The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 21, 1995
Filed:
Mar. 19, 1993
Mitsuo Hoshino, Saitama, JP;
Atsushi Takano, Kanagawa, JP;
Sony Corporation, , JP;
Abstract
A feed screw (3) is coupled to a stepping motor (2) and a moving member (4) is provided along the feed screw (3). The moving member (4) includes a rack (7) that is meshed with the feed screw (3). The moving member (4) has a lens supporting member (9) secured to its lower end, and a light emitting element (13) and a slit (4) are fixed to the lens supporting member (9). A semiconductor position detecting element (15) is secured within a lens housing in association with the slit (14). If the position of a lens (L) is fluctuated by a shock or the like when or after an image is properly focused, a distance in which a light passed through the slit (14) from the light emitting element (13) is moved on the semiconductor position detecting element (15) is electrically converted to drive the motor (2), thereby the lens (L) being recovered to the properly-focused position. The number of teeth of the feed screw in which the teeth are skipped when the rack is disengaged is determined precisely. Then, the lens is moved by the distance corresponding to the fluctuated amount and is returned to the properly-focused position. Also, an electric power consumption can be reduced on the whole and the size of the whole of the apparatus can be reduced.