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:
Sep. 04, 2001
Filed:
Aug. 25, 2000
Atsushi Kanayama, Omiya, JP;
Keiji Kaneko, Omiya, JP;
Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd., Saitama, JP;
Abstract
The present invention is an apparatus not requiring the change of manual and automatic operations, preventing a lens from unexpectedly moving under manual operation, and making it possible to perform manual operation when a driving speed is low even under automatic operation. The apparatus has an automatic manual-and-automatic-operation change mode for automatically driving a lens by a zoom switch in a predetermined direction by connecting a zooming ring to a zoom motor through a clutch mechanism and connecting or disconnecting the clutch mechanism by a clutch-operating motor, and making it possible to automatically perform manual operation when the zoom switch is not operated. Moreover, the apparatus has a manual-operation mode for enabling only manual operation in addition to the change mode so that automatic operation is not performed even if an operator touches the zoom switch. Furthermore, the apparatus controls the operation torque of an operation ring generated by the clutch mechanism so that the torque decreases an a driving speed set by the zoom switch lowers and so that manual operation can be performed even while automatic operation is performed by pressing the zoom switch. Furthermore, the apparatus variably controls a clutch position under automatic operation ON or OFF correspondingly to an environmental temperature and secures stable rotation of a lens-operating ring.