Patents Assigned to Olympus Imaging Corp.
  • Patent number: 8909036
    Abstract: An optical device includes an optical system, a diaphragm unit, a diaphragm unit, a focus-lens driving unit, a diaphragm driving unit, and a diaphragm control unit. The diaphragm control unit controls the diaphragm driving unit in accordance with the position to which the focus lens group has been moved by the focus-lens driving unit, thereby controlling the aperture opening of the diaphragm unit and ultimately limit a light beam passing through the camera system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Yuzuru Taguchi
  • Patent number: 8908272
    Abstract: Provided is an image blur correcting device, including: an image pickup element (42); an image pickup element holder (41) movable in an X direction and in a Y direction orthogonal to the optical axis, and has the image pickup element placed thereon in such a manner that two mutually orthogonal sides extend along the X direction and the Y direction; a frame-like base (31) for supporting the image pickup element holder (41) in a movable manner in the X direction and in the Y direction; and first and second electromagnetic drive means, each arranged on sides extending along Y direction of the image pickup element (41), formed of coils (45a, 45b, 46a, 46b)and magnets (47a, 47b, 48a, 48b) for driving the image pickup element holder (41), with respect to the base (31), in the X direction and in the Y direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ezawa
  • Patent number: 8908050
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit, a field angle change unit, and a movement detection unit. The imaging unit includes a lens that forms an image of a subject and acquires a picture image by taking the image formed by the lens. The field angle change unit changes a field angle of the picture image acquired by the imaging unit. The movement detection unit detects a movement of the imaging apparatus. The field angle change unit changes the field angle of the picture image in accordance with a moving direction of the imaging apparatus when the movement detection unit detects the movement of the imaging apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kino, Yoshinori Matsuzawa, Osamu Nonaka
  • Publication number: 20140354860
    Abstract: A blur correction apparatus includes a first fixing member, a moveable member and a second fixing member. A coil for generating a magnetic flux is arranged on the first fixing member. The movable member includes (1) a first magnet facing the coil, (2) a second magnet arranged adjacent to the first magnet, such that the first magnet is arranged between the second magnet and the coil arranged in the first fixing member, and (3) an optical element. The movable member can move in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical element relative to the first fixing member. The second fixing member includes a hall element that is arranged adjacent to the second magnet in the movable member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicants: Olympus Imaging Corp., Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Kazunori YUGE, Masaya OTA, Yoshiaki SUEOKA
  • Publication number: 20140354858
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a third lens unit having a negative refractive power. At the time of zooming, distances between the lens units change, and a distance between the first lens unit and the second lens unit at a telephoto end is shorter than at a wide angle end. An aperture stop is disposed on the image side of an image-side surface of the first lens unit, and on the object side of an image-side surface of the second lens unit. The second lens unit includes two sub lens units. The object-side sub lens unit in the second lens unit includes one lens component. The following conditional expressions are satisfied. 3.0<?D12/ERS<4.5 1.05<|f3/fUN21|<2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicants: OLYMPUS CORPORATION, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
    Inventors: Kazuteru Kawamura, Akiko Naito, Keitaro Yokoyama, Toshio Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8898225
    Abstract: An installer file, an application program file, and other such files are stored in image memory provided within a camera. Upon connection of the camera to a host device, programs within the installer file are read into the host device and automatically executed, and processing of user registration and installation processing of an attached application program contained within the application program file are automatically performed. After processing of program installation, the installer file and the application program file are deleted from the image memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Kazunobu Tasaka, Kazuhiko Shimura
  • Patent number: 8896726
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus including an imaging unit that captures images of a photographic subject and continuously generates electronic image data; a display unit that displays, at a predetermined display frame rate, images corresponding to the image data generated by the imaging unit; an image processing unit that either performs a first-type special effect operation that can be displayed at the predetermined display frame rate or performs a second-type special effect operation that can be displayed at a faster display frame rate than the predetermined display frame rate; an operation input unit that receives input of a change instruction signal that provides an instruction for changing a combination of image processing operations during a special effect operation performed by the image processing unit; and a control unit that instructs the image processing unit to switch the special effect operation from the first-type special effect operation to the second-type special effect operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Keiji Kunishige, Manabu Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8890993
    Abstract: An imaging device of the present invention comprises a facial organ detection section for detecting facial organs within a face from an image that has been taken by an imaging section, an eye selection section for comparing sizes of eyes and selecting the largest eye, an eye size comparative determination section for comparatively determining the size of the eye with respect to a specified value, and an AF region setting section for setting an AF region in accordance with size and position of the selected eye when it has been determined that the size of the eye is larger than a specified value, and setting an AF region in accordance with position and size of a face to which the selected eye belongs when it has been determined that the size of the eye is smaller than a specified value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Keiji Kunishige
  • Publication number: 20140337014
    Abstract: A voice recording and playback device of the present invention is capable of storage management of generated voice data, to which date information has been attached, as voice files, and comprises a display section capable of calendar display, and a control section for, at the time of retrieving voice files from a storage section, performing movable identification on a calendar display, as well as retrieving voice files that have been stored in the storage section based on date information attached to the files, and performing display of results of this retrieval indicating the existence of voice files close to day display on the calendar display, wherein the control section moves the identification position based on an instruction operation by the retrieval instructions section, and generates a notification in accordance with voice files that exist on the date of the identification position that has been moved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Sho TAKAYAMA, Kazushi FUJITANI
  • Patent number: 8885069
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus including a lens unit having an optical zoom function of collecting light from a subject and optically changing an angle of view, an imaging unit that continuously generates electronic image data using the light collected by the lens unit, an electronic zoom unit that performs electronic zoom by sequentially trimming and enlarging an image corresponding to the image data, a setting unit that sets an enlargement area to be enlarged in the image, a lens manipulation unit that receives a manipulation signal for changing an angle of view, and a control unit that continuously controls, while switching between enlargement of a center of the image by the optical zoom of the lens unit and enlargement of the enlargement area by the electronic zoom of the electronic zoom unit, according to the manipulation signal received by the lens manipulation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Keiji Kunishige, Koichi Nakata, Osamu Nonaka
  • Patent number: 8885078
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a noise reduction intensity control unit that controls a noise reduction intensity, which indicates a degree to which noise reduction is applied to image data, on the basis of a luminance variation ratio, which indicates a variation amount by which a luminance of the image data gradually varies, and a noise reduction unit that reduces a noise in the image data on the basis of the noise reduction intensity controlled by the noise reduction intensity control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Manabu Ichikawa, Takuya Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 8878940
    Abstract: The tracking target subject specifying unit specifies a tracking target subject in image data. The first tracking position detection unit detects first characteristic information from the image data and set a first candidate tracking position based on the first characteristic information. The second tracking position detection unit detects second characteristic information from the image data and detect a second candidate tracking position based on the second characteristic information. The reference information acquisition unit acquires reference information. The control unit decides a true tracking position based on two determinations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Hisashi Yoneyama
  • Patent number: 8879162
    Abstract: A zoom lens comprises, in order from its object side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power and a second lens unit having a positive refractive power. The first lens unit comprises a first lens having a negative refractive power and a second lens having a positive refractive power. The zoom lens satisfies the following conditional expressions (1), (2), and (3): n1n?1.70??(1), n1p?1.70??(2), and |?1n??1p?31??(3), where n1n is the refractive index of the first lens having a negative refractive power in the first lens unit for the d-line, ?1n is the Abbe constant of the first lens having a negative refractive power in the first lens unit, n1p is the refractive index of the second lens having a positive refractive power in the first lens unit for the d-line, and ?1p is the Abbe constant of the second lens having a positive refractive power in the first lens unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Yanai, Mayu Miki, Masahiro Imamura, Toshihide Nozawa
  • Publication number: 20140320701
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit that captures a subject to generate image data of the subject; a display unit that displays the image; an image separating unit that separates a subject image and a background image from the image displayed; a special effect input unit that receives information related to special effects respectively applied to the subject image and the background image; a special effect image generating unit that generates a special effect image of each of the subject and background images by applying special effects corresponding to information received by the special effect input unit; a storing unit that stores special effect information for assigning an advisability corresponding to a combination of special effects which the special effect image generating unit applies to the subject image and the background image; and a synthetic image generating unit that generates a synthetic image using the generated special effect image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Applicant: OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
    Inventors: Osamu Nonaka, Kunio Yamamiya
  • Publication number: 20140320692
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit, a random seed generating unit, a pseudo-random number generating unit, and a special image processing unit. The imaging unit photographs a subject to obtain image data. The random seed generating unit generates a random seed to decide a pseudo-random number sequence. The pseudo-random number generating unit generates a pseudo-random number in accordance with the generated random seed. The special image processing unit performs special image processing to apply a special effect to the image data based on the generated pseudo-random number. The random seed is decided during photography.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Applicant: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Manabu ICHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 8872936
    Abstract: An image processing device of the present invention comprises: an image combining section for combining a plurality of combination image data and generating combined image data; a WB setting section for performing setting for white balance correction processing; an image WB gain calculation section for calculating image WB gain respectively for the plurality of combination image data in accordance with setting of the WB setting section; a combined image WB gain calculating section for calculating combined image WB gain for the combined image data in accordance with information relating to a combination ratio for the image combining section and image WB gain for the respective plurality of combination image data; and a WB correction section for carrying out white balance correction for image data according to the combined image WB gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Manabu Ichikawa, Shinya Takasumi
  • Patent number: 8873160
    Abstract: A taking lens system comprises a frontmost lens unit, a rearmost lens unit, and a plurality of lens units arranged between the frontmost lens unit and the rearmost lens unit. One of the plurality of lens units is a first focusing lens unit. During focusing from an infinite object distance to a close object distance, only the first focusing lens unit moves toward the image side in a first shooting mode, and at least two lens units in the taking lens system move in a second shooting mode. In the state in which the taking lens system is focused on an object at infinity, the positions of the first focusing lens unit and at least one lens unit in the taking lens system in the first shooting mode are different from those in the second shooting mode. The taking lens system satisfies the condition Mn1>Mn2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Kento Hara
  • Patent number: 8872960
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a third lens unit having a positive refractive power. The first lens unit includes a negative lens and a positive lens. The zoom lens satisfies the following conditional expression (1): ?d13/ft<0.4??(1) where ?d13 is the total sum of the thickness of the lenses included in the first to third lens units of the zoom lens on the optical axis, and ft is the focal length of the entire zoom lens system at the telephoto end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Minoru Ueda, Masahito Watanabe, Masahiro Imamura, Mayu Miki
  • Publication number: 20140313390
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging unit configured to receive light collected from an object area through an imaging optical system provided at a front side facing an object, and to generate image data; a body unit including the imaging unit; an optical sight unit including a light source unit for emitting luminous flux, and a reflecting optical element for allowing light from the object area to transmit and reflecting the luminous flux toward a back side opposite to the front in order to produce a virtual image of the luminous flux in the object area or near the object area; and a leg unit that holds at least the reflecting optical element in a movable manner in a direction away from the body unit and in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the imaging optical system, at startup of the optical sight unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicant: OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
    Inventors: Tatsuyuki UEMURA, Kunio YAMAMIYA, Osamu NONAKA, Ikko MORI
  • Patent number: D716359
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Takeshi Nohara