Patents by Inventor Etsuo Tanaka

Etsuo Tanaka has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6330398
    Abstract: A vibration reduction apparatus includes a vibration detector for detecting movement; and an image blur reduction mechanism including a vibration reduction optical system for preventing an image from blurring, and a drive mechanism for driving the vibration reduction optical system. The drive mechanism is controlled to drive the vibration reduction optical system in response to a detection signal from the vibration detector. The vibration detector is integrally mounted as a part of a mechanism unit including the vibration reduction mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Yoshio Imura, Hideo Kanno, Hiroshi Okano, Akira Katayama
  • Patent number: 5778261
    Abstract: A camera, equipped with a viewfinder having an optical axis different from the optical axis of the photographic lens system, has a parallax compensation apparatus for compensating for the parallax between the viewfinder and the photographic lens system. The parallax compensation apparatus includes a distance measuring device which measures an object's distance from the camera and an optical axis moving device which moves the optical axis of the photographic lens system according to the parallax, which is based on the results received from the distance measuring device, thereby matching the photographic image plane with the viewfinder field. In addition, the optical axis moving device moves the optical axis of the photographic lens system to compensate for hand trembling or other motion of the camera during shooting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Yoichi Koizumi
  • Patent number: 5761545
    Abstract: In a device, an angular velocity detector detects the angular velocity of a camera body and produces a signal conforming thereto. Whether the camera is performing pan shot is discriminated on the basis of the produced signal. Preferably, the discrimination is effected on the basis of a signal from which the high frequency component of the signal has been eliminated. Also, in one mode, the device sets an appropriate shutter speed when it is detected that the mode is pan shot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Akira Katayama
  • Patent number: 5748391
    Abstract: A camera having an optical system which is shiftable to compensate for vibrations affecting the camera, a shift mechanism which shifts the optical system along an axis, and an urging mechanism. The urging mechanism provides an urging force along the axis to urge the optical system and to assist the shift mechanism in shifting the optical system. The urging force of the urging mechanism is approximately 1.5 to 5 times the weight of the optical system. Moreover, a feed screw mechanism includes a male portion and a female portion which cooperate, via a helical groove, to shift the optical system. The feed screw mechanism has an angle of friction and the helical groove has a lead angle that is smaller than the angle of friction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Hiroshi Okano, Akira Katayama
  • Patent number: 5740473
    Abstract: An anti-shake camera includes a camera shake correction lens for correcting image blurring caused by a camera shake, a camera shake correction lens position detection device for detecting the moving position of the camera shake correction lens, and an indication device for indicating a shaking direction of the camera so as to decrease the moving amount of the camera shake correction lens from a neutral position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Tadao Kai
  • Patent number: 5729770
    Abstract: This specification discloses an image movement correcting device for a photographing apparatus for appropriately judging a variation in the amount of image movement correction by the difference in the position of the center of rotation, and effecting accurate image movement correction. Any angular fluctuation of the optical axis of the photographing apparatus is detected by angular displacement detecting device, and when on the basis of the angular fluctuation, image movement correction on a photographing image field is effected by image movement correcting device, the amount of image movement correction by the image movement correcting device is varied in conformity with the position of the center of rotation discriminated by rotation center position discriminating device for discriminating the position of the center of rotation of the angular fluctuation during the photographing by the photographing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Kai, Etsuo Tanaka, Akira Katayama
  • Patent number: 5715479
    Abstract: A blur prevention device is equipped with first and second drive units which can move a blur prevention lens in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis of a main optical system. First and second transfer units transfer the amount of movement of the drive units to the blur prevention lens and first and second transfer receiving units receive the amount of movement in the respective directions from the respective transfer units. Each of the transfer receiving units can move relative to the one transfer unit other than the respective transfer unit. The blur prevention device has a specified direction for one of the transfer units and allows a degree of freedom outside the movement in the specified direction to the other transfer unit. Restriction gears, which are part of the drive units, restrict the amount of movement of the blur prevention lens in the plane orthogonal to the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Katayama, Yoshio Imura, Tadao Kai, Yasushi Sakagami, Etsuo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5684640
    Abstract: A camera having an optical system which is shiftable to compensate for vibrations affecting the camera, a shift mechanism which shifts the optical system along an axis, and an urging mechanism. The urging mechanism provides an urging force along the axis to urge the optical system and to assist the shift mechanism in shifting the optical system. The urging force of the urging mechanism is approximately 1.5 to 5 times the weight of the optical system. Moreover, a feed screw mechanism includes a male portion and a female portion which cooperate, via a helical groove, to shift the optical system. The feed screw mechanism has an angle of friction and the helical groove has a lead angle that is smaller than the angle of friction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Hiroshi Okano
  • Patent number: 5576787
    Abstract: An image-shake correcting camera including an image shake correcting device for correcting image shakes caused by camera shakes and a photographic mode setting device for setting an operation condition of camera in photography, in which the image shake correcting device changes a correction property, based on the operation condition set by the photographic mode setting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1996
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Kai, Akira Katayama, Etsuo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5559574
    Abstract: This specification discloses an image movement correcting device for a photographing apparatus for appropriately judging a variation in the amount of image movement correction by the difference in the position of the center of rotation, and effecting accurate image movement correction. Any angular fluctuation of the optical axis of the photographing apparatus is detected by angular displacement detecting means, and when on the basis of the angular fluctuation, image movement correction on a photographing image field is effected by image movement correcting means, the amount of image movement correction by the image movement correcting means is varied in conformity with the position of the center of rotation discriminated by rotation center position discriminating means for discriminating the position of the center of rotation of the angular fluctuation during the photographing by the photographing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Kai, Etsuo Tanaka, Akira Katayama
  • Patent number: 5463443
    Abstract: An anti-shake camera includes a camera shake correction lens for correcting image blurring caused by a camera shake, a camera shake correction lens position detection device for detecting the moving position of the camera shake correction lens, and an indication device for indicating a shaking direction of the camera so as to decrease the moving amount of the camera shake correction lens from a neutral position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1995
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Tadao Kai, Hiroshi Okano, Akira Katayama, Yoshio Imura
  • Patent number: 4668065
    Abstract: A camera comprises a mirror member provided between a photo-taking lens and the focal plane thereof and having a reflecting surface and a pivot axis provided at one end of the reflecting surface in parallelism to the focal plane, the mirror member being movable from an observation position in which the reflecting surface intersects the optic axis of the photo-taking lens to a retracted position in which the reflecting surface is retracted from the optic axis, by the pivotal movement of the reflecting surface about the pivot axis, a mirror chamber for containing the mirror therein, the mirror chamber having a pair of openings forming the optical path from the photo-taking lens to the focal plane a pair of vertical side walls provided on opposite sides of and vertically to the pivot axis and a movable bottom wall in parallelism to the pivot axis, and driving means for moving the mirror member and the movable bottom wall at the same time so that the center of gravity of the movable bottom wall moves in a directi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1987
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K. K.
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Tanabe
  • Patent number: 4486084
    Abstract: A light-shielding blade for use in a light control device, comprises a flat area and a recessed area on each face. The recessed area on one face is positioned substantially corresponding to the flat area on the other face. The light control device is for controlling a light-passing aperture and comprises a blade group composed of plural light-shielding blades movable between an extended state in which the plural blades are extended in a partially overlapping condition and a superposed state in which the plural blades are stacked in a substantially overlapping state. The blade group comprises at least a blade provided with a flat area and a recessed area on each face thereof. The recessed area on one face is positioned substantially corresponding to the flat area on the other face, and at least one of the flat areas is in overlapping contact with a neighboring blade in said extended state of the blade group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1984
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K.K.
    Inventors: Akihiko Sato, Yoshiyuki Nakano, Etsuo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 4458998
    Abstract: In a camera having a moving body provided with an optical element which is movable over a predetermined distance in a predetermined direction in connection with a photographing operation, a shock absorbing device acting on a shock resulting from the movement of the moving body includes counterweight means having a greater inertial mass than the moving body, and drive means for moving the counterweight means and the moving body in synchronism with each other. The drive means moves the counterweight means in the direction opposite to the direction of movement of the moving bdy and over a distance shorter than the movement distance of the center of gravity of the moving body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 10, 1984
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K.K.
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Tanabe
  • Patent number: 4401380
    Abstract: A shutter blade for focal plane shutter, in which the blade thickness is made the thinnest possible by forming a plurality of recesses throughout the whole area, except for the connecting part of the blade with a drive mechanism and the outer peripheral edge of the blade. The recesses are in the regular polygonal shape such as hexagon, square, triangle, and so forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1983
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K.K.
    Inventors: Akihiko Sato, Yoshiyuki Nakano, Etsuo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 4332452
    Abstract: An electric shutter for camera is operable selectively with manual control mode in which the shutter time is set manually or with automatic exposure control mode in which a proper shutter time is set automatically. The preciseness of shutter time is improved by using one and single control cam in manual control mode as well as in automatic control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1982
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K.K.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Nakano, Etsuo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 4298265
    Abstract: In a light-intercepting device in a camera including a plurality of flat light-intercepting vanes disposed on a light-intercepting plane crossing an optical path, the light-intercepting vanes comprise a substrate formed of titanium or a titanium alloy, and a hardened layer of titanium compound formed on the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1981
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K.K.
    Inventors: Etsuo Tanaka, Hironobu Kato