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:
May. 07, 2002
Filed:
Jul. 26, 2000
Takeshi Idemura, Utsunomiya, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An optical apparatus includes a first movable optical member, a second movable optical member, different from the first optical member, and a driving mechanism engaged with the second optical member, and operable in a first operation mode, in which the second optical member is movable by an electrical driving operation of the driving mechanism, and a second operation mode, in which the second optical member is movable by a manual driving operation. Operation of the driving mechanism is switched between the first operation mode and the second operation mode by control means such as a CPU, wherein, when the driving mechanism is operable in the second operation mode, the control means switches operation of the driving mechanism to the first operation mode in response to a driving operation of the first optical member. In one embodiment, the optical apparatus is a zoom lens apparatus, the first movable optical member is a focus lens unit, and the second movable optical member is a zoom element, where the control means switches operation of the driving mechanism from the second operation mode, in which the zoom element is movable by a manual driving operation to compensate for a variation in angle of view due to a driving operation of the focus lens unit, to the first operation mode, in which the zoom element is movable by an electrical driving operation. The driving mechanism may include a clutch for selectively transmitting a driving force between an electric drive source and the second optical member, where the control means switches the driving mechanism from the second operation mode to the first operation mode by switching the clutch from a disconnected state to a connected state.
Data source: USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) public patent records. Weekly synchronization. How IDiyas builds this profile