Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Wataru Koide

Yuichi Torikoshi

Fumio Tomikawa

Tatsuya Suzuki

Yukihiko Sugita

Tetsuya Takagi

Yoshihiro Yokomae

Disclosed is a viewfinder apparatus for a camera, comprising: a curvilinear image-forming surface in a viewfinder optical system independent of a photographic optical system; a field frame disposed adjacent to the image-forming surface for defining a reference field of view, the field frame being formed into a curvilinear shape such as to match in profile with the image-forming surface; a field-correcting frame for correcting the field of view defined by the field frame, the field-correcting frame being supported on an arm portion that is pivoted about a revolving shaft in a direction normal to an optical axis of the viewfinder optical system, the field-correcting frame being formed into a curvilinear shape such as to correspond in profile with the image-forming surface; and a motor for driving the field-correcting frame into movement along the image-forming surface, whereby the field-correcting frame of the viewfinder optical system is invariably viewed.

Viewfinder apparatus for camera

Binoculars, one form of telescope, in accordance with the present invention have a lens frame drive responsive to manipulating a focusing ring. Lens frames are driven to advance or withdrawn by means of the lens frame drive. The lens frames are driven to thrust from their positions of collapse to other positions, at which they enable observation, by manipulating the focusing ring. At this time, lens barriers covering the front surfaces of the lens frames are pressed by means of projections, and thus driven from positions at which they block objectives to other positions at which they free the objectives. Withdrawal of the lens barriers and thrusting of the lens frames can be achieved merely by manipulating the focusing ring. Changing the lens barriers from their positions of protection to their positions of withdrawal can be achieved with the simple manipulation.

Barrier member for a telescope

Binoculars including a pair of lens barrels, each lens barrel having an optical system, a relative movement between the lens barrels causing the lens barrels to relatively displace, traveling between a closed state and an operational state in which eye spacing adjustment is enabled, a barrier that is moved between an optical system protective position with the lens barrels in the closed state and a retracted position with the lens barrels in the operational state, and a barrier control member, mounted on the lens barrels which moves the barrier from the optical system protective position to the retracted position in response to the displacement of the lens barrels from the closed state to the operational state.

Binoculars having lens barrels movable between open and closed states by pivotal movement

An optical apparatus according to the present invention has an eyepiece side body internally equipped with a diopter adjusting ring for diopter adjustment of an eyepiece, a barrier, an eyecup ring including a driving pin for opening and closing the barrier and a cam groove for advancing and retreating an eyecup fitted in an eyecup ring. When the eyecup ring is rotated counterclockwise, the barrier is rotated up to an opening position, and when further rotated, the eyecup is twisted up. When operated in the reverse direction, the eyecup is drawn in and the barrier is rotated to a closing position. It is possible to easily accomplish the moving and opening/closing operations for protecting a hood member (eyecup) and an optical system (eyepiece), and the structures thereof are simple.

Optical apparatus

A binocular instrument according to the present invention basically comprises a binocular instrument body, a left-hand lens barrel supported by a supporting frame, a high-hand lens barrel supported by the body, a left-hand armor slidable in a pupil distance (distance between optical axis) adjusting direction and a right-hand armor fixed to the body. When the binocular instrument is switched from a non-using state to a using state, the left-hand armor is slid in the left direction, so that only the left-hand armor moves while the supporting frame is in the fixed condition, and the lenses are set at an open condition, thereby permitting the use of the binocular instrument. Thereafter, when the left-hand armor is slid in the same direction, the supporting frame is shifted together so that a pupil distance maximizing position is reached. According to this binocular instrument, not only the operation for switching the lenses to a sheltering state and an open state becomes simple, but also handling becomes easy, and even the structure becomes simple.

Binocular instrument including movable lens protective structure

Binoculars has a pair of body units, lens cover members and lens cover member control mechanism. The body units have a lens each and are relatively movable between a first position in which the body units are not used and a second position in which the body units are used. The lens cover members are movable, at the fronts of the body units, between a protective position in which the respective lenses are not exposed to an outside and a retracted position in which the respective lenses are exposed to the outside. The lens cover member control mechanism latches the lens cover member to the protective position when the units bodies are set to a first position in which they are not used and releases the latching of the lens cover members in interlock with the movement of the body units from the first position to the second position and, by doing so, moves the lens cover members to the retracted position.

Binoculars capable of quickly moving lens covers to a retracted position

A visual field of finder change-over apparatus for changing over a size and shape of a visual field of finder of a camera in a plurality of stages, includes a pair of first visual-field frame members which are movable relative to the visual field of finder in two opposite directions and each of which has an approximately arc-shaped cam slot, a pair of second visual-field frame members which are movable relative to the visual field of finder, and in further two opposite directions, the further two opposite directions crossing the two opposite directions, and each of which has an approximate arc-shaped cam slot, and a rotation member which is rotatable and has a plurality of pins fitted in the cam slots of the first and second visual-field frame members, the rotation member selectively moving the first and second visual-field frame members by a movement of the moving pins when the rotation member rotates, wherein at least one of the pairs of the first and second visual-field frame members is moved in accordance with the rotation of the rotation member.

Visual field of finder change-over apparatus

Binoculars include a pair of lens barrels, each barrel having an optical system, a flexible lens barrier which travels between a protective position for protecting the optical system of each of the lens barrels and a position that is retracted from the field of view of the optical system, and a drive member for moving the flexible lens barrier between the protective position and the retracted position.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Wataru Koide