Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Video Engineering, Incorporated

Takashi Azumi

Toshio Murakami

Takesuke Maruyama

Takanori Hisada

Hiroshi Sakurai

Kenji Sano

Yuhei Abe

Yoshihiro Todaka

Hironobu Satoh

Junji Shiokawa

Hiroshi Chiba

Ichiro Ohsaka

A potable IC card reader for retrieving information from an IC card incorporating a semiconductor memory device and displaying at least part of retrieved information, the portable IC card reader being portable in a clothes pocket, a bag or the like, comprising a housing having a display portion provided on a part of the housing for displaying the at least part of retrieved information and incorporating a controller, the housing further having, at least at a part of the surface thereof, an IC card insert port through which the IC card is inserted and an IC card accommodating unit extending straight from the IC card insert port to the opposite side thereof, the housing still further having a foreign-matter ejection exit formed by extending the IC card accommodating unit and opening at the opposite side of the integrated-circuit card insert port. The foreign matters are ejected from the IC card accommodating unit by insertion of the IC card, preventing the IC card reader from malfunctioning that may be caused by the foreign matters.

Dust-proof portable IC card reader

A portable IC card reader for retrieving information from an IC card incorporating a semiconductor memory device and for displaying at least part of retrieved information. The portable IC card reader, which is of a size suitable to fit in a clothes pocket, a bag, or the like, includes a housing having a display portion provided on a part of the housing for displaying at least part of the retrieved information, and incorporating a controller. The housing further includes, at least at a part of the surface thereof, an IC card insert port through which the IC card is inserted and an IC card accommodating unit extending straight from the IC card insert port to an opposite side of the housing. The housing further includes a foreign-matter ejection exit formed by extending the IC card accommodating unit and opening at the opposite side of the integrated-circuit card insert port. In operation, foreign matter is ejected form the IC card accommodating unit by insertion of the IC card, thereby advantageously preventing the IC card reader from malfunctioning as a result of the foreign matter.

A focusing apparatus for video camera or the like in which a change-over between automatic focusing and manual focusing is possible comprises an endlessly rotatable and hand-worked manipulator, a detector for detecting the direction and amount of manipulation or rotational movement of the manipulator, and a controller/driver for moving a part of optical elements in an optical system along its optical axis direction in a direction corresponding to the direction of manipulation of the manipulator detected by the detector and by a distance corresponding to the amount of manipulation of the manipulator detected by the detector, thereby taking the focus.

Focusing apparatus for video camera or the like

A video camera has a memory for storing the position of an image lens in relation to the position of a variator lens, that is, zoom tracing curves in respect of individual subject distances, a motor for moving the image lens while vibrating it slightly during zooming operation, a variation component extractor circuit for extracting the amplitude and phase of a slight variation component of focusing voltage generated by moving the image lens while vibrating it slightly, and a controller for controlling drive means on the basis of the stored zoom tracing curves and an extracted slight variation component. During zooming operation, the controller first controls the motor in compliance with a position of the variator lens pursuant to a zoom tracing curve stored in the memory in association with a position assumed by the image lens immediately before start of the zooming operation. The controller also operates to correct a drive amount of the image lens on the basis of amplitude of an extracted slight variation component and when the amplitude of the slight variation component falls below a predetermined value, the controller controls the motor pursuant to a newly determined zoom tracing curve.

Video camera with autofocus function and method of controlling the same

A focusing apparatus for a video camera or the like in which a change-over between automatic focusing and manual focusing is possible includes an endlessly rotatable and hand-worked manipulator, a detector for detecting the direction and amount of manipulation or rotational movement of the manipulator, and a controller/driver for moving a part of the optical elements in an optical system along its optical axis direction in a direction corresponding to the direction of manipulation of the manipulator detected by the detector and by a distance corresponding to the amount of manipulation of the manipulator detected by the detector, thereby taking the focus.

An electronically-controlled focusing adjustment apparatus including manual focusing adjustment means using a manual focusing adjsutment device such as a variable resistor, focusing lens position detection means, and feedback means for comparing a voltage outputted from a movable terminal of the manual focusing adjustment device with a voltage outputted from the focusing lens position detection means and for feeding back the error between the two voltages to a motor for driving the focusing lens. Desired manual focusing is thus attained with respect to an object located at an arbitrary distance.

Focusing apparatus of video camera or the like

An automatic focusing apparatus for a video camera converts the quantity of reflected light reflected by an object into an electric signals by light receiving elements. The electric signals are detected and the detected signals are integrated by integrators once every fixed period. A decision is made on the basis of the respective outputs of the integrators whether or not the video camea is in focus. The detectors and the integrators have offset voltages, respectively. The outputs of the integrators are sampled and held and are compared with a reference voltage equal to a voltage for resetting the integrators. Signals representing the result of the comparison are fed back to the detectors or to the integrators to regulate the offset voltages of the detectors and the integrators.

Automatic focusing apparatus having an automatic offset voltage

An automatic focusing apparatus for use in a video camera and the like wherein one optical element other than a focusing lens means of an optical system is moved for focusing in the in-focus direction while being vibrated slightly by means of a motor capable of being driven by pulses.

Automatic focusing apparatus for use in video camera and the like

An automatic focusing apparatus configured such that a projected light from a light emitting element is reflected on an object and the reflection light is passed through a flat plate so as to be received by a light receiving element. The position where the reflection light is received on the light receiving element varies depending on the distance between the apparatus and the object. This positional variation is corrected so as to receive the reflection light at the same position by changing an angle of inclination of the flat plate. A focusing lens is moved in cooperation with the adjustment of the inclination angle of the flat plate, thereby achieving the automatic focusing operation.

Automatic focusing apparatus

An automatic focusing apparatus comprises a light emitting element emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation directed toward a subject through a light projecting lens, a light receiving element receiving a beam spot reflected from the subject and passing through a light receiving lens, and a parallel-surface transparent plate disposed rotatably between the light receiving lens and the light receiving element. The parallel-surface transparent plate is rotated in interlocking relation with linear movement of an optical lens moving together with movement of a focus ring, thereby automatically attaining the focus by ceasing the movement of the lens optical system as soon as the output signal of the light receiving element attains a predetermined level.

Range finding automatic focusing system employing a rotatable

In a zoom lens system with plastic lenses, shifting of an image forming plane of the zoom lens caused by resultant deformation and optical characteristic changes due to temperature changes of plastic single lenses and of plastic lenses included in compound lenses in the zoom lens system is corrected by a compound lens of a plastic lens and a glass lens cemented together or by a compound lens of a plastic lens and a glass lens spaced apart from each other with a slight air gap between opposing surfaces thereof of substantially the same radius of curvature, the compound lens having a temperature change dependent shifting of image forming plane to correct that of other plastic lenses.

Growing community of inventors

Katsuta, Japan

Takashi Azumi