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. 03, 2011
Filed:
Oct. 16, 2006
Junichi Shinohara, Yokohama, JP;
Junichi Shinohara, Yokohama, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image capturing apparatus includes an optical unit for forming an image of a subject, a first light extinction unit present on an optical axis of the optical unit and configured to adjust an amount of light by changing a dimension of a aperture stop thereof, a second light extinction unit to be present on said optical axis of the optical unit and configured to adjust an amount of light passing therethrough by changing a transmittance of the light, and a controller for controlling operations of said first and second light extinction units so as to make an exposure optimum at a time of photographing. The controller has precedence on the adjustment of the light amount with the first light extinction unit until a predetermined aperture stop diameter and has precedence on the adjustment of the light amount with the second light extinction unit in a state that the light is to be reduced beyond a state in the predetermined aperture stop diameter, thereby attaining optimization of the exposure.