Optical Zoom Patents (Class 348/240.3)
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Publication number: 20120236182Abstract: A camera system includes a lens unit, a mount, a camera body, and a control unit. The lens unit includes at least one lens unit operation portion and changes the magnification of an optical image electrically. The mount supports removably the lens unit. The camera body includes at least one camera body operation portion. The control unit controls the lens unit so as to change the magnification of an optical image electrically in response to either one of the operation of the camera body operation portion or the operation of the lens unit operation portion. The control unit controls the lens unit so as to execute an operation that is different from the operation which changes the magnification of an optical image, in response to the other of the operation of the camera body operation portion or the operation of the lens unit operation portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2012Publication date: September 20, 2012Applicant: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Dai SHINTANI, Akira Koga, Koji Shibuno
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Publication number: 20120229680Abstract: An electronic device according to the invention includes an operating mechanism, wherein the operating mechanism includes an operating member that is attached so as to reciprocate on a straight line or a circular arc line with respect to a casing, and an elastic member that is interposed between the casing and the operating member to apply an elastic repulsion force to operation of the operating portion, and the elastic member is attached to the operating member by a detachment prevention portion that prevents detachment from the operating member.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2012Publication date: September 13, 2012Applicant: SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventor: Yasuhiro Nakatsu
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Patent number: 8243170Abstract: A zoom lens system is provided that includes a compactly constructed focusing lens unit and that has a suppressed change in the image magnification at the time of movement of a focusing lens unit. The zoom lens system according to the present invention, in order from an object side to an image side, comprises: a first lens unit having positive optical power; a second lens unit having negative optical power; a third lens unit having positive optical power; and an aperture diaphragm. At the time of zooming, the zoom lens system moves the first to third lens units so that intervals between these lens units vary. At the time of focusing from an infinity in-focus condition to a close-point object in-focus condition, the zoom lens system moves the third lens unit to the object side.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2009Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kyoichi Miyazaki, Katsu Yamada, Takuya Imaoka, Masaki Sampei
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Publication number: 20120200745Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power and configured to move during a zooming operation, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power and configured to move during a zooming operation. The first lens unit has a negative lens closest to an object side, and includes at least five lenses.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 2, 2012Publication date: August 9, 2012Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shin Kuwashiro
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Publication number: 20120200746Abstract: With comprising, in order from an object side: a first lens group G1 having negative refractive power; a second lens group G2; and a third lens group G3, the first lens group G1 includes, in order from the object side, a front group having negative refractive power, and a reflection optical element P that folds an optical path, a position of the first lens group G1 being fixed along the optical axis upon zooming from a wide-angle end state W to a telephoto end state T, and satisfying a given conditional expression, thereby providing a downsized zoom lens having a reflection optical element and a wide angle of view with thinning its profile by means of shortening a distance along an optical axis between the most object side lens surface and an object side optical surface of the reflection optical element.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2012Publication date: August 9, 2012Inventor: Atsushi SUZUKI
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Patent number: 8237821Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes a zoom lens, a solid-state image sensor which photoelectrically converts an image formed by the zoom lens, a processing unit which processes image data obtained by the solid-state image sensor, and a correction units which processes the image data from the processing unit to correct distortion aberration of the image formed by the zoom lens, and outputs the corrected image data. The lens arrangement of the zoom lens, and the length of the diagonal line of the image capturing area in correcting distortion aberration are appropriately set.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2008Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Norihiro Nanba, Rei Iwama
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Publication number: 20120194709Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an input image generating portion that generates an input image from an optical image of a subject entering through a zoom lens, and an output image generating portion that generates an output image by adjusting a focused state of the input image by image processing when an optical zoom magnification is changed by a positional change of the zoom lens.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 31, 2012Publication date: August 2, 2012Applicant: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masahiro YOKOHATA
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Patent number: 8233787Abstract: A photographic device using a focus method includes a zoom lens, an image analyzing module, a focus distance providing module and a processing module. The zoom lens is used for capturing image information of a plurality of positions. The image analyzing module is used for analyzing contrast values of the image information of the plurality of positions. The focus distance providing module is used for providing a non-equivalent and a constant focus distance interval for capturing the image information of the plurality of positions. The processing module is electrically connected with the zoom lens, the image analyzing module, and the focus distance providing module. Whereby, the photographic device acquires the image information of the plurality of positions by the non-equivalent focus distance interval, acquires a coarse focus position, and acquires an accurate focus position by the constant focus distance according to the coarse focus position.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2010Date of Patent: July 31, 2012Assignee: Altek CorporationInventors: Chih-Pin Yen, Chia-Lun Tsai, Li-Wen Kuo
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Patent number: 8228419Abstract: Provided is a method of controlling a digital photographing apparatus that displays an image of a photograph region on a display panel, generates an image signal of the photograph region in response to signals generated by a shutter release button, and stores image data of the image signal in a storage medium. In an out-focusing mode, the method includes amplifying the blurriness of an out-focusing region by low-pass-filtering image data of regions excluding a setting region within the photograph region.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2005Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Soon-hac Hong, Kun-sop Kim, Jun-il Hwang
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Patent number: 8228617Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first, third and fourth lens group of positive refracting power, a second lens group of negative refracting power, wherein, during zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, at least the first lens group moves, wherein the third lens group includes, a first lens sub-group of positive refracting power and a second lens sub-group of negative refracting power, wherein the second lens sub-group includes a single negative lens, wherein the first lens sub-group of the third lens group is moved in a direction having a perpendicular component relative to an optical axis to correct image blur to be produced when the zoom lens vibrates, and wherein, when a focal length of the first lens group is denoted by f1 and the focal length of the whole system at the wide-angle end is denoted by fw, a conditional expression 11.962?f1/fw<20.0 is satisfied.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2011Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Toyokatsu Fujisaki
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Patent number: 8223224Abstract: A zoom lens comprises first and fourth units which don't move for zooming, and second and third units moved during zooming. The first unit includes a front side partial unit which don't move for focusing, a movable partial unit moved for focusing, and a rear side partial unit which don't move for focusing, the rear side partial unit includes positive lenses and one or more negative lenses, and the following conditions are satisfied: ?1.2×10?3<(?pa??n)/(?pa??n), and ?n<30, where ?n is the smallest Abbe number of the material of the negative lenses, ?n is the partial dispersion ratio of the material of the negative lens of the smallest Abbe number, ?pa is the average of the Abbe numbers ? of the materials of positive lenses, and ?pa is the average of the partial dispersion ratio ? of the materials of the positive lenses.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2010Date of Patent: July 17, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Masaru Sakamoto
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Patent number: 8212898Abstract: When focal lengths are discretely set, zoom positions are set, relative to a focal length fr at a position at which a movement direction of a correction group, is reversed, such that a difference value between a focal length which is the closest to the focal length fr and falling between a focal length fw at a wide angle end and the focal length fr, and a next focal length is larger than a difference value between any remaining adjacent focal lengths. By moving from the zoom position of the closest focal length directly to the zoom position of the next focal length, a movement range of the correction group can be made smaller than a movement range in the case where the lens position of the focal length fr is set as the zoom position.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2007Date of Patent: July 3, 2012Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Minoru Ueda
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Publication number: 20120140095Abstract: A zoom lens system having a plurality of lens units, each lens unit being composed of at least one lens element, the zoom lens system, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising: a first lens unit having negative optical power and being composed of at least two lens elements; and a second lens unit having positive optical power, wherein in zooming from a wide-angle limit to a telephoto limit at the time of image taking, the lens units are individually moved along an optical axis to vary magnification such that an interval between the first lens unit and the second lens unit decreases, and the conditions: fW/D1>7.5 and Z=fT/fW>4.0 (fW: a focal length of the entire system at a wide-angle limit, fT: a focal length of the entire system at a telephoto limit, D1: a center thickness of a lens element located on the most object side in the first lens unit) are satisfied; an imaging device; and a camera.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2010Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takakazu Bito, Takanori Yogo
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Patent number: 8194157Abstract: An image-pickup apparatus includes an image-pickup element that photoelectrically converts an optical image formed by an image-pickup optical system having a zoom function, and a correcting part that performs correction processing for a distortion component in image data generated based on an output from the image-pickup element, the distortion component corresponding to a distortion of the image-pickup optical system. The image-pickup optical system provides a first zoom range in which a distortion amount at a certain image height is larger than a predetermined value and a second zoom range in which a distortion amount at the certain image height is smaller than the predetermined value. The correcting part performs the correction processing so that the distortion component remains in a first corrected image data in the first zoom range is larger than the distortion component remaining in a second corrected image data in the second zoom range.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2008Date of Patent: June 5, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Shinichiro Saito
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Patent number: 8190011Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens system including a compact focusing lens unit and having a suppressed change in image magnification at the time of movement of the focusing lens unit. The zoom lens system, in order from an object side to an image side, includes a first lens unit G1 having positive optical power, a second lens unit G2 having negative optical power, a third lens unit G3 having negative optical power and including an aspherical surface, and a fourth lens unit G4. The second lens unit G2 includes at least a lens element having a negative optical power and a lens element having a positive optical power. At the time of zooming, the third lens unit G3 moves in a direction along the optical axis such that an interval between the second lens unit G2 and the third lens unit G3 is made longer at a telephoto limit than the interval at a wide-angle limit.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2010Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Tsuneo Uchida, Nobuyuki Adachi
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Patent number: 8189270Abstract: Disclosed are a zoom lens and an imaging apparatus having a high zoom ratio, a small total length, and a small overall size. A zoom lens includes a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, a third lens group having a positive refractive power, a fourth lens group having a negative refractive power, and a fifth lens group having a positive refractive power which are arranged in this order from an object side. A gap between the lens groups is changed to change power. The zoom lens satisfies the following Condition expression 1: 0.05<|f4|/ft<0.25??[Condition expression 1] (where ft indicates the focal length of the entire system at a telephoto end and f4 indicates the focal length of the fourth lens group).Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2010Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Fujifilm CorporationInventors: Tetsuya Ori, Takashi Suzuki
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Patent number: 8189074Abstract: A zoom lens system is provided that includes a compactly constructed focusing lens unit and that has a suppressed change in the image magnification at the time of movement of a focusing lens unit. The zoom lens system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of lens units and an aperture diaphragm arranged in the lens unit. The plurality of lens units include: a negative lens unit that is arranged on an object side relative to the aperture diaphragm and provided with negative optical power having an absolute value greatest in the entire system and that moves in a direction along an optical axis at the time of zooming; and a focusing lens unit that is arranged in an optical path between the negative lens unit and the aperture diaphragm and that moves in a direction along the optical axis at the time of focusing such that an interval relative to the negative lens unit should vary.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2009Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kyoichi Miyazaki, Katsu Yamada, Takuya Imaoka, Masaki Sampei, Yoshio Matsumura
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Patent number: 8184377Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object-side to an image-plane-side: a positive first lens unit; a negative second lens unit; a stop; a positive third lens unit; a negative fourth lens unit; and a positive fifth lens unit, wherein: during zooming, the first lens unit moves along a locus convex toward the image-plane-side, the second lens unit moves toward the image-plane-side, and the stop moves; at the telephoto end compared with the wide angle end, an interval between the first lens unit and the second lens unit increases, an interval between the second lens unit and the third lens unit decreases, and an interval between the aperture stop and the third lens unit decreases, focal lengths of the fourth lens unit, a focal length of an entire system at the telephoto end, and a movement amount of the first lens unit are appropriately set.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2010Date of Patent: May 22, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Tomonori Kimura
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Patent number: 8179609Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens including, in order from an object side to an image side: a positive first lens unit without moving for zooming; a negative second lens unit moving during zooming; a negative third lens unit moving during zooming; a positive fourth lens unit moving during zooming; and a positive fifth lens unit without moving for zooming, in which the second lens unit moves to the image side during zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, while the third lens unit moves along a locus convex toward the object side, and, when fw denotes a focal length of the entire system at the wide angle end, Z a zoom ratio, and fz a focal length of the entire system at a zoom position where the third lens unit is in the position closest to the object side, the following conditional expression is satisfied: fw×Z0.07<fz<fw×Z0.5.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2010Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Tsuyoshi Wakazono
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Patent number: 8174588Abstract: An optical apparatus relates to the field of optical magnification and stereoscopy, more specifically to the problem of optically magnifying an area stereoscopically and displaying this information to an operator in a comfortable manner.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2007Date of Patent: May 8, 2012Inventors: Harry R. McKinley, Philip E. McKinley, John H. Dowling, Arthur Woodbury, Luis A. Figarella
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Publication number: 20120105684Abstract: This invention includes an imaging device that photographs a subject, a display device that has a display screen displaying image data photographed by the imaging device, a zoom device that varies the display screen, an extraction device that extracts a predetermined feature portion from image data photographed by the imaging device, a directive device that directs the display device so as to display a predetermined feature portion extracted by the extraction device in a predetermined form, and a controller that controls the directive device so as not to direct a display on the display device in accordance with the varying magnification of the zoom device. Namely, an icon of the extraction result is not displayed while the zoom is in action, so that it can avoid an inappropriate display in which the icon display does not correspond to a photographed subject due to the subject's quick movement or a sudden change in its size within a picture frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2012Publication date: May 3, 2012Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hirotake NOZAKI, Yasuyuki MOTOKI, Hideo HIBINO, Tadashi OHTA
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Publication number: 20120105683Abstract: Compact and lightweight zoom lens systems having less aberration fluctuation in association with focusing, lens barrels, interchangeable lens apparatuses, and camera systems are provided. The zoom lens system comprises: a first lens unit having positive optical power; a first focusing lens unit which is located on an image side relative to the first lens unit, has negative optical power, and moves along an optical axis in zooming and focusing; and a second focusing lens unit which is located on the image side relative to the first focusing lens unit, has positive optical power, and moves along the optical axis in the zooming and the focusing, and satisfies the condition: |d2T/d1T|<1.0 (d1T: an amount of movement of the first focusing lens unit in focusing at a telephoto limit, d2T: an amount of movement of the second focusing lens unit in focusing at a telephoto limit).Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2011Publication date: May 3, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Shunichiro Yoshinaga, Isamu Izuhara, Kyoichi Miyazaki, Takuya Imaoka
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Publication number: 20120105685Abstract: An image-pickup apparatus includes an image-pickup element that photoelectrically converts an optical image formed by an image-pickup optical system having a zoom function, and a correcting part that performs correction processing for a distortion component in image data generated based on an output from the image-pickup element, the distortion component corresponding to a distortion of the image-pickup optical system. The image-pickup optical system provides a first zoom range in which a distortion amount at a certain image height is larger than a predetermined value and a second zoom range in which a distortion amount at the certain image height is smaller than the predetermined value. The correcting part performs the correction processing so that the distortion component remains in a first corrected image data in the first zoom range is larger than the distortion component remaining in a second corrected image data in the second zoom range.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2012Publication date: May 3, 2012Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinichiro SAITO
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Publication number: 20120099003Abstract: A high-performance zoom lens system which is compact and has a wide view angle at a wide-angle limit and a high zooming ratio in a balanced manner, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having negative optical power, a third lens unit having positive optical power, and a fourth lens unit having positive optical power, wherein the first lens unit is composed of at most two lens elements, the second lens unit is composed of two lens elements, the third lens unit is composed of three lens elements, in order from the object side to the image side, including an object side lens element having positive optical power, a lens element having negative optical power, and an image side lens element having positive optical power, and the conditions: ?2.0<f2/fW<?1.1, fT/fW>6.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2009Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventor: Keiki Yoshitsugu
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Publication number: 20120099004Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an obtaining unit that obtains lens information including information indicating resolution of an optical system with respect to a position of a zoom lens, an imaging sensor that captures a subject image formed through the optical system to output image information, an image processor that performs digital zoom to electronically enlarge a subject image by performing image processing on the image information outputted from an imaging sensor, and a controller that determines, based on the obtained lens information, whether the zoom lens is located in a predetermined position and controls the image processor to perform the digital zoom on the image information outputted from the imaging sensor, when the zoom lens is located in the predetermined position. The predetermined position is a position of the zoom lens where resolution of the optical system is larger than a predetermined value.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 20, 2011Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventor: KOJI SHIBUNO
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Patent number: 8164674Abstract: An image forming optical system characterized by comprising a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, and third and subsequent lens groups having a positive composite refracting power, wherein the first lens group is composed of a cemented lens made up of one positive lens and one negative lens arranged in order from the object side, and the image forming optical system satisfies the following conditional expressions (1-1) and (2-1): 0.05<T1g/Flt<0.10??(1-1) 0.50<?gF<0.75??(2-1) where T1g is the thickness of the first lens group on the optical axis, Flt is the focal length of the entire image forming optical system at the telephoto end, and ?gF is the partial dispersion ratio (ng1?nF1)/(nF1?nC1) of the negative lens, where nd1, nC1, nF1, and ng1 are refractive indices of the negative lens respectively for the d-line, C-line, F-line, and g-line.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2009Date of Patent: April 24, 2012Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Ayami Imamura, Keigo Matsuo
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Publication number: 20120092531Abstract: An optical imager includes: an image sensor for capturing images of targets and outputting image signals; a lens for focusing the target on the image sensor as a function of lens position; a memory for storing predetermined lens positions determined from predetermined target sizes; and a controller for determining current target size based on captured images and positioning the lens at a predetermined lens position by correlating current target size with predetermined target sizes.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2010Publication date: April 19, 2012Applicant: Hand Held Products, Inc.Inventors: Thomas Koziol, Alec Epting, Stephen Patrick Deloge, Jeffrey Baker
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Patent number: 8159565Abstract: An electronic imaging apparatus includes a zoom optical system having, in order from the object side, a first lens unit with positive power, a second lens unit with negative power, and an aperture stop, in which the first lens unit is composed of a single positive power unit and the second lens unit has a single negative lens element located at the most object-side position, both surfaces of which are concave, and a positive lens component located at the most image-side position; an electronic image sensor located on the image side of the zoom optical system; and an image processing section electrically processing image data obtained by the electronic image sensor to change the form thereof.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2008Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventors: Masashi Hankawa, Eiji Shirota, Masaru Morooka
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Patent number: 8154624Abstract: An image pickup apparatus that has an optical zooming unit and an electronic zooming unit includes a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the image pickup apparatus, and a controller configured to move the electronic zooming unit along with an operation of the optical zooming unit, and to move a telephoto end for control of the optical zooming unit toward a wide-angle side according to the temperature detected by the temperature detector. Along with control to move the telephoto end of the optical zooming unit to the wide-angle end, the controller sets smaller than a change rate of a zoom magnification of an electronic zooming unit in a first zoom region a change rate of a zoom magnification of an electronic zooming unit in a second zoom region that is adjacent with and closer to the telephoto end than the first zoom region.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2008Date of Patent: April 10, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Ryunosuke Iijima
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Patent number: 8154652Abstract: A lens apparatus can be easily set even in cases where the lens body and demands are distant from each other upon shooting without a decrease in reliability. A lens body mounted on a camera body is provided with a command signal converting unit, a time-series position signal converting unit, a wireless communication unit, a communication condition monitoring unit and a communication process switch unit. A signal converting unit, to which a zoom demand and a focus demand are connected, is provided with a time-series command signal converting unit, a position signal converting unit and a wireless communication unit. The lens body and the signal converting unit are configured to wirelessly communicate with each other to eliminate the use of connection cables, thereby improving operationality while enabling highly reliable wireless communication.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2007Date of Patent: April 10, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Isao Tanaka
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Patent number: 8149297Abstract: A zoom lens system, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising a first lens unit of positive power, a second lens unit of negative power, a third lens unit of positive power, and a fourth lens unit of positive power, wherein the first lens unit is composed of three or fewer lens elements, wherein the second lens unit is composed of three lens elements, wherein in zooming, the first to the fourth lens units are moved individually along an optical axis such that air spaces should vary, so that variable magnification is achieved, and wherein the conditions are satisfied: 5.50?fG1/fW?7.92, ?W?35 and fT/fW?10 (fG1 is a composite focal length of the first lens unit, ?W is a half view angle at a wide-angle limit, and fT and fW are focal lengths of the entire system respectively at a telephoto limit and at a wide-angle limit), an imaging device and a camera are provided.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2010Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Yasunori Tohchi, Yoshiaki Kurioka, Takakazu Bito
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Publication number: 20120075413Abstract: A digital camera 1 captures at least photographic subjects intended to be positioned on the left and right ends of a group photograph (temporary imaging), and prompts a user to designate the photographic subjects intended to be positioned on the left and right ends. Next, the digital camera 1, which has been placed on a suitable surface (such as on a desk), moves the optical zoom further to the wide-angle side than during the temporary imaging, and performs actual imaging when the self-timer reaches time up. Then, the digital camera 1 identifies the photographic subjects designated by the temporary imaging within the actually captured image, and after determining the left, right, upper, and lower ends of a clipping area such that the identified photographic subjects are included, clips an image of the determined clipping area as a final image.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2011Publication date: March 29, 2012Applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.Inventors: Akira HAMADA, Tomoharu Yamaguchi
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Publication number: 20120069223Abstract: A camera device with a rotary base has an automatic panning function of imaging a predetermined zone while reciprocating in a preset panning direction. The camera device includes: an imaging unit configured to image a subject and output a video signal; a rotary base configured to cause the imaging unit to rotate in a panning direction and a tilting direction; a motion and face detecting unit configured to detect the motion or face of the subject based on the video signal output from the imaging unit; and a tilt control instruction creating unit configured to create a tilt control instruction based on the detection result from the motion and face detecting unit and give the tilt control instruction to the rotary base to cause the imaging unit to rotate in the tilting direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2010Publication date: March 22, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Toshihiko Yamahata, Yasuji Nakamura, Yuichiro Mori
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Publication number: 20120062770Abstract: A high zoom-ratio zoom lens system includes a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group and a positive fourth lens group. Upon zooming, the distance between the first and second lens groups increases, the distance between the second and third lens groups decreases, and the distance between the third and fourth lens groups increases. The first lens group includes a negative lens element, and two positive lens elements. The absolute value of the radius-of-curvature of the image-side surface of the negative lens element within the first lens group is smaller than the absolute value of the radius-of-curvature of the object-side surface of the positive lens element on the object side within the first lens group. The following condition (1) is satisfied: 1.95<n11??(1), wherein n11 designates the refractive index at the d-line of the negative lens element within the first lens group.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 1, 2011Publication date: March 15, 2012Applicant: HOYA CORPORATIONInventor: Masaru EGUCHI
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Patent number: 8135267Abstract: An image pickup device in which reflectance in a central portion of the splitting optical system is configured large and that in a peripheral portion is configured small, to thereby selectively reflect only a light beam for focus detection in focus detection means and transmit the other portions of the light beam to the image pickup means so that a decrease in an amount of light for the image pickup means can be reduced while securing an amount of light for focus detection.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2006Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masaru Sakamoto, Ryuji Nurishi
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Patent number: 8130287Abstract: An image sensing apparatus which stores an image signal from an image sensing element and reads out and processes the stored image signal to magnify and display an image on a display device includes a designation unit that designates the magnification ratio of the image to be displayed, a storage unit that stores the magnification ratio designated by the designation unit, and a magnifying processing unit that executes magnifying processing for the stored image signal on the basis of the magnification ratio stored in the storage unit and outputs the image signal to the display device. The magnification ratio stored in the storage unit is updated when a different magnification ratio is designated by the designation unit, and the magnification ratio stored in the storage unit is used for a plurality of images that are sequentially displayed.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2004Date of Patent: March 6, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Nobuyuki Furukawa
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Publication number: 20120050579Abstract: In a digital camera, when a photographer holds the digital camera and decides an imaging area (the area currently being captured by live-view), a CPU performs a first imaging processing (temporary imaging). Next, when the photographer sets the digital camera on a suitable surface (such as a desk), and moves into the imaging area, the CPU moves the optical zoom further to the wide-angle side than during the temporary imaging, and performs a second imaging processing (actual imaging) after a self-timer reaches time up. Then, the CPU performs positioning between the temporarily captured image and the actually captured image, and clips an image of the imaging area defined by the temporarily captured image from the actually captured image. According to the present invention, the degree of freedom of a camera setting location during self-timer imaging is increased and an image including an intended imaging area is easily captured.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2011Publication date: March 1, 2012Applicant: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.Inventors: Akira HAMADA, Tomohara Yamaguchi
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Patent number: 8126287Abstract: Imaging apparatus (20, 44) includes an array (22) of optical sensing elements (24), characterized by a pitch, which is adapted to generate a signal in response to optical radiation that is incident on the elements. Objective optics (26, 46), which have an optical axis (134) and are characterized by a cylindrical symmetry about the axis, are arranged to focus the optical radiation from an object onto the array with a point spread function (PSF) having an extent greater than twice the pitch of the array at an optimal focus of the objective optics.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2009Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation InternationalInventors: Alex Alon, Irina Alon
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Patent number: 8125541Abstract: An image-sensing apparatus has: an optical zoom control portion varying the size of the subject image on the source images by optical zooming; a particular subject detection portion detecting the position and size of a particular subject on the source images based on the image data of the source images; a narrow-angle image extraction portion setting a narrow-angle image including the particular subject to set the position and size of the narrow-angle image on image; a wide-angle image extraction portion extracting a wide-angle image that includes the narrow-angle image; a resolution enhancement processing portion cutting out a plurality of narrow-angle images according to a setting in the narrow-angle image extraction portion, to generate a narrow-angle high-resolution image having a number of pixels greater than the number of pixels of the narrow-angle image.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2009Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kanichi Koyama, Yukio Mori
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Publication number: 20120044387Abstract: A line memory stores sequentially image data captured through optical lenses. A distortion correction value storage stores distortion correction values used in the correction of optical distortion occurring in the image data due to distortion aberration present in the optical lens. An image data control unit selects pixels of image data stored in the line memory as pixels to be corrected for the correction of optical distortion respectively. Then the image data control unit determines a region for use in correction, having the fixed number of pixels horizontally and the fixed number of lines vertically, based on the positions of the pixels to be corrected and the distortion correction values obtained from the distortion correction value storage. Here, the region contains a plurality of pixels for use in correction of the pixels to be corrected. Then the image data control unit reads out the image data from the line memory.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2011Publication date: February 23, 2012Applicant: JVC KENWOOD HOLDINGS, INC.Inventor: Takahiro USAMI
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Publication number: 20120044388Abstract: The lens apparatus includes an aperture stop (SP) forming an aperture, a first lens (A or B) disposed on a first side further than the aperture stop, the first side being one of an object side and an image side, and a second lens (B or A) disposed on a second side further than the aperture stop, the second side being the other of the object side and the image side. In zooming or focusing, the aperture stop is moved independently of the first and second lenses. The first lens and the aperture stop are brought into a first state where an aperture stop side lens surface of the first lens is located away from the aperture stop on the first side and a second state where at least part of the aperture stop side lens surface (RA or RB) of the first lens protrudes through the aperture to the second side further than the aperture stop.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2011Publication date: February 23, 2012Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Daisuke Ito
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Patent number: 8115832Abstract: A zoom system (10) for an optical stereo device is provided. The zoom system (10) comprises a front plate (30) and a lens plate (60) disposed in a fixed spatial relationship and defining two optical paths within the zoom system (10). The zoom system further comprises a zoom plate (40) having two lens assemblies (45a, 45b), wherein the zoom plate (40) is disposed between the front plate (30) and the lens plate (60), and a compensation plate (50), wherein the compensation plate (50) is disposed between the zoom plate (40) and the lens plate (60).Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2008Date of Patent: February 14, 2012Assignee: Swiss Medical Technology GmbHInventor: Joachim Luber
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Patent number: 8115831Abstract: Disclosed is a portable magnifier camera that can be selectively positioned into a variety of configurations. At least four distinct viewing configurations are provided: a reading mode wherein the camera rests flatly upon the viewed object; a writing mode wherein the camera rests at an angle upon the viewed object; a hand-held mode wherein the user holds the camera relative to a distant object; and an inspection mode wherein the user holds the viewed object relative to the camera. These configurations enable a user to effectively view objects of differing size and at varying distances.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2008Date of Patent: February 14, 2012Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Carlos M. Rodriquez, Patrick Murphy, Waldemar Tunkis, Todd Conard, Michael Goldenberg, Jeffrey McDaniel
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Publication number: 20120033106Abstract: An image-capturing apparatus includes an imaging unit that generates RAW image data by capturing an object image, an image processing unit that generates color image data by implementing image processing on the RAW image data, a processing mode setting unit capable of setting a filter effect mode for artificially reproducing an image effect obtained by image-capturing using an optical filter, a display unit that displays the color image data, a ring type or dial type rotary operating unit, a rotation operation detection unit that detects a rotation operation of the rotary operating unit, and a control unit that, when a rotation operation of the rotary operating unit is detected in a case where the filter effect mode has been set, controls the image processing unit to perform image processing for varying the image effect in conjunction with the rotation operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 5, 2011Publication date: February 9, 2012Inventor: Kenichi ONOMURA
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Publication number: 20120019671Abstract: A system and method is provided for enabling an advanced optical magnification (zooming) function for low-power sensors, such as a remote wireless camera, using electronic methods and enabling that magnification be performed in any part of the imager. An image sensor has a set of imager pixels that have a defined field of view. A display device is also provided, which has a far lower resolution than the imager. A magnification level is selected, which results in macroblocks being defined for the sensor. A display data value is generated for each macroblock, and the set of display data values is used to drive a data display. The area of magnification is flexibly selected on the imager. As the magnification level is increased, the number of imager pixels in each macroblock decrease, enabling the display to present increasingly higher resolution images. Accordingly, an aesthetically pleasing magnification function is provided for a low-power, battery operated mobile environment.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 14, 2010Publication date: January 26, 2012Inventors: Bar-Giora Goldberg, Gioia Messinger, Christopher McGill
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Patent number: 8098301Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens including a first lens group, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, a third lens group having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power, wherein conditional expressions f12/fw>2.0, f2/fw<?2.0, ?2.0?f12/f2??0.5, and ?d21??d22>20 are satisfied, where f12 is a focal length of a single lens having a positive refractive power in the first lens group, f2 is a focal length of the second lens group, fw is a focal length of the total lens system at a wide angle end, ?d21 is an Abbe number of the lens having a negative refractive power in the second lens group for the d-line, and ?d22 is an Abbe number of the lens having a positive refractive power in the second lens group for the d-line.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2010Date of Patent: January 17, 2012Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Masaki Tamura
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Patent number: 8098983Abstract: A zoom lens system is provided that includes a compactly constructed focusing lens unit and that has a suppressed change in the image magnification at the time of movement of a focusing lens unit. The zoom lens system, in order from an object side to an image side, comprises at least: a first lens unit having positive optical power; a second lens unit having negative optical power; a third lens unit having negative optical power; and an aperture diaphragm. At the time of zooming, the zoom lens system moves the first to third lens units so that intervals between these lens units vary. At the time of focusing from an infinity in-focus condition to a close-point object in-focus condition, the zoom lens system moves the third lens unit to the object side.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2009Date of Patent: January 17, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kyoichi Miyazaki, Katsu Yamada, Takuya Imaoka, Masaki Sampei
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Patent number: 8089527Abstract: A digital camera includes a CCD for image capturing a subject and obtaining a reference image thereof, a lens optical system, a zoom drive unit, and an AF drive unit for performing an optical zoom action, a facial detection portion for detecting a face from the reference image captured by the CCD, and a control unit for calculating, as a set magnification ratio, a maximum magnification ratio according to which the face detected by the facial detection portion is included in an angle of view of the image capturing unit, performing zoom magnification processing up to the set magnification ratio, and causing the CCD to image again and obtain a magnified image.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2009Date of Patent: January 3, 2012Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.Inventor: Hiroki Tomita
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Publication number: 20110317040Abstract: A detection device includes an image capture element, a control signal generator, and a processor. The image capture element is used for capturing an optical signal, and outputting an image signal. The control signal generator is used for generating a control signal. The processor selectively converts the image signal into an object feature or an image feature in response to the control signal. Such a detection device can appropriately convert an operation mode, so as to have both efficacies of reducing the amount of transferred data and processing complex image data.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2010Publication date: December 29, 2011Applicant: PIXART IMAGING INC.Inventors: Chih Hung Lu, En Feng Hsu, Hsin Chia Chen, Chao Chien Huang, Cho Yi Lin
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Patent number: 8081253Abstract: A zoom lens has a negative object side lens unit (or first lens unit G1), a positive image side lens unit (or third lens unit G3), a positive intermediate lens unit (or second lens unit G2), and an aperture stop. The distance between the object side lens unit and the intermediate lens unit is smaller at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, the distance between the intermediate lens unit and the image side lens unit is larger at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, the intermediate lens unit moves in such a way that it is located closer to the object side at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, the image side lens unit moves in such a way that it is located closer to the image side at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, the aperture stop moves integrally with the intermediate lens unit. The image side lens unit is composed of two lens component including a front lens component and a positive rear lens component arranged in the mentioned order from the object side.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2009Date of Patent: December 20, 2011Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.Inventor: Keisuke Ichikawa