Having Two Or More Mirrors Patents (Class 396/272)
  • Patent number: 10877189
    Abstract: A mirror panel includes a semitransmissive diffusion part and a reflecting surface. The semitransmissive diffusion part is configured to diffuse first part of incident light via an incident surface and linearly transmit second part of the incident light. The reflecting surface is disposed in contact with or adjacent to the semitransmissive diffusion part, and reflects light transmitted through the semitransmissive diffusion part toward the semitransmissive diffusion part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Yamada, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8965193
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a solid filled mirrored lens system capable of wider fields of view and wider spectra than current lens systems. The mirrored lens is used to focus light incident upon a right circular cylindrical central body comprising a substantially planar first surface and a substantially planar second surface. A primary reflecting surface is located on the second surface of the central body and shaped as an annulus with a void in the central region of the second surface. Further, a secondary reflecting surface is located in a central region of the first surface facing the primary reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher B. Svec, Alan R. Greenland, Hao C. Tran
  • Patent number: 7899319
    Abstract: A camera capable of displaying a live view is disclosed, which has a movable reflecting mirror movable between a viewing position for reflecting a light beam from a photographing lens to guide the light beam to a finder optical system, and a position retracted from an area through which the light beam from the photographing lens passes, and which is configured such that, upon focusing the photographing lens from the state of the live view display, the movable reflecting mirror is driven without charging a shutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Terada
  • Patent number: 7847853
    Abstract: An image taking apparatus which can perform a focusing operation quickly is described. The image taking apparatus comprises a light splitting unit which splits a light flux from the image-taking lens into a plurality of light fluxes, a view finder optical system for observing an object image formed by the light flux from the image-taking lens, an image pickup element which photoelectrically converts the object image to an electric signal and a focus detection unit for detecting the focusing state of the image-taking lens according to a phase difference detection system. Here, the light splitting unit changes between a first state in which the light flux is directed to the view finder optical system and the focus detection unit and a second state in which the light flux is directed to the image pickup element and the focus detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuo Suda
  • Patent number: 7453508
    Abstract: In a camera system of this invention, a light beam coming from a photographing lens is reflected by a quick return mirror in the widthwise direction of a body unit, and is reflected by a second mirror via a half mirror and screen in the upward direction of the body unit except for some light beam components. The light beam reflected by the second mirror is reflected by a third mirror in a direction opposite to that of the light beam reflected by the quick return mirror, and is also reflected by a fourth mirror toward an eyepiece side in the back side of the body unit. Some light beam components reflected by the half mirror are fetched by an AF sensor unit to detect the focal point position of the photographing lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Iwase, Motoaki Kobayashi, Toshifumi Nakano
  • Patent number: 7414664
    Abstract: An image taking apparatus performs a focusing operation quickly and includes a light splitting unit which splits a light flux from an image-taking lens into a plurality of light fluxes, a view finder optical system observing an object image formed by the light flux from the lens, an image pickup element which photoelectrically converts the object image to an electrical signal and a focus detector detecting the focusing state of the lens according to a phase difference detector. Here, the light splitting unit changes between a first state for directing the light flux to the view finder optical system and the focus detector, a second state for directing the light flux to the image pickup element and the focus detector, and a third state in which the light flux is directed only to the image pickup element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuo Suda
  • Patent number: 7400827
    Abstract: According to the present invention, light from a taking lens is reflected by a quick return mirror in a lateral direction of a body unit. Then, after passing through a screen, the light is reflected toward an upper side of the body unit by a second mirror except part of the light. The light reflected by the second mirror is reflected by a third mirror in a direction opposite to a direction in which the light is reflected by the quick return mirror, and is further reflected by a fourth mirror toward an eyepiece located on a back side of the body unit. Part of the light which passing though the screen is taken by an AF sensor unit provided in rear of the second mirror, and an image formation position of an optical image is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Sumio Kawai, Yoichi Washizu, Koji Kato, Shigeru Iwase, Hiroshi Terada, Shigeru Kato
  • Patent number: 6233097
    Abstract: A secondary image formation type view finder comprising an objective optical system, a first mirror for folding an optical axis, a relay lens system and a second mirror for folding the optical axis, wherein an optical axis of the relay lens system is disposed so as to be included in a plane nearly perpendicular to an optical axis of the objective optical system, and the first mirror and the second mirror and disposed nearly in parallel with each other, thereby reducing a space to be occupied by the view finder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinichi Mihara
  • Patent number: 6169856
    Abstract: A single lens reflex camera provided with a focus detection unit 58 arranged so as to have a photoreceptive surface disposed adjacent to an aperture 53a provided in the bottom wall 53 of a mirror box, and further provided with a cover 60 for effectively closing the aperture 53a during exposure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takamasa Sakamoto, Akio Kimba, Junichi Tanii
  • Patent number: 5953546
    Abstract: A camera divides a light beam having passed through a taking lens unit into two light beams. One light beam forms an image on a silver salt film. Another light beam forms an image on a CCD. A light path for said another light beam is provided with an aperture diaphragm. The taking lens unit has an aperture diaphragm. Said two aperture diaphragms are correlatively controlled by a controller incorporated in the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Okada, Shigeto Ohmori, Hideki Nagata
  • Patent number: 5940635
    Abstract: Disclosed is a focus detection optical system of a single lens reflex camera wherein a quick return mirror directs a part of luminous flux incident through a photographic lens system towards an optical sensor unit to detect the focusing state of the photographic lens system. The quick return mirror comprises a main mirror part which transmits said part of luminous flux while reflects the other part of luminous flux, and a sub-mirror part attached to the main mirror part so as to direct the part of luminous flux having transmitted the main mirror part toward the optical sensor unit. The main mirror part is provided with an infra-red cut coat which is formed on at least partial area of the light output side surface of the main mirror part which faces the sub-mirror part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takayuki Sensui
  • Patent number: 5907727
    Abstract: A device for exposure metering in photographic cameras including a reflector located in the imaging beam path. The surface of the reflector is provided with a reflecting structure whose size corresponds at least approximately to that of the image recording format. At least one photoelectric receiver records the light intensity of a portion of the image reflected from the reflecting structure. The reflector is pivotally mounted in the camera housing such that during exposure metering the reflector surface is in the vicinity of the film plane of the camera. A limited portion of the reflector is transparent and a photoelectric receiver is set into the backside of the reflector behind the transparent portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Leica Camera AG
    Inventors: Walter Bletz, Robert Denk, Gerhard Kranz, Rolf Magel
  • Patent number: 5838840
    Abstract: A video inspection device using a field mode CCD camera. In order to inspect the printing on a moving web, a field mode CCD camera is provided with a zoom lens and strobe light. The image obtained is processed so that only alternate pixels of the image are stored. When reading out the stored image, the image is blown up by a factor of two and the missing pixels are interpolated horizontally and vertically. The resultant image is displayed in a monitor for the operator to inspect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: BST/Pro Mark
    Inventors: Edwin E. King, Daniel T. Trabbic, Richard M. O'Grady, Brian S. Patrick
  • Patent number: 5839001
    Abstract: An apparatus which has a finder optical unit for observing therethrough an image formed by an objective lens, an optical unit for forming a pair of distributions of light quantity on the basis of light beams transmitted through the different pupils of the objective lens, a sensor unit for receiving the pair of distributions of light quantity, a main mirror disposed in an optical path leading to the objective lens and the optical unit for reflecting the light beam from the objective lens to the finder optical unit, and a reflecting mirror having a curved surface having its concave surface facing the light incidence side for reflecting the light beam transmitted through the main mirror in the direction of the optical unit which is opposite to the finder optical unit, and which well makes focus detection possible for a wide field area formed by the objective lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiji Ohtaka, Yasuo Suda, Keiji Nagata, Kenichiro Yamashita, Terutake Kadohara, Hitoshi Onoda
  • Patent number: 5784656
    Abstract: A camera that has the ability to direct the object light simultaneously to the imaging position and a first light receiving device and a second light receiving device that are arranged in places other than the imaging position (for example, an optical focus detection system and a monitor device of the object image) is disclosed. A first light dividing device is positioned in the light optical path of the light that is transmitted through the optical image forming system and reflects a portion of the light received and transmits another portion. A second light dividing device reflects a portion of the light that is reflected at the first light dividing device and transmits another portion. The light that is transmitted through the first light dividing device is directed to a primary imaging position. One of either the reflected light or the transmitted light of the second light dividing device is directed to the optical focus detection system, while the other one is directed to the monitor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Ken Utagawa
  • Patent number: 5737648
    Abstract: A photometric device, to measure light incident from a photographic lens of a camera, which can perform accurate photometry, independently of the direction of polarization of the incident light. The photometric device is provided with a first semi-transparent mirror, located between the photographic lens and an imaging plane of the camera, for dividing incident light from the photographic lens into a reflected beam and a transmitted beam. A second semi-transparent mirror is located in a position where the reflected beam from this first semi-transparent mirror is incident, and divides the incident light into a reflected beam and a transmitted beam. A photometric unit, for performing photometry, is located in a position to receive light of the transmitted beam from the second semi-transparent mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Ejima, Yasuo Kitsugi
  • Patent number: 5668919
    Abstract: A camera includes a photometric optical system and a range measuring optical system which are provided independently of a photographing optical system so that the optical path of the photometric optical system and that of a projection or reception system of the range measuring optical system go through a single window. In this way, space-saving of the front of a camera body can be intended to facilitate compactness of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazumi Ito
  • Patent number: 5628038
    Abstract: A camera with a mirror device comprises a first mirror, i.e., a main mirror, device for reflecting object light, and a second mirror, i.e., a sub-mirror, device for reflecting light transmitted through the first mirror device to another device, i.e., a focus detector. The second mirror device has a reflective layer formed as a sub-mirror surface formed directly on a base member. With the sub-mirror surface formed by, e.g., evaporation directly on a partial protruded area of the base member, the manufacture process is facilitated, a sub-mirror area can be increased, and reliability and durability are improved because the sub-mirror will not experience variations in its mounting angle or be subject to peeling-off from a separate base member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaki Higashihara