Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Other

Olympus Corporation

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Eastman-Kodak Company

Toshiyuki Toyofuku

Toshinobu Haruki

Nobuhide Dotsubo

Masafumi Yamasaki

Hideto Hayashi

Junichi Itoh

Yasuo Asakura

Hiroyuki Kaneko

Shinichi Kodama

Akira Toba

Hiroshi Nakashima

Hiroyoshi Takagi

Kaoru Kaneko

Yasuo Isashi

Masao Tamashima

Ko Yokokawa

Takao Enomoto

Noriaki Kitani

Kenji Ohta

Shigeo Hayashi

Katsuyuki Oshima

Yuji Imai

Kazuhiko Sugimoto

Takayuki Imai

Hikaru Mizutani

Kozo Odamura

Takashi Inoue

Fuminori Ueno

Akira Sakuta

Yasushi Kojima

Hiroki Onda

Yu Sato

Yawara Saito

Hisashi Yamada

Yousuke Kobayashi

Satoru Kato

A digital camera has a first optical system having a wide zoom lens and a second optical system for a telephotography zoom lens. In an initial state where power is active, a controller and timing-generator controls the wide zoom lens so as to be situated at a wide position and the telephotography zoom lens so as to be situated at a telephotograph position. When zoom-in is effected, the wide zoom lens is actuated, and the telephotography zoom lens is maintained at the telephotograph position. When a zoom position of the wide zoom lens has reached a threshold zoom position set to a wider angle of view than that achieved at the telephotograph position, the telephotography zoom lens starts being actuated toward the wide position. When the zoom lens has reached the telephotograph position, an image signal is switched from the wide zoom lens to the telephotography zoom lens, and the selected image signal is output.

Digital camera with dual optical systems

An electronic image pickup apparatus of the present invention is constructed so that an image pickup lens and a diaphragm for adjusting exposure can operate in interlocking relationship with each other. Furthermore, the apparatus has a panorama mode in which an image is obtained by connecting images taken in a plurality of continuous scenes with each other, and a rapid shooting mode in which continuous image pickup is performed. If the operating mode is set to the panorama mode or the rapid shooting mode, reset of the image pickup lens and diaphragm is performed at the first shot only and the backlash cancellation of the image pickup lens is performed starting from the second shot. Preferably, the exposure adjusting mechanism automatically places a predetermined limit on the exposure time in a normal mode and permits a longer exposure time in the panoramic mode.

Electronic image pickup apparatus allowing a longer exposure time

A digital camera includes a memory card. The memory card is previously recorded with template image data that has been subjected to conversion of Y-data effective range and JPEG compressing. A CPU expands this template image data by a JPEG method, and then subjects only expanded data greater than a predetermined value to effective-range conversion that is reverse to the above. The CPU composites the template image data thus obtained with photographed image data, thereby creating composite image data.

Method and apparatus for image processing using a template image

According to this invention, an electronic photographing device includes: a recording medium for recording image information corresponding to each frame photographed by panorama photographing; a predicted number of panorama-photographed frames setting device for setting information corresponding to the predicted number of photographed frames to be photographed by panoramic photographing; a number of available frames setting device for setting the number of frames which can be photographed on the basis of a capacity of the recording medium; a comparison device for comparing the number of available frames set by the number of available frames setting device with the predicted number of photographed set by the predicted number of panorama-photographed frames setting device; and a warning device for warning the user that a spare recording medium is required as a result of comparison by the comparison device if the number of available frames set by the number of available frames setting device is smaller than the predicted number of photographed frames set by the predicted number of panorama-photographed frames setting device.

Digital camera having a feature for warning a user of insufficient memory

A holding mechanism for holding an ink ribbon includes a transparent shell and a board . The transparent shell of the ink ribbon is provided with wind slack preventive portions to which prevent rotations of a feed bobbin and reel bobbin , and wind meandering preventive portions which bears down an axial end of a film . The ink ribbon can be stably held by the holding mechanism during a transportation and a loading thereof. The transparent shell is provided with support portions which improve a stability when loading.

Holding mechanism for replacement ink ribbon

This electronic imaging apparatus comprises in front of a body an open/close lid for protecting a picture-taking lens, the open/close lid where a strobe flashing unit is incorporated, and a housing, which is a structure of the body, and its exterior (members from a housing to its exterior) that are formed with conductive material, the electronic imaging apparatus wherein a trigger transformer for strobe flashing is also incorporated with the strobe flashing unit in the open/close lid for protecting the picture-taking lens, a part of the housing near to the strobe flashing unit is formed with a non-conductive clear member, and this clear member is constructed with including a flash transmitting surface portion making flash from the strobe flashing unit pass and a part that is a part except this flash transmitting surface portion and faces to a part of the back of a strobe reflector.

Protective lid having a flash unit incorporated therein for a digital camera

This electronic photographing device is designed to synthesize a calendar and an image with each other by a simple operation so as to record the synthesized image on a recording medium. To provide this electronic photographing device, this invention includes a recording medium ( ), an operation switch ( , or the like) for selecting predetermined image data from the image data corresponding to a plurality of images recorded on the recording medium ( ), a calendar signal generation circuit ( ) for generating a calendar signal, a liquid-crystal display unit ( ) for displaying an image corresponding to the image data selected by the operation switch and a calendar image corresponding to the calendar signal generated by the calendar signal generation circuit, an operation member for setting the display form of the image and the calendar image displayed on the liquid-crystal display unit into a predetermined form, and a recording medium control circuit ( ) for recording image data corresponding to an image obtained by synthesizing the image and the calendar image displayed on the liquid-crystal display unit on the recording medium.

Electronic photographing device

A digital camera including a memory card for storing a composite image data. When an operator selects template image data and photographed image data recorded in a memory card, a CPU composites these image data with each other by using a DRAM. The CPU then compares a data amount of composite image data with a vacant capacity of the memory card. If the data amount is less than the vacant capacity, the composite image data is recorded into the memory card. Meanwhile, when the data amount is greater than the vacant capacity, the CPU displays a predetermined alarm message on an LCD. Here, if the operator attaches another memory card, the CPU again compares the data amount of the composite image data with a vacant capacity of a memory card newly attached. If the vacant capacity is sufficient, the composite image data is recorded to the same memory card.

Method for recording image data and digital camera using same adapted to composite a plurality of image data and record the composite image data into a memory

A cartridge includes upper and lower half segments butting against each other and containing a disk, a shutter provided on one side of the cartridge half segments for exposing or alternatively enclosing the disk, and a torsion spring attached to the shutter for biasing the shutter in a closing direction. An insertion opening is formed in a side portion of the cartridge for permitting insertion of the torsion spring therethrough from outside, and a protective wall is provided upright between the insertion opening and the disk to define a space by the wall and the upper half segment. The space is so sized as to permit the torsion spring to pass therethrough while leaving a small clearance, with legs thereof directed laterally.

Cartridge in which disk is stored

According to this invention, an electronic photographing device in which image information corresponding to one set of images photographed by panoramic photographing can be recorded on a recording medium includes: a rotation direction setting device for setting information corresponding to a rotating direction panoramic of the electronic photographing device in the panorama photographing; a rotating direction recording device for recording information corresponding to the rotation direction set by the rotation direction setting device on the recording medium; a control device for controlling an arrangement of the set of panoramic images on the basis of the information corresponding to the rotation direction recorded on the recording medium; a display device for displaying editing information for performing predetermined image editing to the panoramic images arranged by the control device; and a control device for performing a predetermined editing operation on the basis of the editing information displayed on the display device.

Electronic photographing device for panoramic photographing and editing

An ink cassette includes a first part and a second part each of which has a first end provided with a substantially U-shaped bobbin holder and a second end provided with a similar bobbin holder. Each of the U-shaped bobbin holders has a pair of flexible arms defining a groove in which a pair of protrusions are provided. An ink ribbon set including an ink ribbon and two bobbins is stored in an ink ribbon supply container. The bobbins are supported at the same depth and spaced from each other a distance equal to a spacing between thee first and second parts. The ink cassette is overlaid on the ink ribbon set, with alignment marks aligned, and then the ink cassette is forced into the supply container. The bobbins are inserted past the protrusions into the grooves and are held around their axes by the arms.

Ink cassette, ink ribbon container, and method of attaching ink ribbon to ink cassette

A digital camera includes a memory card. Title image data and photograph image data are compressed according to a JPEG format so that compressed data thereof are recorded in the same memory card. When the title image data and the photograph image data are combined into composite image data, the composite image data is also compressed according to the JPEG format and recorded into the same memory card. That is, the title image data, the photograph image data and the composite image data are compressed according to the same format, and their compressed data are recorded in the same memory card.

Digital camera

According to this invention, an electronic photographing device in which image information corresponding to one set of images photographed by panoramic photographing can be recorded on a recording medium includes: a rotation direction setting device for setting information corresponding to a rotation direction of the electronic photographing device in the panorama photographing; a rotation direction recording device for recording information corresponding to the rotation direction set by the rotation direction setting device on the recording medium; a control device for controlling an arrangement of the set of panoramic images on the basis of the information corresponding to the rotation direction recorded on the recording medium; and a display device for displaying the set of panoramic images arranged by the control device.

A pair of guide grooves are formed to extend parallel with each other on an outer surface of a housing of an electronic image pickup apparatus with a lens opening interposed therebetween. A lens barrier has both end portions engaged with the paired guide grooves and is movable between a close position for closing the lens opening and an open position for opening the lens opening while both end portions are guided by the guide grooves. One of the guide grooves opens in a cross direction crossing a front direction to which a front surface area, in which the lens opening is formed, on the outer surface of the housing, is directed, and the other of the guide grooves opens in the front direction on the outer surface of the housing. One of the end portions of the lens barrier corresponding to the one guide groove is inserted into and engaged with the one guide groove to be slidable along the one guide groove, and the other of the end portions of the lens barrier corresponding to the other guide groove is inserted into and engaged with the other guide groove to be slidable along the other guide groove. A separation protection member is fixed on the outer surface of the housing to cover at least part of the opening of the other guide groove after the other end portion of the lens barrier has been inserted into the other guide groove, and engages with the other end portion of the lens barrier in the front direction to prevent the other end portion of the lens barrier from separating from the opening of the other guide groove.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Toshiyuki Toyofuku