Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Other

Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.

Yasuhiro Nishitani

Ko Aosaki

Yoshihiro Fujita

Minoru Ishiguro

Tatsuo Saito

Fumio Iwai

Tokuji Sato

Hiroshi Omura

Michio Cho

Kunihiko Tanaka

Kiyotaka Kobayashi

Tsutomu Kimura

Takashi Suzuki

Kazuhisa Horikiri

Kazuo Kamata

Hideo Kobayashi

Yoshiaki Sakamoto

Yasuhiko Tanaka

Yoichi Iwasaki

Yoji Naka

Hiroshi Komatsuzaki

Haruo Onozuka

Takaaki Kotani

Takao Umetsu

Seiji Takada

Kenta Namioka

Makoto Akiba

Osamu Inaba

Yoshio Sugano

Shoji Inaba

Printing light beams from a printing head that is driven based on image data are used for recording a latent image in a predetermined exposure area on an instant film. The instant film is exposed through an exposure opening formed through a case of a film pack. The printing head projects the printing light beams linearly along a main scan direction while moving in a sub scan direction perpendicular to the main scan direction. An illumination range of the printing light beams is determined to be wider than the exposure area in the main and sub scan directions, in consideration of clearances between the case and the instant film. So the entire exposure area is exposed even where the instant film deviates inside the case. A light-shielding housing for covering up a moving range of the printing head in a light-tight fashion is formed integrally with a pack loading chamber for loading the film pack.

Instant printer, printing method for using the same, combination printer/electronic still camera system

Modes of a camera are classified into groups according to their type. On an LCD panel, the different groups are displayed on different rows, and modes to be selected out of each group are displayed in different columns. Group selection is accomplished by vertically manipulating a selector button, and mode selection out of each group is accomplished by laterally manipulating the selector button. This makes possible displaying of selectable modes classified by group on the LCD panel in a way perceivable at a glance. Furthermore, the choice of a group and that of a mode within each group are matched in the mode display arrangement to facilitate the operation for mode selection.

Camera having LCD panel displaying groups of camera modes

To record images by a film recording system and an electronic recording system with one light-emission of a flashing device, the flashing device is controlled according to set values of photo film recording conditions since the sensitivity of a silver halide film is different from that of an imaging device. Information about exposure control of the electronic recording system is transmitted from a CPU that is equivalent to a controlling device of the film recording system to a CPU of the electronic recording system, and the electronic recording system sets a CCD aperture, a CCD gain and so on according to the information.

Hybrid camera

A timing pulse (DSCEXP signal) that is synchronous with a vertical driving signal (VD) of a CCD is sent from an electronic imaging device (DSC) to a CPU of a silver halide recording device (APS). A CPU of the DSC synchronizes the image-capturing of the CCD and the shutter-operation of the APS when the nth pulse (for example, the second pulse) of the vertical driving signal is generated since a command for exposure timing generated by the full press of a shutter release button is received. When an outside luminance is higher than a reference value and an electronic flash is to be used, there is a time lag for one vertical driving signal between the image-capturing of the CCD and the shutter-operation of the APS.

A camera system includes a taking lens and a lens cover type of operation card. The operation card incorporates a function of operating the camera system and covers the taking lens when attached to a front of the camera. The operation card may also be attached to another surface of the camera, and may be entirely detached from the camera and used as a remote control device.

Remotely controllable camera system

A zoom camera with a pseudo zooming function for assigning a frame a pseudo zoom ratio by which a printing area and a print magnification of the frame are modified to obtain a photo print that looks like being photographed at a virtual focal length that is equal to a multiplication product of the pseudo zoom ratio and an actual focal length of a taking lens used for photographing the frame. A virtual focal length is determined in accordance with operating direction and amount of a manual zooming operation member. A viewfinder is controlled in correspondence with the virtual focal length, to show a photographic field to be contained in a photo print as photographed at the virtual focal length. In accordance with a predetermined relationship between virtual focal length and actual focal length and pseudo zoom ratio, actual focal length of the taking lens is changed depending upon the virtual focal length, and a pseudo zoom ratio is decided to each frame depending upon the virtual focal length determined at the photography of that frame. The pseudo zoom ratio is recorded in association with the photographed frame.

Zoom camera with pseudo zooming function

A still camera is provided with an area image sensor for obtaining digital image data, an LCD viewfinder, components for photographing image frames on a photo filmstrip in response to a shutter release operation, and a memory for storing the image data. The image data of one frame is written in the memory synchronously with each shutter release operation. In association with the image data of one frame, an ID code of the filmstrip and a frame number of the photographed image frame corresponding to the image data are written in the memory. Based on the data written in the memory, the display device can display a still image of the image frame photographed on the filmstrip, accompanied with the frame number of the photographed image frame. The still camera may be connected to a personal computer to transfer the data written in the memory to a memory of the personal computer, for displaying a still image of the photographed image frame along with the ID code and the frame number on an external monitor, or for making a hard copy of the photographed image frame.

Still camera

The time after film is rewound up to a first frame until a film cartridge holding the film is allowed to be taken out is divided with the time required for rewinding the film by the currently-exposed frames. A delayed frame number is displayed at the time which is delayed from a time when the actual frame corresponding to the delayed frame number has been rewound for a delay time which is found based upon a number of the currently-exposed frames. Thus, a time in which a displayed number '1' changes to such a mark as 'E' can be decreased, thereby preventing the user from opening a film cartridge chamber before the film is completely rewound.

Frame counting method and device in camera

In electric-supply equipment of the present invention, a main battery supplies electric power to equipment such as a camera, and an auxiliary battery such as an AA battery is used as a charging power source in order to supply electric energy to the main battery in a charging circuit. Thereby, if the power source (the auxiliary battery) has been consumed, only the auxiliary battery, which is inexpensive and easy to get, is replaced. In particular, a metal lithium secondary battery is used as the main battery, so that the main battery can supply a large amount of high current to the equipment such as a camera. Furthermore, the metal lithium secondary battery spontaneously discharges only a small amount of electricity, so that the battery need not be replaced even after a long period of non-use, and the equipment can be used anytime.

Electric-supply equipment for camera

A camera view finder has a movable eyepiece lens barrel which is automatically shifted in the optical axis to a specific axial position in which the view finder protrudes from the camera body and provides dioptric power suitable for normal eyesight photographers when powering on the camera, to an additional axial position and to shifted back within the camera body when powering off camera.

View finder for camera

In a camera battery charger, a solar battery is provided upon a lid of a camera case, and a charging circuit for charging the in-camera battery by the solar battery or an external battery. When a camera is stored in a main body of the case, the in-camera battery is electrically connected to a power supply output terminal of the charging circuit, and is normally charged by the solar battery. When high-speed charging is necessary, the in-camera battery is charged at high speed by an external battery in an external battery adapter set in the main body of the case, or an external battery stored in an external battery storage part integrated with the main body of the case.

Combination solar and external battery powered camera battery charger

A method for controlling an image processing system comprising a fax-terminal and an image scanner connected to each other involves producing image signals by the image scanner and inputting them into the fax-terminal. When the fax-terminal accesses a telephone circuit, and if an original document is set in the fax-terminal, an image of the original and then the image picked up by the image scanner are transmitted in succession by facsimile. If the fax-terminal does not access a telephone circuit, the image signals from the image scanner are supplied to the fax-terminal which makes a hard copy of the scanned image. When the scanned image has been transmitted, a hard copy of the transmitted image can be made by the fax-terminal after the access to the telephone circuit is released. The access between the telephone circuit and the fax-terminal is maintained for a predetermined time interval after one image frame has been picked up and transmitted. This access is continued if a reservation for the next image frame transmission is made within this time interval. It is therefore possible to pick up and transmit a plurality of images to a remote fax-terminal after inputting the address of that terminal once. When the fax-terminal receives a polling signal from a remote fax-terminal, the image scanner is actuated to pick up and transmit image signals to the remote fax-terminal.

Method for controlling an image processing system

An electronic copying machine for making a hard copy of a remote surface has a taking lens for forming an image of the remote surface and an image sensor which scans the image to provide video signals. The electronic copying machine is provided with a scanning area projecting device for projecting a frame onto the remote surface which defines an area of the image of the remote surface to be scanned. The scanning area projecting device comprises a frame slit plate formed with a plurality of frame slits for forming different sizes of slit frame images, a masking plate for selectively masking the frame slits and a source of illumination for illuminating the slit plate so as to project onto the remote surface a frame image of a size selected by the masking plate.

Electronic copying machine

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

A photography mode input system for inputting any selected one of a plurality of predetermined optional photography modes into a camera having a microcomputer for controlling exposure. The system comprises a series of cards each having a different signal element pattern such as a notch pattern each respectively corresponding to an optional photography mode, and a switch array for detecting the signal element pattern. The switch array is disposed in a slot formed in a holder on the camera, and is connected to the microcomputer. The card is made of opaque plastic material or paper. The switch array comprises a series of switches each outputting a binary signal depending on whether each switch detects a notch, and the binary signals from the switches are read out as a binary code, on the basis of which the corresponding optional photography mode is set in the camera.

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Saitama, Japan

Yasuhiro Nishitani