Abstract: There is provided a power information management device communicable with at least one another device and being able to perform one of mutual power supply and unidirectional power supply, comprising: a requesting unit configured to send a request for information concerning electric power to the at least one another device; a receiving unit configured to receive the power information from the at least one another device which has received the request; and a generating unit configured to generate power information concerning electric power of a plurality of devices including the power information management device and the at least one another device based on the information received from the at least one another device.

Abstract: A stage apparatus includes a base member, a movable member which moves relative to the base member, thrust generators which generate thrust forces against the movable member, and a position detector which detects a translation position and a rotational position of the movable member relative to the base member. An interaction of the thrust forces causes the movable member to at least one of: translate, rotate, translate while rotating, and translate after rotating relative to the base member. The position detector includes permanent magnets fixed to one of the movable member and the base member, and pairs of magnetic sensors fixed to the other of the movable member and the base member. The position detector detects the translation position and the rotational position of the movable member relative to the base member based on detection signals input from the pairs of magnetic sensors.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a photographing optical system, an image sensor onto which an object image is projected through the photographing optical system, a movable member to which the image sensor is fixed, a base member which holds the movable member in a manner to allow the movable member to move relative to the base member, and a thrust generator which generates thrust forces in different directions, including first through third directions, the first direction being parallel with the optical axis direction of the photographing optical system. An interaction of the thrust forces against the movable member in at least one of the different directions causes the movable member to at least one of translate relative to the base member in the first through third directions, and/or rotate relative to the base member about the first through third directions.

Abstract: An anti-reflection coating having an three-layer structure comprising first to third layers formed in this order on a substrate, the substrate having a refractive index of 1.6-1.9, the first layer having a refractive index of 1.37-1.57, the second layer having a refractive index of 1.75-2.5, and the third layer having a refractive index of 1.18-1.32, to light in a wavelength range of 550 nm; the third layer being formed by silica aerogel; and the first and second layers containing no Al2O3.

Abstract: A zoom lens system includes a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a third lens group including at least one positive lens element or one negative lens element, a positive fourth lens group, and a negative fifth lens group, in that order from the object side. At least the first, second, fourth and fifth lens groups are moved during zooming from the short to long focal length extremities, and the following conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied: ?6.5<f1/f5<?4.6??(1), and ?1.2<fw/f3<0.7??(2), wherein f1, f3 and f5 designate the focal lengths of the first and fifth lens groups, respectively, and fw designates the focal length of the entire zoom lens system at the short focal length extremity.

Abstract: A photographing apparatus and a photographing control method are provided, including an exposure-commencement instructing device configured to provide an instruction to commence an exposure of the image sensor, and an exposure-commencement controller configured to commence a driving of the movable member via the driver upon the image sensor being instructed to commence an exposure by the exposure-commencement instructing device in a non driving state of the movable member, performed by the driver, and after a predetermined unstable-operation period of time of the low-pass filter operation lapses from the commencement of the driving of the movable member, the exposure-commencement controller commences an exposure of the image sensor.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus or an imaging apparatus includes a body, and a displayer provided with a display screen, the displayer being supported by the body to be movable relative to the body. The displayer is configured to be selectively set at different positions including a stand-by position and a plurality of tilt positions, at which the display screen tilts in different directions relative to an orientation of the displayer set at the stand-by position. The displayer is configured to be selectively moved directly to the plurality of tilt positions rather than via the stand-by position. A support mechanism including a movable member is also disclosed.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a body provided with an image sensor; a displayer configured to display an image obtained via the image sensor, the displayer being supported by the body to be movable relative to the body; a connecting member provided with first and second connecting portions; a first support portion provided on one of the body and the displayer, the first connecting portion of the connecting member being connected to the first support portion in a rotatable manner about a spherical center thereof relative to the one of the body and the displayer; and a second support portion provided on the other of the body and the displayer, the second connecting portion of the connecting member being connected to the second support portion in a rotatable manner about a spherical center thereof and in a linearly-movable manner relative to the other of the body and the displayer.

Abstract: A zoom lens system includes a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group, a negative fourth lens group, and a positive fifth lens group, in that order from the object side. Upon zooming from the short to long focal length extremities, at least the first, third and fifth lens groups move in the optical axis direction. The second lens group includes at least four lens elements. Each of the third, fourth and fifth lens groups includes a plurality of lens elements. The following conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied: 1.60<f1/f5<2.46 ??(1), and ?2.46<f4/f3<?1.80 ??(2), wherein f1, f3, f4 and f5 designate the focal lengths of the first, third, fourth and fifth lens groups, respectively.

Abstract: An optimum low-pass filter effect according to various photographing condition parameters related to photographing conditions is obtained with flexibility without forcing the user to perform a troublesome manual operation in a photographing apparatus which drives an image sensor to obtain an optical low-pass filter effect. The photographing condition parameter setters set parameters related to photographing conditions. The image sensor drive controller changes the drive range of the image sensor and the optical low-pass filter effect, which are defined by the image sensor driver, based on the photographing condition parameters set by the photographing condition parameter setters.

Abstract: In a photographing apparatus and a photographing control system, an image sensor drive controller drives an image sensor in a direction which is different from the direction of an optical axis of a photographing optical system via an electromagnetic drive system in accordance with a first drive signal, which is generated by a first drive signal generator, and a second drive signal, which is generated by a second drive signal, during a period of exposure of the image sensor, and drives the image sensor in the direction which is different from the direction of the optical axis of the photographing optical system via the electromagnetic drive system in accordance with the first drive signal, which is generated by the first drive signal generator, during the period of signal readout of the image sensor.

Abstract: An anti-reflection coating having an three-layer structure comprising first to third layers formed in this order on a substrate, the substrate having a refractive index of 1.6-1.9, the first layer having a refractive index of 1.37-1.57, the second layer having a refractive index of 1.75-2.5, and the third layer having a refractive index of 1.18-1.32, to light in a wavelength range of 550 nm; the third layer being formed by silica aerogel; and the first and second layers containing no Al2O3.

Abstract: A photographing apparatus includes a movable-member driver configured to move a movable member in a direction that is different from an optical axis of a photographing optical system, wherein the movable member includes at least one of an optical element, constituting at least one part of the photographing optical system, and an image sensor; a movable-member drive controller configured to drive the movable member to move in a circular path of a predetermined diameter via the movable-member driver; and a processor configured to select a drive diameter D of the circular path by which the drive controller drives the movable member within a range of the following condition (1): d*?/(2*21/2)?D?d*?/2??(1), wherein d designates a pixel interval of the image sensor.

Abstract: An image-processing system including an image processor and a correction processor is provided. The imaging processor obtains a captured image. The correction processor produces a corrected image by correcting an aberration that emerges in the captured image. The correction processor produces: at least one or more processed images obtained by applying different processes to the captured image; a masking image by applying a predetermined process to one of the captured images or the at least one or more processed images; a composite image by synthesizing the masking image and either of the captured image or the at least one or more processed images, which are not used when producing the masking image; and the corrected image by synthesizing the composite image and the captured image.

Abstract: A fixed focal-length lens system includes a negative first lens group, a positive second and third lens groups. The first and second lens groups move toward the object side during focusing from an object at infinity to an object at a close-up distance. The first lens group includes a negative lens element having a concave surface on the image side, at least two positive lens elements, and a negative lens element having a concave surface on the image side. The second lens group includes a negative lens element having a concave surface on the object side, and at least two positive lens elements. The third lens group includes at least one negative lens element, and at least one positive lens element. The following condition (1) is satisfied: ?0.3<fG2/fG1<?0.05??(1), wherein fG1 and fG2 designate the focal lengths of the first and second lens groups.

Abstract: In a photographing apparatus, a low-pass selector controller (processor) is configured to perform a plurality of photographing operations including an LPF-ON photographing operation, which obtains an image signal from an image sensor in a state where the image sensor has been LPF driven by the image-shake correction device (driver) and obtains an optical low-pass filter effect, and an LPF-OFF photographing operation, which obtains an image signal from the image sensor in a state where the image sensor has not been LPF driven by the image-shake correction device (driver) and does not obtain an optical low-pass filter effect.

Abstract: A dark exposure control device comprises a dark exposure performing processor, an aperture-stop, and an aperture-stop driving processor. The dark exposure performing processor detects an image signal generated by an imaging device while the shutter is closed. The aperture-stop adjusts the amount of light incident on the imaging device. The aperture-stop driving processor adjusts the opening degree of the aperture-stop to smaller than the opening degree set for a main exposure while the dark exposure performing processor is operated.

Abstract: A photographing apparatus includes an image sensor configured to convert an object image formed by a photographing optical system, of the photographing apparatus, into electrical pixel signals, the photographing optical system including an optical element; an imaging controller configured to control an image-capturing process, in which an image set of a plurality of captured images for use in an image-synthesizing operation are captured, wherein, during the image-capturing process, at least one of the image sensor and the optical element is moved to change a relative position between the image sensor and the optical element; and a display controller configured to display the captured images of the image set on a display in accordance with the movement of the at least one of the image sensor and the optical element.

Abstract: A photographing apparatus includes an image sensor configured to convert an object image formed by a photographing optical system, of the photographing apparatus, into electrical pixel signals, the photographing optical system including an optical element; and a photographing controller configured to control a photographing operation, in which a set of images for use in an image-synthesizing operation are photographed. During the photographing operation, the image sensor and the optical element are sequentially moved relative to each other from a reference position to relative positions in a direction different to a direction of the optical axis, wherein every time the photographing controller obtains a photographed image at each relative position, the photographing controller determines whether or not the photographed image satisfies usage testing-requirements for a constituent: image of the set of images.

Abstract: A method of automatically tracking and photographing celestial objects which captures a still image of a celestial object(s) where each celestial object appears stationary simply by making an exposure with a camera directed toward an arbitrary-selected celestial object and fixed with respect to the ground and without using an equatorial, and also a camera that employs this method.