Nikon Corporation

Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Yoshiaki Tanabe

Masanori Hasuda

Akira Katayama

Tetsuro Goto

Yoshiyuki Nakano

Etsuo Tanaka

Eiji Matsukawa

Tsuyoshi Okutani

Hitoshi Nishimoto

Hiroshi Hasegawa

Masaru Ichikawa

Tomoyuki Takada

Hiroyuki Ohshima

Hironobu Kato

Makoto Kohinata

Atsushi Sano

Provided is a light receiving apparatus including a first light receiving unit; a body to which the first light receiving unit is secured; a first exterior portion that covers at least a portion of the body; and a mount that is capable of having an interchangeable lens attached thereto, to which the body and the first exterior portion are secured. Also provided is a light receiving apparatus, in which a body to which a first light receiving unit is secured and a first exterior portion that covers at least a portion of the body are secured to a mount that is capable of having an interchangeable lens attached thereto, and force placed on the first exterior portion is absorbed by the mount, such that transfer of the force placed on the first exterior portion to the body is reduced.

Light receiving apparatus with shock resistance

Light receiving apparatus having body and exterior portion secured to mount

A digital camera includes: a mirror box that defines a space in which a light flux from a photographic lens is guided to an imaging unit; a mirror unit that is arranged inside the mirror box and is configured to rotate between a viewing position in which the mirror unit is inserted in a photographic light path from the photographic lens to the imaging unit to reflect the light flux and a photographing position in which the mirror unit is retracted from the photographic light path; and an opening section that discharges from the mirror box air that is moved when the mirror unit is rotated.

Digital camera and interchangeable lens

A digital camera includes: a light guide section that defines a space in which a light flux from a photographic lens to an imaging unit is guided; a mirror unit arranged inside the light guide section, that is adapted to rotate between a viewing position in which the mirror unit is inserted in a photographic light path from the photographic lens to the imaging unit to reflect the light flux and a photographing position in which the mirror unit is retracted from the photographic light path; a mirror unit control section that controls rotation of the mirror unit; a rotation instruction section that outputs a signal to rotate the mirror unit while no photography is performed to the mirror unit control section; and an opening section provided in the light guide section that discharges from the light guide section air that is moved by the rotation of the mirror unit.

Digital camera with shutter control section or mirror control section

A focal plane shutter blade device has a front blind, rotated by a front driving arm and a front trailing arm, that covers an aperture of a camera prior to an exposure operation. The front blind includes a front slit forming blade. The front slit forming blade forms an exposure slit during an exposure operation of the camera. The front blind also includes front covering blades that do not form an exposure slit. Front covering blades cover the aperture, while front slit forming blade does not cover the aperture, when the front blind is covering the aperture. A rear slit forming blade has a slit edge that is located between an autofocusing device and a film passage, and is positioned further in a bottom portion direction of the camera than from a top portion of the autofocusing device. A first rotation shaft functions as a center of rotation of the front driving arm and a second rotation shaft functions as a center of rotation of the front trailing arm. A center portion of the aperture is located midway between the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft. A third rotation shaft functions as a center of rotation of a rear driving arm that rotates a rear blind, and is positioned in the bottom portion direction of the camera, lower than a lower edge of the aperture.

Focal plane shutter device having shutter blades positioned with respect

An apparatus for preventing mirror bounce in a camera includes a mirror member rotatable in reciprocation between a viewing position and a photographing position. A mirror receiving member receives a kinetic energy of the mirror member by making a predetermined motion when a collision of the mirror member takes place and, at the same time, position-regulates the mirror member in the viewing position. A moment of inertia of the mirror receiving member and/or the mirror member is set so that a bounce time after the collision of the mirror member is shorter by 15% or above than a bounce time when fixing the mirror receiving member.

Apparatus for preventing mirror bounce in camera

A single lens reflex camera which has improved high-speed photography operation. The mirror in the single lens reflex camera is controlled to reduce the time delay between a first time when the rear shutter blind closes the photo field and a second time when the mirror reaches the down position. The time delay is reduced by initiating the mirror down movement at least before the rear shutter blind closes the photo field and possibly before the front shutter blind even opens the photo field, depending on the exposure conditions.

Single lens reflex camera

A driving device for a piezoelectric actuator, in which a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric actuator to generate a mechanical deformation therein, thus actuating a mechanical system. In an aspect, the piezoelectric actuator is at first given a voltage of inverse polarity, for generating a displacement in an opposite direction, and then given a voltage of forward polarity, for generating a displacement in the normal functioning direction, thereby actuating the mechanical system. Displacement and acceleration become larger, as the displacement of the actuator takes place from a position in the inverse direction. In another aspect, the electrical insulation state of the piezoelectric actuator is detected and, if deteriorated, the destruction of insulation is prevented by an alarm generation and/or inhibition of voltage application in an embodiment, the insulation state is identified from the ambient humidity of the actuator. In another embodiment, if the detected humidity is at a high level that may induce destruction of insulation, the piezoelectric actuator is driven with a low voltage, in order to dehumidify by heat generation. The piezoelectric actuator may be used in a shutter control device for a camera.

Driver for piezoelectric actuator and shutter control device utilizing

An electromagnetic device for cameras includes a yoke that has a contact surface and is attached to a base plate. An armature having a contact surface faces and is movable into contact with the contact surface of the yoke. An armature shaft has one end attached perpendicularly to the contact surface of the armature, and has a catch at its opposite end. An armature lever is freely movable on the shaft between the catch and the armature. A biasing member, such as a spring, biases the armature away from the yoke. A coil is provided on the yoke, and when in an excited state, causes the contact surface of the armature to come into contact with the contact surface of the yoke to magnetically adhere the armature to the yoke, and when in an unexcited state, disengages the armature from the yoke. The armature lever includes one or more openings, such as a circular hole and/or an elongated slot, that are used to apply an elastic adhesive between the armature lever and the armature.

Electromagnetic device for cameras

An armature lever is attached by an elastic adhesive to a catch located on an end of an armature shaft of an electromagnetic device of a camera, which is used to drive, for example, a shutter, stop, and/or mirror(s) of the camera. The armature lever and the catch can be attached by the elastic adhesive so that they abut each other or so that a gap exists between them. When the gap is provided, the gap can be filled with the elastic adhesive to further absorb any shock occurring when the armature lever and catch contact each other. A reset member, such as, for example, a spring that biases the armature toward the yoke also can be attached by the elastic adhesive to the armature shaft.

Electromagnetic device for a camera

A focal plane shutter device is provided in which when a rear shutter diaphragm travels in a first direction to retract from a photographing image plane from a state where the rear shutter diaphragm and a front shutter diaphragm shade the photographing image plane doubly, a balancer (42 and 44) travels in a direction which is substantially opposite to the first direction. When the front shutter diaphragm travels in a second direction opposite to the aforesaid first direction to begin exposure subsequent to the retraction of the rear shutter diaphragm, the aforesaid balancer (42 and 44) travels in a direction substantially opposite to the second direction. Consequently, it is possible to prevent camera blurring due to the traveling of the rear shutter diaphragm and the front shutter diaphragm by one balancer means. The device preferably includes an assisting member (45) which is connected to the balancer and which is caused to travel so as to provide a pressing force to assist the rear shutter diaphragm when the rear shutter diaphragm travels in the first direction, thus making it possible to perform the retraction of the rear shutter diaphragm more reliably. A chasing member may also be provided to chase the assisting member and secure a space between the front and rear shutter diaphragms by contacting the assisting member if, for example, the rear shutter diaphragm begins to travel prematurely by malfunction.

Focal plane shutter device for a camera

A shutter blade device having two arms, plural shutter blades and caulking pins for rotatably mounting the shutter blades to the arms is designed to secure the strength of the shutter blades, thereby enabling high-speed running motion. For this purpose, the shutter blades are formed planar, and the caulking pins are so caulked that the caulked portions protrude to the rear side of the shutter blades. Between the adjacent shutter blades, blades are so formed that the protruding portions of caulking always overlap with the adjacent shutter blade, regardless whether the blades are in the light-shielding position, in the exposure position or in the course of running therebetween.

Shutter blade device

A focal-plane shutter apparatus is arranged such that, from a state that an image plane is substantially doubly covered with a first vane group and a second vane group and with release of camera, the second vane group withdraws outside the image plane and thereafter the first vane group starts running for exposure, and comprises a balancer member moving in the opposite direction to the withdrawal direction of the second vane group in synchronism with the withdrawal of the second vane group outside the image plane, and a start adjusting member for substantially simultaneously starting the withdrawal of the second vane group outside the image plane member and the movement of the balancer member, thereby enabling full use of performance of the balancer for reducing camera shake during the withdrawal of second vane group.

Focal-plane shutter apparatus

There is disclosed a driving device for piezoelectric actuator, in which a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric actuator to generate a mechanical deformation therein, thus actuating a mechanical system. In an aspect, the piezoelectric actuator is at first given a voltage of inverse polarity, for generating a displacement in an opposite direction, and then given a voltage of forward polarity, for generating a displacement in the normal functioning direction, thereby actuating the mechanical system. Displacement and acceleration become larger, as the displacement of the actuator takes place from a position in the inverse direction. In another aspect, the electrical insulation state of the piezoelectric actuator is detected, and, if deteriorated, the destruction of insulation is prevented by an alarm generation and/or inhibition of voltage application. In an embodiment, the insulation state is identified from the ambient humidity of the actuator. In another aspect, if the detected humidity is at a high level that may induce destruction of insulation, the piezoelectric actuator is driven with a low voltage, in order to dehumidity by heat generation. Also shutter control devices for camera, utilizing piezoelectric actuator, are disclosed.

A focal-plane shutter device comprises aperture opening blades including a blade with an edge for forming an exposure slit, aperture closing blades including a blade with an edge for forming the exposure slit, first and second base plates disposed between the aperture opening blades and the aperture closing blades and each having an aperture for forming an exposure aperture, and a means for spacing the first and second base plates by a predetermined distance. According to the above composition, even is the slit forming edge of the blade of the aperture closing blades is moved at high speed, it is prevented from colliding with the first and second base plates.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Yoshiaki Tanabe