Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; blades capable of opening and closing the opening; a drive lever swingably supported, holding a movable iron piece and driving the blades; a self-holding type solenoid capable of adsorbing to the movable iron piece by a given attraction force in a non-energized state, and reducing the given attraction force in an energized state; a biasing member biasing the drive lever to move the drive lever away from the self-holding type solenoid; and a set member moving the drive lever to abut the drive lever with the self-holding type solenoid, wherein the self-holding type solenoid is energized to reduce the given attraction force when the drive lever is swung by the set member to abut the movable iron piece with the self-holding type solenoid.

Abstract: A shutter assembly includes a base having a stop and a central aperture, a permanent magnet rotatably mounted on the base, and a shutter blade directly mounted on the magnet and configured to move between an open position exposing the aperture and a closed position blocking the aperture. The magnet contacts the stop in the open and closed positions.

Abstract: A method of controlling a plurality of shutter blades includes providing a shutter assembly including a solenoid having a first magnetic pole, a second magnetic pole, and a gap between the first and second poles. The shutter assembly also includes a permanent magnet moveable within the gap in a path coplanar with the solenoid, wherein movement of the permanent magnet transitions the plurality of shutter blades between an open position exposing a central opening of the shutter assembly and a closed position. The method also includes moving the plurality of shutter blades between the open and closed positions, and reducing an electrical signal applied to the solenoid while the plurality of shutter blades is in transit between the open and closed positions.

Abstract: To prevent rebounding motion of sectors caused in stopping the sectors and achieve small-sized formation of a shutter, there is provided a shutter for a camera including sectors for opening and closing a shutter opening by reciprocal and pivotal movement, a motor for reciprocally and pivotally moving the sectors by forwardly and reversely rotating a rotor of the motor by applying current to a coil in forward and reverse directions, a control circuit for controlling current applied to the coil for exposure control in accordance with a brightness of an object to be photographed and a memory circuit for outputting data used for applying current to the control circuit in correspondence with operational characteristics of the motor and the sectors. The memory circuit is provided with current data for applying current to the coil for rotating the rotor in a direction reverse to a rebounding direction of the sectors to prevent a rebounding motion of the sectors.

Abstract: An hard stop is disclosed for use with an aperture mechanism that has at least one blade moveable along a path between a closed position and at least one open position, and at least one hard stop piston that is moveable between a first position, out of the blade path, and a second position, in the blade path, to position the blade in the open position when an edge of the blade contacts the hard stop piston. The hard stop includes a nonmagnetic piston; a ferromagnetic C-core, having first and second pole tips, a magnet attached to the piston and a coil wrapped around the midportion of the C-core.