Nikon Corporation

Tadao Kai

Akira Katayama

Yoshio Imura

Nobuhiko Terui

Etsuo Tanaka

Sueyuki Ohishi

Hiroshi Okano

Hidenori Miyamoto

Tadao Takagi

Susumu Sato

Hiroyuki Iwasaki

Shinichi Hirano

Shigeyuki Uchiyama

Kazutoshi Usui

Yoshihisa Kitagawa

Yasushi Sakagami

Toshihiro Sato

Hiroyuki Tomita

Kazuharu Imafuji

Tsuneo Watanabe

Masaru Muramatsu

Toru Fukuhara

Tatsuo Amanuma

Ryoichi Suganuma

Toshio Sosa

Akio Nishizawa

Fumiya Taguchi

Shinichi Tsukada

Isao Uchida

Tetsuo In

Yukio Uemura

Masaru Habe

Kazuto Ohtsuka

Yoichi Koizumi

An image-capturing device includes: an image-capturing element that converts light to an electrical signal; a photographic lens member that condenses subject light at the image-capturing element; a board on which the image-capturing element is mounted; and an elastic member having one end thereof secured to the photographic lens member and another end thereof secured to the board.

Image-capturing device with position detector for vibration reduction

A camera body has grip portions for right-handed users and the left-handed users provided respectively on the right and left sides thereof. A release button to be operated by the right hand is mounted on the side of the grip portion for right-handed users, and a release button to be operated by the left hand is mounted on the side of the grip portion for left-handed users. A ring member is rotatably mounted about a lens-barrel. When the ring member is rotated toward the release button for right-handed users, the release button for right-handed users is enabled, and when it is rotated toward the release button for left-handed users, the release button for left-handed users is enabled.

Camera

A blur-correcting image pickup device includes, but is not limited to an image pickup optical system for picking up an image, a vibration-detecting device which detects vibrations of the image pickup device and generates an output relative to the detected vibrations, a blur-correcting device which corrects blurring of the image caused by the vibrations, a rangefinder which detects distance of the image to be picked up and generates an output relative to the detected image pickup distance, and an optical system setup device which sets up a specific image pickup condition for the image pickup optical system. The blur-correcting image pickup device further includes an arithmetic information generating device which generates a first arithmetic factor when the specific image pickup condition is set up and a second arithmetic factor corresponding to the output of the rangefinder when the specific image pickup condition is not set up by the optical system setup device and a drive control device which calculates corrective information based on the output of the vibration-detecting device and the output of the arithmetic information generating device to control the blur-correcting device based on the corrective information.

Anti-blur image pickup device

A camera having a camera system which is capable of reducing the influence that vibration generated in conjunction with driving of an actuator has on other component members of the camera system. The camera includes a lens barrel having a fixed cylinder, a focusing lens group moving mechanism, an actuator, such as an ultrasonic motor, to supply a driving force to the lens group moving mechanism, a vibration detection device to detect vibration, and a camera vibration compensation mechanism to compensate for the detected vibration. The camera system includes a component member having multiple reinforcing sections and a characteristic frequency which does not overlap with a drive frequency band of the ultrasonic motor or with the vibration frequency band of the vibration generated in conjunction with the driving of the ultrasonic motor. The component member may be a stator retaining member which supports a stator of the ultrasonic motor, or a sensor fixed cylinder which secures the vibration detection device.

Camera system for reducing the influence of vibration generated by

A photographing apparatus having an anti-vibration function includes a vibration detecting unit for detecting a vibration of the photographing apparatus, a reference value calculating unit for calculating a reference value of an output of the vibration detecting unit, and a focusing unit for adjusting a focal position of a photographing image. The apparatus also includes a focusing operation stopping unit for stopping an operation of the focusing unit and a reference value calculation stopping unit for stopping the calculation of the reference value by the reference value calculating unit by detecting the operation of the focusing operation stopping unit.

Photographing apparatus having anti-vibration function

A vibration preventing device is provided with a vibration preventing mode selector capable of selecting a vibration preventing mode in which vibration prevention driving is effected during exposure and a non-vibration preventing mode. Also provided are a vibration prevention start selector for selecting whether vibration prevention control is to be started, and a vibration prevention driving start instructing portion for instructing the start of vibration prevention. Start of vibration prevention driving occurs driving even before the start of exposure when the vibration preventing mode selector selects the vibration preventing mode and the vibration prevention start selector selects the start of the vibration prevention control.

Vibration preventing device and photographing apparatus having the

An image-shake correcting camera comprises an image shake correcting device for correcting image shakes caused by camera shakes and a photographic mode setting device for setting an operation condition of camera in photography, in which the image shake correcting device changes a correction property, based on the operation condition set by the photographic mode setting device.

Camera having an image blur suppression device

An image shifting apparatus includes a frame for holding at least a portion of a photographing optical system, and a holding mechanism for holding the frame within a plane substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of the photographing optical system, and causing a force corresponding to a distance between the optical axis and a center of the optical system to act on the frame. At least two drive mechanisms drive the frame within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis in at least two directions which are not parallel to each other with forces corresponding to supplied power. A drive circuit drives at least two drive mechanisms, a power source supplies power to at least two drive mechanisms via the drive circuit, and a controller controls the drive circuit to set the distance to a predetermined value determined by optical characteristics of the photographing optical system and a moving range of the optical system held by the frame, so as to determine an initial position of a driving center of the frame when the distance between the optical axis and the center of the optical system held by the frame is not less than the predetermined value in a natural state in which the drive mechanism is not operated.

Image shifting apparatus

An apparatus which includes an optical system and a driving member. The optical system is shiftable from an origin position coinciding with an optical axis of the apparatus, to reduce image vibration affecting the apparatus. The driving member is movable from a first position to a second position. When the driving member is in the first position, the optical system is unlocked and is therefore shiftable to reduce image vibration. When the driving member moves from the first position to the second position and the optical system is not at the origin position, the driving member guides the optical system to, and then locks the optical system at, the origin position.

Apparatus having an image vibration reduction optical system which is

An attitude adjustment device for use with a detector device which is used to detect rotational motion about an axis of a unit in which the attitude adjustment device is disposed. The attitude adjustment device includes, but is not limited to, a first adjustment mechanism to adjust the angle of the detector device such that the above-mentioned axis is parallel to a standard axis and is parallel to a first plane. Also, the attitude adjustment device includes a second adjustment mechanism to adjust the angle of the detector device such that the above-mentioned axis is parallel to a second plane which is orthogonal to the first plane and is parallel to the standard axis. Also, the present invention provides a method for adjusting the angular relationship between an angular velocity meter of a photographic device and the photographic device. The photographic device includes a photographic optical system, an angular velocity meter, and an adjustment member to adjust the angular relationship between a baseplate of the adjustment member and a housing of the photographic device. The method includes the step of causing a rolling motion to be realized by the photographic device. The rolling motion occurring about an optical axis of the photographic optical system. Also, the method includes the step of adjusting the angular relationship between the angular velocity meter and the photographic device.

Attitude adjustment device and method

The driving apparatus for driving an object housed in a main body of the driving apparatus in a direction which is determined by a predetermined reference axis that includes a detector which detects a physical amount relating to a rotary motion of the main body around a predetermined detection axis; an arithmetic device .paren close-st. which calculates a driving amount of the object based on at least the output of the detector and an angle between the detection axis and the reference axis; and a driving mechanism which drives the object in a direction determined with the reference axis based on a calculation output from the arithmetic device.

Driving apparatus

A blur correction camera includes an optical axis changing unit to change an optical axis of a photographing optical system to correct a blur generated by vibration, a displacement detecting unit to detect displacement of the photographing optical system by the optical axis changing unit, a calculation unit to calculate a displacement velocity of the photographing optical system on the basis of a detection result from the displacement detecting unit, a centering unit to drive the optical axis of the photographing optical system to a central position based on the displacement detected by the displacement detecting unit, and a maximum displacement velocity detecting unit to detect a maximum displacement velocity upon movement of the photographing optical system by the centering unit. Whether a blur correction function is normal is discriminated on the basis of a detection result from the maximum displacement velocity detecting unit.

Apparatus for inspecting blur correction camera, blur correction camera,

A shake preventing apparatus in a camera, comprises a shake detecting device for detecting an amount of shake upon small motion of the camera, a shake correcting device for correction-driving a photo taking optical system in a direction to keep an image on a plane of a film unshaken, based on the amount of shake detected by the shake detecting device, a shake correction limit determining device for determining a shake correction limit amount which is a limit for the shake correcting device to correct the shake, and a shutter controlling device for controlling a shutter to close when the amount of shake detected by the shake detecting device exceeds the shake correction limit amount determined.

Shake preventing apparatus in camera

Camera having animage blur suppression device

An optical device, such as a camera, which includes an image blur suppression optical system to optically prevent image blur of a photographic image on an image plane of the optical device by changes in at least a portion of a photographic optical system. An image blur suppression drive unit drives the image blur suppression optical system, and a suppression position detection unit detects changes in the position of the image blur suppression optical system during the time of the image blur suppression. A lens prime and a memory unit generates constants indicative of optical conditions in the optical device which correspond to changes in the position of the image blur suppression optical system.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Tadao Kai