Patents Assigned to Seiko Precision Inc.
  • Patent number: 9513533
    Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; a leading blade and a trailing blade opening and closing the opening; a trailing blade actuator driving the trailing blade; a drive member driving the trailing blade by receiving driving force of the trailing blade actuator; and a buffering member abutting with the drive member in a state where the trailing blade recedes away from the opening, wherein the trailing blade actuator causes the drive member to move away from the buffering member from an abutting state therewith and to abut therewith again in a charging operation, and then starts an exposure operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Minori Murata, Seiichi Oishi, Mitsuru Suzuki, Shoichi Tokura
  • Patent number: 9507240
    Abstract: A blade drive device includes: a board including an opening; first and second blades opening and closing the opening; and first and second actuators arranged adjacent to each other and respectively driving the first and second blades, wherein the first and second actuators respectively include first and second stators, first and second rotors, and first and second coils, and the first and second rotors is arranged to sandwich at least one of the first and second coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Shoichi Tokura, Chiaki Nemoto, Yoichi Nakano
  • Patent number: 9477137
    Abstract: To provide a blade drive device capable of suppressing operation failures due to the leakage flux. The blade drive device 1 attached to a camera module including a lens and a lens drive device 60 having plural permanent magnets 61 arranged with gaps around an optical axis P of the lens in an annular manner so as to overlap the camera module in an axial direction of the optical axis P, which includes a lower plate 2 having an opening 4 formed around the optical axis P, blades 20 regulating the opening 4 and respective actuators 10A, 10B arranged in the lower plate 2 and driving the blades 20. Each of respective actuators 10A, 10B is arranged in a position corresponding to a gap between a pair of adjacent permanent magnets 61 seen from the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Masami Yamamoto, Koichi Masuzawa
  • Patent number: 9465275
    Abstract: An imaging device includes: a focal plane shutter including: a board including an opening; a leading shutter and a trailing shutter opening and closing the opening; a leading shutter actuator and a trailing shutter actuator respectively driving the leading shutter and the trailing shutter; and a restrict portion that restricts reciprocating movement ranges of the leading shutter and the trailing shutter, an image pickup element which light enters through the opening; and a drive control portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Minori Murata, Seiichi Oishi, Shoichi Tokura
  • Patent number: 9454000
    Abstract: An aperture device includes: a board including an opening; a blade opening and closing the opening; and first and second receiving plates sandwiching the blade; wherein the first receiving plate includes a pressing portion partially pressing the blade toward the second plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Katsuhisa Gokita, Kazuya Shioda, Kenichi Kudo
  • Patent number: 9436063
    Abstract: A blade driving device according to the present invention includes: a substrate having an aperture; a first blade and a second blade which open and close the aperture; a first driving member which drives the first blade; a second driving member which drives the second blade; a first actuator which operates the first driving member; and a second actuator which operates the second driving member, wherein the first actuator and the second actuator extend along a first direction which intersects an axial direction of the aperture on a primary surface of the substrate and are arranged in a second direction which intersects the axial direction and the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Yoichi Nakano, Motoharu Sakurai
  • Patent number: 9429815
    Abstract: A blade drive device includes: a board including an opening; first and second blades opening and closing the opening; and first and second actuators respectively driving the first and second blades, wherein the first and second actuators respectively include first and second stators, first and second rotors, and first and second coils, and respectively drive the first and second blades through first and second drive members, the first drive member is arranged to overlap the first stator and the first coil in an optical axis direction, and the second drive member is arranged to overlap the second stator and the second coil in the optical axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Shoichi Tokura, Chiaki Nemoto, Yoichi Nakano
  • Publication number: 20160216593
    Abstract: A focal-plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; a shutter opening and closing the opening; a drive lever provided with a drive pin and swinging; a drive arm provided with an engagement hole engaged with the drive pin, swinging about a center same as a swing center of the drive lever, driving the shutter, and made of a synthetic resin; and a restriction portion defining a swinging range of the drive lever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Applicant: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Seiichi OISHI, Hiroshi TAKAHASHI, Shoichi TOKURA
  • Patent number: 9395598
    Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; a leading shutter and a trailing shutter opening and closing the opening; first and second biasing members respectively biasing the leading shutter and the trailing shutter to move away from the opening; a first actuator causing the leading shutter to move from a position to close the opening to a position to recede from the opening while the leading shutter is assisted by a biasing force of the first biasing member in an exposure operation; and a second actuator causing the trailing shutter to move from a position to recede from the opening to a position to close the opening against a biasing force of the second biasing member in the exposure operation, wherein drive torque of the first actuator is smaller than that of the second actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Minori Murata, Seiichi Oishi, Mitsuru Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9395599
    Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a first board including a first opening; a first shutter including plural first blades, and facing the first board and closing the first opening such that an overlapped state where the plural first blades overlap each other is shifted to an expanded state where the plural first blades expand; and a drive member connected to a root portion of the first shutter and causing the first shutter to move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Seiichi Oishii, Shoichi Tokura
  • Patent number: 9389484
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes: an image pickup element; a control portion artificially driving an electronic leading blade by resetting stored charges of the image pickup element in a predetermined direction at every pixel line; and a focal plane shutter includes a board including an opening exposing the image pickup element, a mechanical trailing blade capable of opening and closing the opening, a trailing blade drive lever driving the trailing blade, an actuator actuating the trailing blade drive lever, a shading member capable of opening and closing at least a part of the opening, a shading member drive lever driving the shading member, a connection member provided on the shading member drive lever, and a biasing member biasing the shading member drive lever such that the shading member recedes from the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventor: Yoichi Nakano
  • Publication number: 20160195795
    Abstract: A blade driving device includes: a board including an opening; first and second blades opening and closing the opening; first and second actuators arranged adjacent to each other and respectively driving the first and second blades, and respectively including first and second stators, first and second rotors, and first and second coils; a printed circuit board; and solder portions electrically connecting the first and second coils with the printed circuit board; wherein the solder portions includes: first and second solder portions respectively connecting one end and another end of the first coil with the printed circuit board; and third and fourth solder portions respectively connecting one end and another end of the second coil with the printed circuit board; and the first, second, third, and fourth solder portions face one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Publication date: July 7, 2016
    Applicant: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Shoichi TOKURA, Hiroshi TAKAHASHI, Seiichi OISHI, Minori MURATA
  • Patent number: 9383625
    Abstract: A blade-driving device includes: a board including an opening; a blade opening and closing the opening; an arm driving the blade and made of a synthetic resin; a drive member driving the arm; and a reinforcement member formed with a laser welding mark indicating a mark formed by laser welding the reinforcement member and the arm together, and made of a synthetic resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Mitsuru Suzuki, Makoto Toriumi
  • Publication number: 20160191777
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes: an image pickup element; a board including an opening through which light entering the image pickup element passes; a shutter opening and closing the opening; an actuator driving the shutter, and including: a rotor; a stator; and first and second coils wound around the stator and not electrically connected to each other; and a drive circuit including plural terminal portions to which the first and second coils are individually connected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Applicant: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Seiichi OISHI, Minori MURATA, Motoharu SAKURAI, Akira ITO
  • Patent number: 9331529
    Abstract: An actuator includes: a coil; a permanent magnet rotor secured to and rotatably supported by an output shaft inside the coil; a bobbin made of a non-magnetic material and around which the coil is wound; a first stator inserted into and secured to the bobbin in one direction, and including an inner magnetic pole portion and an outer magnetic pole portion extending inside and outside the coil in an axial direction of the rotor, respectively; and a second stator inserted into and secured to the bobbin in a direction opposite to the one direction, and including an inner magnetic pole portion and an outer magnetic pole portion extending inside and outside the coil in the axial direction of the rotor, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Masami Yamamoto, Kenichi Kudo
  • Patent number: 9323131
    Abstract: A focal-plane shutter includes: first, second, and third boards each including an opening and arranged in an optical axis direction passing through the openings; a first blade arranged between the first and second boards and capable of opening and closing the openings; a second blade arranged between the second and third boards and capable of opening and closing the openings; first and second arms arranged between the second and third boards, connected to the second blade, made of synthetic resins, and capable of rotating about respective different fulcrums; and a drive member connected to the first arm and driving the first arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Mitsuru Suzuki, Minori Murata, Makoto Toriumi
  • Patent number: 9304374
    Abstract: A focal-plane shutter includes: a mechanical portion including: a board including an opening; and a leading blade and a trailing blade capable of opening and closing the opening; and a leading blade actuator and a trailing blade actuator respectively driving the leading blade and the trailing blade, and respectively including a leading blade coil and a trailing blade coil, wherein a current value flowing through at least one of the leading blade coil and the trailing blade coil is adjusted such that one of variations in a leading blade run-up period and a trailing blade run-up period depending on a temperature change corresponds to the other one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Seiichi Oishi, Minori Murata, Shoichi Tokura, Hiroshi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9294683
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes: a focal plane shutter including: a board including an opening; a leading shutter and a trailing shutter moving to open and close the opening; a leading-shutter actuator and a trailing-shutter actuator respectively causing the leading shutter and the trailing shutter to move; a leading-shutter sensor detecting that the leading shutter passes through a first position; and a trailing-shutter sensor detecting that the trailing shutter passes through a second position, an image pickup element that light enters through the opening; and a drive control portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Yoichi Nakano, Motoharu Sakurai
  • Patent number: 9274401
    Abstract: A focal-plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; a blade opening and closing the opening; a rotor of an actuator for driving the blade; an output member rotated by the rotor and including a first gear portion; a drive member including a second gear portion meshing with the first gear portion, rotating about a predetermined axis, and driving the blade; and a positioning portion abutting with the drive member and defining an end of a rotational range of the drive member, wherein the first and second gear portions and the positioning portion overlap one another in a plane direction perpendicular to the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahashi, Mitsuru Suzuki, Minori Murata, Makoto Toriumi
  • Patent number: 9239511
    Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; blades opening and closing the opening; an electromagnet supported by the board; a drive lever adsorbed to and held by the electromagnet, and swingably supported by the board; a drive arm connected to the drive lever, swingably supported by the board, and driving the blades; a first biasing member always biasing the drive lever away from the electromagnet and moving the blades; a first adjusting member that stepwisely adjusts a biasing force of the first biasing member; a second biasing member always biasing the drive arm in a direction opposite to a biasing direction of the first biasing member to such an extent that the blades are moved in accordance with the biasing force of the first biasing member; and a second adjusting member that steplessly adjusts a biasing force of the second biasing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO PRECISION INC.
    Inventors: Seiichi Oishii, Shoichi Tokura