Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Ootsuka
Hiroshi Ootsuka has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 5576791Abstract: A single-lens reflex camera comprises a taking lens having a zooming optical system, a finder whose angle of view is determined according to a focal length of the taking lens, and an operation member which is manually operated. In the single-lens reflex camera, the focal length of the taking lens is changed by driving the zooming optical system, and the zooming operation is controlled in response to an operation of the operation member so that the focal length of the taking lens is changed in the wide-angle direction by a predetermined amount. An angle of view corresponding to that which is seen before the focal length is changed is displayed within the finder.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 1994Date of Patent: November 19, 1996Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenji Ishibashi, Yoshihiro Hara, Akihiko Fujino, Yasuo Maeda, Shigeto Ohmori, Fumiaki Ishito, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Masayuki Miyazawa
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Patent number: 5572278Abstract: A camera according to the present invention comprises a taking length whose focal length is variable. A focal length thereof is determined based on a subject distance measured by a distance measuring circuit and a relation between a subject distance and a focal length previously stored in a memory or according to a manual operation. The relation stored in the memory is changed based on a focal length determined.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 1994Date of Patent: November 5, 1996Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masataka Hamada, Masayuki Ueyama, Kenji Ishibashi, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5561485Abstract: A camera comprises an angular velocity sensor for detecting camera-shake. The angular velocity sensor takes a certain time to be stabilized after its operation is started. When correction of camera-shake is required during the certain period, it is displayed that correction of camera-shake is not possible.As a result, a photographer using the camera with the camera-shake detection sensor refrains from photographing when correction of camera-shake is not possible.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 1995Date of Patent: October 1, 1996Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masataka Hamada, Hisayuki Masumoto, Takashi Okada, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5539495Abstract: A camera system comprises a brightness measuring circuit, a exposure line choosing circuit, an operable switch, a film driver and a film driving mode selector.The brightness measuring circuit measures brightness of a photographic scene to send a brightness value. The exposure line choosing circuit chooses one of a plurality of exposure lines in which each lines selects a combination of an aperture value and a shutter speed value at each brightness value. The film driver drives a film in either of a first mode in which the film is wound only one frame in response to the operation of the operable switch and a second mode in which the film is wound frame by frame continuously as long as the operable member is operated. The film driving mode selector selects one of the modes in accordance with the exposure line chosen by the choosing circuit.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 1994Date of Patent: July 23, 1996Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takehiro Katoh, Yoshihiko Azuma, Masayasu Hirano, Naohiro Kageyama, Toshihiko Ishimura, Kenji Tsuji, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5517274Abstract: An automatic focusing apparatus of a camera according to the present invention includes: a focus detector which detects repeatedly focus conditions of a photographic lens and outputs successively focus signals corresponding to the focus conditions; a drive unit for driving the photographic lens for focus adjustment; a predictor for predicting an in-focus point from the plurality of focus signals from the focus detector; a control unit for controlling the drive unit to drive the photographic lens toward the in-focus point predicted by the predictor; an auxiliary light projector for projecting auxiliary light onto an object to enable detecting operation of the focus detector; and a forbidding device for forbidding the control of drive by the control unit while the auxiliary light is projected by the auxiliary light projector.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 1994Date of Patent: May 14, 1996Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masataka Hamada, Tokuji Ishida, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5504552Abstract: A camera system comprises a brightness measuring circuit, a exposure line choosing circuit, an operable switch, a film driver and a film driving mode selector. The brightness measuring circuit measures brightness of a photographic scene to send a brightness value. The exposure line choosing circuit chooses one of a plurality of exposure lines in which each lines selects a combination of an aperture value and a shutter speed value at each brightness value. The film driver drives a film in either of a first mode in which the film is wound only one frame in response to the operation of the operable switch and a second mode in which the film is wound frame by frame continuously as long as the operable member is operated. The film driving mode selector selects one of the modes in accordance with the exposure line chosen by the choosing circuit.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 1994Date of Patent: April 2, 1996Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takehiro Katoh, Yoshihiko Azuma, Masayasu Hirano, Naohiro Kageyama, Toshihiko Ishimura, Kenji Tsuji, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5461439Abstract: A camera records instructions for printing at the time of photographing, and a printer for producing a print from the film reads the instructions recorded on the film and calculates an appropriate exposure amount for the printing operation. The instructions are photographic magnification of a main object, information concerning flash photography, a position of a main object and the like.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 1993Date of Patent: October 24, 1995Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Jun Minakuti, Takehiro Katoh, Yoshinobu Kudo, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5461694Abstract: A dc motor wherein a driving force thereof can be used effectively with a simple and compact mechanical construction and a motor controlling system which can control such a dc motor to be driven efficiently. The motor comprises at least two coils, and change-over means for changing electric connection of the coils to change over the motor, when power is selectively supplied to the coils, between a first mode in which the torque produced is relatively high and the rotational frequency is relatively low and a second mode in which the torque is relatively low and the rotational frequency is relatively high. The motor controlling system includes selecting means for automatically selecting one of the first and second modes to control the change-over means in response to a given condition of the motor.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 1991Date of Patent: October 24, 1995Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Junichi Tanii, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Toshihiko Taniguchi, Takahisa Shimada, Sadafusa Tsuji
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Patent number: 5420661Abstract: A camera wherein the light emitted by a subject, which has passed through a photographic optical system, is formed as an image on an area sensor, and which includes an electronic viewfinder that indicates the image of the subject based on the output from the area sensor and an apparatus that detects image shaking caused by camera shake, based on the output from the area sensor.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 1994Date of Patent: May 30, 1995Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masataka Hamada, Eiji Yamakawa, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Hisayuki Masumoto, Takashi Okada
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Patent number: 5416554Abstract: A camera comprises an angular velocity sensor for detecting camera-shake. The angular velocity sensor takes a certain time to be stabilized after its operation is started. When correction of camera-shake is required during the certain period, it is displayed that correction of camera-shake is not possible.As a result, a photographer using the camera with the camera-shake detection sensor refrains from photographing when correction of camera-shake is not possible.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 1993Date of Patent: May 16, 1995Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masataka Hamada, Hisayuki Masumoto, Takashi Okada, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5408291Abstract: An AF camera system for automatically controlling an objective lens for focusing an object includes a focus detector for generating a defocus data DF carrying information of a defocus amount and a defocus direction based on a focus condition of an object to be focused through an objective lens detected in a detection cycle, an infocus detector for detecting an infocus condition based on the defocus data, a lens driver for driving the objective lens based on the defocus amount and defocus direction carried in the defocus data DF when the infocus detection means did not detect the infocus condition; and a control for controlling the focus adjustment based on defocus data and/or the detection of the infocus condition detected by the infocus detection means.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 1992Date of Patent: April 18, 1995Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.Inventors: Tokuji Ishida, Masataka Hamada, Jun Hasegawa, Kenji Ishibashi, Toshio Norita, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5386262Abstract: A single-lens reflex camera comprises a taking lens having a zooming optical system, a finder whose angle of view is determined according to a focal length of the taking lens, and an operation member which is manually operated. In the single-lens reflex camera, the focal length of the taking lens is changed by driving the zooming optical system, and the zooming operation is controlled in response to an operation of the operation member so that the focal length of the taking lens is changed in the wide-angle direction by a predetermined amount. An angle of view corresponding to that which is seen before the focal length is changed is displayed within the finder.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 1994Date of Patent: January 31, 1995Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenji Ishibashi, Yoshihiro Hara, Kazuhiko Yukawa, Akihiko Fujino, Yasuo Maeda, Shigeto Ohmori, Fumiaki Ishito, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Masayuki Miyazawa
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Patent number: 5379088Abstract: An automatic focusing camera according to the present invention is an automatic focusing camera having a plurality of operation modes, including an information input device for entering a plurality of types of photographing information, an information analyzer for analyzing the photographing information entered by the information input device based on a fuzzy inference, and a mode determining device for determining one of the operation modes based on the result of the analysis of the information analyzer.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 1993Date of Patent: January 3, 1995Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroshi Ueda, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Tokuji Ishida, Toshio Norita
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Patent number: 5365297Abstract: A camera system comprises an operation member provided in an interchangeable lens adapted to be manually operated; a signal sending circuit for sending a signal in response to the manual operation of the operation member; and a controller provided in a camera body which is adapted to switch between an operative state where a predetermined operation is executed and a halt state where the controller is halted after completion of the predetermined operation. The controller switches from the halt state to the operative state in response to the signal from the signal sending circuit to execute the predetermined operation. According to the camera system, since the system controller in the camera body is actuated in response to the operation of the member on the lens side, a camera which can substantially instantaneously respond to a request on the lens side can be realized.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 1992Date of Patent: November 15, 1994Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tetsuya Arimoto, Minoru Kuwana, Kenji Ishibashi, Yasuaki Serita, Masayuki Ueyama, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Hisashi Tokumaru
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Patent number: 5365304Abstract: A camera wherein the light emitted by a subject, which has passed through a photographic optical system, is formed as an image on an area sensor, and which includes an electronic viewfinder that indicates the image of the subject based on the output from the area sensor and an apparatus that detects image shaking caused by camera shake, based on the output from the area sensor.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 1993Date of Patent: November 15, 1994Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masataka Hamada, Eiji Yamakawa, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Hisayuki Masumoto, Takashi Okada
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Patent number: 5363169Abstract: A camera is operable in one among a first photographing mode, a second photographing mode and a third photographing mode, and is further selectively operable in one of a plurality of photographing states when the camera operates in the first mode. The camera includes a first manual operation member, a first element responsive to an operation of the first manual operation member for cyclically selecting one of the first, second and third photographing modes in this order, a second manual operation member, and a second element responsive to an operation of the second manual operation member for selecting one of the plurality of photographing states in the first photographing mode.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 1992Date of Patent: November 8, 1994Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tokuji Ishida, Masataka Hamada, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Hiroshi Ueda
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Patent number: 5359385Abstract: A camera having a learning function which automatically sets data for current photographing in accordance with a tendency of data set in the past (learned data) and takes a photograph in accordance with the data thus set.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 1993Date of Patent: October 25, 1994Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tatsuya Ishida, Koji Hata, Kohtaro Hayashi, Akuhiko Fujino, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Katsuyuki Nanba
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Patent number: 5353091Abstract: A camera having a blurring correction apparatus according to the present invention includes a photographic lens for forming an image of an object to be photographed, a detecting apparatus for detecting the degree of movement of the formed image of the object, a correcting apparatus operative at least during exposure time for correcting the position of the image of the object in response to a detection output of the detecting apparatus so as to compensate the movement of the image of the object, a setting apparatus for setting exposure time, a calculating apparatus for calculating the amount of movement of the image of the object produced during exposure time based on the detection output of the detecting apparatus and the set exposure time, and a prohibiting apparatus for prohibiting the operation of the correcting apparatus when the amount of movement of the image of the object produced during exposure time is smaller than a predetermined value.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 1993Date of Patent: October 4, 1994Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tokuji Ishida, Masataka Hamada, Eiji Yamakawa, Hiromu Mukai, Hisayuki Masumoto, Takashi Okada, Takehiro Katoh, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5319412Abstract: In an automatic focus control device of a camera there are provided defocus amount calculation means for calculating a defocus amount for a predetermined focus plane of a photographic lens in the camera on the basis of the electric signal generated by a light receiving means, comparing means for comparing the obtained value on the basis of the calculated defocus amount with a reference value, control means controlling driving speed of the photographic lens by the lens driving means in response to the comparison result of a comparing means, photographic condition setting means for setting the photographic condition and reference value setting means for setting said reference value in response to the set photographic condition.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 1993Date of Patent: June 7, 1994Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masataka Hamada, Tokuji Ishida, Kenji Ishibashi, Nobuyuki Taniguchi, Hiroshi Ootsuka
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Patent number: 5319411Abstract: A single-lens reflex camera comprises a taking lens having a zooming optical system, a finder whose angle of view is determined according to a focal length of the taking lens, and an operation member which is manually operated. In the single-lens reflex camera, the focal length of the taking lens is changed by driving the zooming optical system, and the zooming operation is controlled in response to an operation of the operation member so that the focal length of the taking lens is changed in the wide-angle direction by a predetermined amount. An angle of view corresponding to that which is seen before the focal length is changed is displayed within the finder.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 1991Date of Patent: June 7, 1994Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenji Ishibashi, Yoshihiro Hara, Kazuhiko Yokawa, Akihiko Fujino, Yasuo Maeda, Shigeto Ohmori, Fumiaki Ishito, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Masayuki Miyazawa