Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.

Other

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Tokuji Sato

Hisashi Hamada

Michio Cho

Shigenori Goto

Ko Aosaki

Kiyotaka Kobayashi

Hiroshi Ohmura

Tatsuo Saito

Tsutomu Tanaka

Akio Omiya

Takaaki Kotani

Yasuhiro Nishitani

Shiro Hashimoto

Nobuhiro Aoki

Masaharu Kanai

Kenta Namioka

Makoto Akiba

Hiroyuki Arai

Takeshi Watanabe

Hiroyuki Iwasaki

Kazuo Kamata

Seimei Ushiro

Yoji Naka

Kimiaki Nakada

Katsumi Motomura

Takeshi Okano

Teruyoshi Makino

Minoru Shiiba

Katsuhiko Yamamoto

Yoichi Hamada

Yoshibumi Udagawa

Mashashi Takamura

Fumio Kikutzugi

Hirofumi Kino

Hirokazu Ohno

A camera has a bar code reader for reading a bar code from a roll film loaded therein. Bar code data read from the bar code is checked out whether it has a proper format or not. If the bar code data read from the bar code of the loaded roll film is proper, the bar code data is written in a nonvolatile memory, and the camera is set up in accordance with the bar code data. The bar code data of the nonvolatile memory is renewed each time proper bar code data is obtained. If the bar code data read from the bar code of the loaded roll film is improper, a display device displays film data represented by bar code data having been stored in the nonvolatile memory, along with an error indicia. If the displayed film data is invalid for the loaded roll film, the photographer enters film data of the loaded roll film through manual operation switches. Then, the camera is set up with the manually entered film data. If no film data is manually entered, the camera is set up in accordance with the displayed film data.

Camera with bar code reader

A Brownie camera is loadable with a 120- and 220-type roll photo film. The 120 type includes light-shielding backing paper overlaid on the entirety of the photo filmstrip, unlike the 220 type. An exposure aperture is formed in a camera body, and disposed between a photo film supply chamber and a photo film take-up chamber, for exposing the roll photo film. A pair of rails are disposed along respective two edges of the exposure aperture extending horizontally, and contact sides of an emulsion surface of the roll photo film. A pressure plate contacts a back of the roll photo film to position the roll photo film on a rear of the exposure aperture, and is disposed behind the exposure aperture to define a photo film passageway between the pressure plate and the rails. An external selector wheel is disposed outside the camera body, for selecting one of the 120 and 220 types. A mechanism for moving the pressure plate is actuated by a shift of the selector wheel, for moving the pressure plate toward or away from the rails. The passageway is set at a wide space size when the 120 type is selected, and at a narrower space size when the 220 type is selected.

Camera and focussing method for the same

A bar code is provided on a Brownie film roll by printing black bar elements on a high-reflective obverse surface of an adhesive tape that secures a leading end of a filmstrip to a light-shielding paper. Spacings between the black bar elements form white bar elements. A reflective photo sensor scans the bar code while the light-shielding paper and the filmstrip are advanced in a camera. Signal level of the photo sensor is sampled, and at least one maximum value and one minimum value of the signal level are held. The sampled signal level is compared to threshold values to detect a leading edge of the adhesive tape, a leading edge of a first black bar element and borders between the bar elements. The threshold values for detecting the leading edge of the first black bar element and for detecting borders between the bar elements are seriatim revised according to the held maximum and minimum values.

Bar code system for brownie film and bar code reader of camera

In a camera wherein a lens cap is detachably attached there are provided first and second photometric sensors on a lens barrel and the camera main frame, respectively. It is detected in accordance with the photometric values by the first and second photometric sensors whether the lens cap is mounted. According to the camera, it is possible to detect with great accuracy whether the lens cap is mounted, with a standard type lens cap.

Camera

A light shielding member is composed of plural light shielding plates which increase and decrease an opening area by shielding an exposure opening at least partially, and at least two light shielding plates overlap each other to move from the exposure opening. The film is positioned in such a way that the film is transported in the same direction (feeding direction) when the normal size is switched to the panoramic size and vice versa. Even if the number of residual frames in the panoramic size is 0, the photography in the normal size is allowed when the photography is possible in the normal size. A display shows that the photography can be performed in the normal size, or the panoramic size is automatically switched to the normal size.

Film transport in camera capable of switching picture size

A lamp house holds a light source, which is attached to a bottom plate. A film feed unit is arranged above the light source. A cartridge chamber is provided at the right of the unit body, and a film takeup chamber is formed at the left of the unit body. The takeup chamber is provided with a takeup spool. A film feed motor is built in the takeup spool, and the rotational force of the motor is transmitted to a spool driving shaft of the cartridge chamber via a driving force transmission mechanism. A film feed unit body to be incorporated into a camera is also used as a film feed unit body including the cartridge chamber, the takeup chamber and the driving force transmission mechanism. In order to observe the frame images on the film, the developed film is pulled out of a film cartridge mounted in the cartridge chamber.

Film viewer

A camera for use with a Brownie roll film having a bar code containing data about a roll film, such as a film speed and a roll film type. The bar code is printed on an adhesive tape which secures light-shielding paper to a leading end of a photo filmstrip of the roll film. As soon as the roll film is loaded with its leading end of the light-shielding paper secured to a take-up spool of the camera, the camera starts rotating the take-up spool and, simultaneously, a reflective photo sensor starts scanning. Based on output signal from the photo sensor and the transport amount of the filmstrip, a first frame exposure portion of the filmstrip is automatically positioned behind an exposure aperture. The number ofavailable exposures is derived from the roll film type data read from the bar code, and is displayed on an LCD panel. An automatic exposure control is effected while taking the film speed read from the bar code into consideration.

Camera, bar code reader for camera and method of detecting bar code

An initial position of a variable focus lens is set substantially halfway between a wide and a telephotographing end. Thus, just after the initial position is set by turning on a power switch, both the wide photographing and the telephotographing can be performed quickly. The instantaneous change of a moving object can be quickly photographed in a desired visual field. In the present invention, a composition at the initial position which is set by turning on the power switch is not so different from a composition at the wide photographing side or the telephotographing side. Therefore the user is not confused by any composition during photographing.

Variable focus lens device in camera

When a photo film package is inserted into a film holder body, a clip abuts against a slide lever to move the slide lever, whereby stopper pieces are projected into a passing area. When the photo film package is inserted into the final position, the clip is engaged with engageable pawls. At the time of photographing, a light shielding envelope is pulled out to expose a film F. During the operation of pulling out the light shielding envelope, a stopper tape abuts against the stopper pieces, a slide plate is slidably moved through the pulling force of the light shielding envelope, a control plate interlocking this movement is moved, and push vanes of the control plate push guide vanes, whereby the engageable pawls are retracted from the positions of being engaged with the clips. When the slide plate is moved, a push plate is raised to push a film unit toward a top lid. When the photographing is completed, the light shielding envelope is moved in a direction of inserting, the slide plate is returned to the initial position and the push plate is returned to the initial position. Then, the film unit is housed in the light shielding envelope, and thereafter, the light shielding envelope together with the film unit are taken out of the film holder body.

Film holder

A stopper piece of a regulating member is abutted against a receiving portion formed at a lever of a display mechanism. The stopper is biased in a regulating direction by the force of a torsion coil spring. A projecting piece is abutted against a lever of a releasing member so that the stopper piece can be kept at a position where the rotation of the lever is regulated. The lever of the releasing member is supported in such a manner to move back and forth freely, and is held at the position where the rotation of the lever is regulated before a film pack is set. A trigger plate is formed at the lever. When a pack main body is set at a final position, the trigger plate is pushed by a pack main body and move. When the trigger plate is moved, the lever pushes a lock lever so that the regulation of the lever's rotation by the stopper can be released.

Film pack holder

When a distance measured by an AF range finding section is of a predetermined value or thereabove, even if a slide plate is moved in an interlocking relation with a releasing operation of a release button, a gear is locked by the electromagnetic actuator, whereby a diffusion plate is not moved from a position retracted from a strobe, so that an attainable distance of strobe-lights can be extended. On the other hand, when the distance measured by the AF range finding section is of less than the predetermined value, the slide plate is moved in an interlocking relation with the releasing action of the release button and the gear is rotated through a biasing force of a spring, whereby the diffusion plate is positioned in front of the strobe to cover the strobe. Accordingly, the strobe-lights can be reduced in light quantities, so that the optimal exposure can be attained.

Mechanism for driving a diffusion plate of strobe-lights

A changeover mirror is disposed behind a taking lens and is movable between a photographic position on the optical path of the taking lens so as to reflect light passing through the taking lens, on the one hand, and a viewfinder position displaced from the optical path of the taking lens, on the other hand. A conversion lens which is mounted in the camera separately from the changeover mirror, is driven to be positioned on the optical path of the taking lens while the changeover mirror is in the viewfinder position. When the changeover mirror is in the photographic position, a blind member is positioned on the optical path of the viewfinder optics. The blind member shields the photographic optical path from extraneous light that enters through the eyepiece of the viewfinder optics. When the camera is set in a manual focus mode, a split micro prism is positioned in a focal plane of the viewfinder optics. With the split micro prism in place, manual focusing is performed by operating a manual focusing ring.

Single-lens reflex camera

A movable lens barrel contains a front lens group and a rear lens group and moves along the optical axis during zooming. The front lens group moves together with the movable lens barrel during zooming, and moves relative to the movable lens barrel along the optical axis during focussing. The rear lens group moves within and relative to the movable lens barrel during zooming. A deviation of the focussing position takes place due to backlash of the drive mechanism of the movable lens barrel. This focussing position deviation is eliminated by changing the position of the front lens group as set for focussing, or by changing the position of the rear lens group as set for zooming, respectively in accordance with the zooming direction. In order to determine the set position of the front lens group, two tables are provided corresponding respectively to the zooming direction. Each table stores a plurality of lens setting positions, an optimum one of which is selected in accordance with the focal length and subject distance. In order to adjust the position of the rear lens group, two types of cam surfaces are provided which are selectively used in accordance with the zooming direction. In another embodiment, a double cam ring is provided which is rotated during zooming to determine the position of the rear lens group. Only immediately after the zooming direction changes, the double cam ring is slid along the optical axis by a predetermined amount.

Zoom lens device

An electronic copying machine comprises an optical image forming system for forming an optical image of a remote surface on an image plane, and an image sensor disposed in the image plane and transversely movable in the image plane for scanning the optical image and converting the image into image signals. A scanning area defining device defines the height of the image sensor so as to scan the image plane according to the height of the remote surface. An image printing unit including a printing head is driven according to the image signals for printing an image on paper.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tokuji Sato