Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Takeo Santo

Kozo Ezawa

Yoshito Saji

Naoto Yumiki

Teruyuki Takizawa

Kanji Wakabayashi

Masanari Mohri

Masahiro Inata

Hiroshi Yamamoto

Keiji Sakamoto

Keishi Iwasaki

Kenichi Honjo

Yoshito Miyatake

Hiroshi Kubota

Hitoshi Fujii

Akira Koga

Yukio Morioka

Masuo Maruyama

Goro Naoki

Tadashi Kuroda

Masayuki Akieda

A lens barrel includes: a fixed frame; a zoom ring rotatably held around an outer periphery of the fixed frame; a contact member; and a biasing member. The zoom ring has a first sliding surface to a fourth sliding surface. When the contact member moves on the first sliding surface, a first load is applied to the biasing member; when the contact member moves on the second sliding surface, a second load greater than the first load is applied to the biasing member; and when the contact member moves on the third sliding surface, a load which varies in a range from the first load to the second load is applied to the biasing member.

Lens barrel

A lens barrel is provided that includes an optical system and a plurality of interface units. The optical system includes an optical axis and a focal distance. The focal distance is configured to be adjusted by the optical system. The plurality of interface units includes a first interface unit and a second interface unit. Each of the first interface unit and the second interface unit are configured to accept from a user an operation to adjust the focal distance. Each of the first interface unit and the second interface unit are configured to be operated around the optical axis.

There are provided a camera system and an interchangeable lens that are compatible with a contrast detection method. A camera system () has an interchangeable lens unit () and a camera body (). A lens microcomputer () changes the movable range of a second lens group (L) via a focus lens drive controller () depending on whether a second holder () is driven by the focus lens drive controller () and a focus motor () on the basis of angle information inputted to a zoom ring () of the interchangeable lens unit (), or the second holder () is driven by the focus lens drive controller () on the basis of contrast information.

Camera system and interchangeable lens

A low-cost disk device with which the same spindle motor and clamper can be used for different types of disk device, such as a DVD drive. A clamper includes a clamper main body and a plurality of positioning components. The clamper main body clamps a disk between itself and a spindle motor that holds and rotates the disk. The plurality of positioning components are formed on the clamper main body for the relative positioning of the clamper main body and each of the plurality of spindle motors in the radial direction.

Disk device

An interchangeable lens unit comprises a second lens group support unit, a focus lens, a focus lens support frame, and a focus drive unit. The second lens group support unit supports the focus lens support frame movably in the Z-axis direction and has second cam pins disposed spaced apart around an optical axis. The focus drive unit is a unit for driving the focus lens support frame in the Z-axis direction with respect to the second lens group support unit and is disposed at a different position from those of the second cam followers when viewed in the Z-axis direction.

Lens barrel and imaging device

It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost disk device with which the same spindle motor and clamper can be used for different types of disk device, such as a DVD drive. A clamper comprises a clamper main body and a plurality of positioning components. The clamper main body clamps a disk between itself and a spindle motor that holds and rotates the disk. The plurality of positioning components are formed on the clamper main body for the relative positioning of the clamper main body and each of the plurality of spindle motors in the radial direction.

Disk device for recording and reading information

A camera systemhas an imaging optical system L, an imaging component, a liquid crystal monitor, and an image display controller. The liquid crystal monitorallows a plurality of images acquired by the imaging componentto be displayed. The image display controllercontrols the display component to display an image A, which is part of the image acquired by the imaging component, as a reference image A on the liquid crystal monitor, and to display part of the image acquired by the imaging componentat a different timing from that of the image Aas a comparative image B on the liquid crystal monitor. The image display controllercontrols the display component to display the image Aas a reference image A in a state of being inverted around a symmetry axis

Camera system

A lens barrelis mounted in a collapsible imaging deviceand includes a third lens frame. The third frameis a lens frame to which correction lenses L, L, Lare mounted and includes a shutter unit, a vibration compensation actuator, a lens frame main body, a focus lens frame, and a focus motor. The focus lens frameis urged against the lens frame main bodytoward the image plane side by means of a focus spring. A motor sectionof the focus motoris arranged in a region interposed between two multilayer printed circuit boardswhen viewed from the image plane side or the object side.

Lens barrel and imaging device including lens barrel

A lens barrelis mounted to a collapsible imaging devicehaving a zooming function and includes a cam frame, a first lens frame, a second lens frame, and a third lens frame. First, second, and third lens frame cam grooves, respectively including in the longitudinal direction thereof insertion parts, collapse parts, and variable power partsare formed in the inner peripheral face of the cam frame. The third lens frame cam grooveare deeper than the first and second lens frame cam groovesand are intersected at the collapse partsthereof with the respective insertion parts

An optical disc drive includes: a tray to mount a cartridge including a disc and having a positioning hole; a chassis for supporting the tray to move in a first direction; a spindle motor; an optical head; a traverse base, which is supported on the chassis so as to rotate around an axis defined in a second direction near one end of the chassis in the first direction and which mounts the spindle motor and the optical head thereon, the second direction being parallel to the disc and perpendicular to the first direction; a traverse holder coupled to the traverse base; a positioning pin provided for the traverse holder and fitting in with the positioning hole, thereby positioning the cartridge; and an elevating portion for moving a portion of the traverse holder in a third direction perpendicularly to the disc.

Optical disc drive having a traverse holder that is rotatable around an axis that is mutually different from the axis of a traverse base

A disk drive includes a plurality of optical heads corresponding to a plurality kind of disks, and a disk distinction device for distinguishing whether a set disk is a first disk or a second disk when a disk is set on a disk tray, a first disk tray conveying mechanism for the first disk and/or the second disk tray conveying mechanism for the second disk conveys the disk tray to a first tray position in which recording and/or reproducing is performed on the first tray or the second tray position in which recording and/or reproducing is performed on the second tray, according to a result distinguished by the disk distinction device, thereby, an optical head corresponding to a disk set to the disk tray is selected correctly and a recording or reproducing operation is performed on the disk.

Disk drive

An optical disc apparatus according to the present invention is equipped with a disc rotation mechanism for placing and rotating a disc, a plurality of optical heads for emitting light beams for recording and/or reproducing data on the optical disc, a transport unit including a guide structure for guiding the optical heads to be radially transportable on the disc, an optical head transport mechanism for transporting the optical heads along the guide structure, and a transport base for supporting the disc rotation mechanism, the guide structure and the optical head transport mechanism, an optical head storing portion having a plurality of storage support guides for supporting and storing each of the plurality of optical heads, and an optical head insertion and removal mechanism for transporting each of the optical heads from the optical head storing portion to the transport unit or from the transport unit to the optical head storing portion, and each optical head stored in the optical head storing portion is transported to the transport unit by linearly moving from a position at which it is stored.

Optical disk device

An objective lens driving apparatus is improved in a tracking drive sensitivity, and is capable of suppressing the occurrence of a tilt when a moving member is driven for tracking and focusing motions. To achieve this, the objective lens driving apparatus comprises: a substantially rectangularly shaped focusing coil and a substantially rectangularly shaped tracking coil, both arranged in the same plane, and fixed to a lens holder to drive the lens holder on which an objective lens is held; and a magnet having mutually opposite magnetic poles arranged at positions opposite winding portions of the focusing coil which lie on two sides thereof extending perpendicularly to a focusing direction, and also having mutually opposite magnetic poles arranged at positions opposite winding portions of the tracking coil which lie on two sides thereof extending perpendicularly to a tracking direction.

Objective lens driving apparatus

An object lens driving device of the present invention includes a movable section, supporting sections for supporting the movable section and a base for holding the supporting sections. The movable section includes an object lens for recording and/or reproducing optical information to and/or from a disk-shaped recording medium, a lens holder for holding the object lens and at least four permanent magnets adhered to the lens holder. The supporting sections include at least four metal wires substantially parallel to each other, each wire having a first end fixed to the lens holder and a second end connected to the base, and elastic deformable elements connected to the base and having connecting sections thereof connected to the second end of each respective metal wire. The base includes yokes fixed to the base and facing the respective permanent magnets, focusing coils wound around the respective yokes, wound axes of the focusing coils being oriented in a direction of an optical axis of the object lens, and tracking coils wound around the respective yokes, wound axes of the tracking coils being oriented in a direction perpendicular to the wound axes of the focusing coils.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Takeo Santo