting function

An angular positional data of binoculars in a lateral irection is calculated by integrating output of a gyro sensor. A positional data of correction lenses in the lateral direction is calculated by multiplying a driving step number of a rotor of a stepping motor which drives the correction lenses in the lateral direction, by a driving amount of the lens holding frame, which holds the correction lens, according to a one step rotation of the stepping motor. A difference between the angular positional data and the positional data of the correction lenses is calculated. If the difference is within a range from a positive threshold value to a negative threshold value, an electric power supply to a driving circuit of the stepping motor is stopped. With respect to a lengthwise direction, a similar operation to that of the lateral direction is performed.

Tremble correction device

An angular speed of an optical axis of an optical device is detected by a gyro sensor, and inputted to a first A/D converting input terminal of a CPU. A position data of a correction optical system is sensed by a PSD, and inputted to a second A/D converting input terminal of the CPU. The inputted data both of the first and the second A/D converting input terminals is converted to a digital signal. The digital signal of the angular speed is stored in an integration register. The digital signal of the position data is stored in a correction optical system position register. When a trembling speed of a focused image changes from a speed higher than a maximum driving speed of the correction optical system to a speed lower than the maximum speed, the data stored in the correction optical system position register is copied to the integration register.

Mechanism and method for correcting trembling of focused image

A trembling compensation and control apparatus detects an angular displacement of an optical axis of a focusing optical system and drives and controls an compensation optical system so as to compensate for trembling of a camera. The angular displacement of the optical axis of the focusing optical system is detected by an angular velocity sensor. A low-cut filter is provided that processes and calculates an angular displacement velocity signal output from the angular velocity sensor. The low-cut filter cuts a low frequency component from the angular displacement velocity signal and outputs a valid angular displacement velocity signal. The valid angular displacement velocity signal is converted by an integration portion into an angular displacement signal. A level detector is further disposed for detecting the valid angular displacement velocity signal. The low-cut filter and the integration portion are modified in calculation processing when said level exceeds a predetermined level, and are reset in calculation processing when the level becomes within the predetermined level again.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Shigeo Enomoto