Abstract: In an automatic focusing camera having a shutter control member for controlling the shutter mechanism and a focusing member for regulating the position of the camera lens, an actuating member is provided for controlling the focusing member and the shutter control member. The actuating member is a single slidably mounted element which is movable between a charged position and a rest position and is biased into the rest position. The actuating member actuates the focusing member in the initial stage of movement from the charged position to the rest position and actuates the shutter control member in the final stage of the movement to the rest position.

Abstract: An electromagnetic shutter controlling device releases the shutter to start exposure when the device is energized and completes exposure when the device is deenergized.The electromagnetic shutter controlling device is constituted of a shutter blade for opening and closing the shutter aperture, a first driving spring for closing or releasing the shutter blade, an electrical delay circuit for controlling exposure time, an electromagnetic device including an armature attracted by the magnetic force of the electromagnetic device and being connected to the electrical delay circuit, a second driving spring which is strained by the attraction of the armature so as to release or close the shutter blade when it is released, and a retaining member for keeping the shutter blade at the aperture closing position until it is actuated to release the shutter blade by the attraction of the armature.

Abstract: In a timepiece having a case and having a minute hand and an hour hand for indicating time, an alarm signaling device generates an alarm by detecting the phase of two sets of gears. One set of gears comprises an hour hand gear and an hour detecting gear and the other set comprises a minute hand gear and a minute detecting gear. The two sets of gears are concentrically mounted for rotation and the minute detecting gear is positioned between the minute gear and the one set of gears. The minute detecting gear has a contacting sliding contact with the minute gear. The alarm signaling device further includes an alarm signaling time setting wheel having an axis of rotation parallel to that of the two sets of gears and a first gear and a second gear engaging the minute detecting gear and the hour detecting gear respectively.

Abstract: An electronic programmed shutter has a sector which is also used as an aperture vane, a sector opening and closing lever normally biased in the sector closing direction, a driving member which is moved in a linear direction by a release operation of the shutter, an electromagnetic device for controlling the closing time of the shutter by an electronic switching circuit, and a driving lever having a first cam face acting in such a direction as the sector is opened by the sector opening and closing lever and a second cam face coacting with the electromagnetic device.

Abstract: An automatic focusing camera capable of automatically focusing the photographic lens thereof by a system actuated by a signal produced by a focus detection circuit when the distance between the object to be photographed by the camera is detected includes an exposure control device comprising an exposure control circuit and an electromagnet. A photographic lens focusing member is movable in response to the shutter release operation and is stopped in response to the magnetizing of the electromagnet. An exposure device is actuated to open to start the exposure after the photographic lens focusing member is stopped, and is closed in response to the demagnetizing of the electromagnet which occurs upon the receipt thereof of the exposure completion signal generated by the exposure control circuit. In this way, a common electromagnet is used for both the focus control and the exposure control to simplify the construction of the camera and to reduce the cost thereof.

Abstract: In an electronic program shutter having sectoral shutter blades functioning in varying both the aperture and the exposure time corresponding to the brightness of the field, a synchronizing device according to the present invention comprises a sectoral shutter blade control lever which is oscillatable and capable of opening and closing the sectoral shutter blades and is normally urged in the direction that the sectoral shutter blades keep the aperture closed, a driving member which travels in one direction according to the shutter release operation, an actuating lever rotatable about a shaft fitted on the driving member and interlocked with the sectoral shutter blade control lever, an electromagnet which is unmagnetized at an exposure completion signal given by an exposure control circuit, and an armature which operates a flash light switch and cancels the engagement between the sectoral shutter blade control lever and the actuating lever when the electromagnet is unmagnetized and the attraction by the electro

Abstract: A camera shutter equipped with a selftimer device has an interlocking member for coordinating the movement of the camera operating member and the selftimer device to obtain accurate operation of the shutter release member. The interlocking member has a first arm which engages with the operating member during movement thereof at the beginning portion of the shutter release motion and the operating member thereafter drives the interlocking member to a position in which the interlocking member actuates the selftimer device to initiate a timing operation. Near the end of the timing operation, the selftimer device engages with a second arm of the interlocking member and thereafter drives the interlocking member to another position during the course of which a translating lever mounted on the interlocking member actuates the shutter release member to initiate release of the shutter.

Abstract: A camera shutter has a set of opening blades and a set of closing blades sequentially driven from cocked positions to released positions to effect an exposure. During cocking of the shutter, the opening and closing blades are driven to their cocked positions by opening and closing mechanisms which include springs for permitting continued movement of the opening and closing mechanisms in the cocking direction after the opening and closing blades are driven to their cocked positions. Upon completion of the movement of the opening and closing blades to their cocked positions, the springs undergo further compression thereby permitting continued cocking movement of the opening and closing mechanisms independent of the opening and closing blades.

Abstract: A camera shutter digital control circuit having a counter for counting a number of pulses representative of exposure time and for reading-out the counted pulses to control exposure time. An adjustable delay circuit synchronizes shutter opening and the initiation of memory read-out. Upon the initiation of shutter opening a signal is applied to the delay circuit, which is adjusted to develop a delay equal to a particular shutter opening time. The delayed signal is then applied to initiate reading-out of the control pulses so that the exposure time is controlled in synchronism with the shutter opening.

Abstract: A driving device including a magnetized driving rotor mounted for rotation within a magnetic field produced in a coreless coil, and, in order to make the magnetic pole of said driving rotor deviate by a definite angle relative to the magnet field direction of said coil, a supplementary magnetized rotor mounted for rotation outside of the coil and magnetically coupled with the driving rotor. And the supplementary rotor is provided with magnetic poles, the number thereof being greater than the number of poles of said driving rotor. The driving rotor has an odd number of pole pairs.

Abstract: In an electromagnetic driving device for example for an electric clock, a driving polar rotor arranged in the magnetic field of a coreless field coil drives a rotatable following polar rotor so that in their static states the poles of the rotors are shifted at a definite angle in the direction of the magnetic field of the coil. The driving polar rotor is rotatably supported within a bobbin on which the coil is wound and is retained in the bobbin by a rotor retaining part which is held in place by a printed circuit plate which controls the current flowing through the coil.

Abstract: An electromechanical driving device comprising a permanent magnet rotor mounted for rotation on a non-magnetic support plate, and a wheel train mounted on the support plate and driven by the rotor. A coreless field coil is mounted on the support plate and positioned to drive the rotor and thereby drive the wheel train when the coreless field coil is energized. The coreless coil is wound on a coil bobbin having an axial bore. The support plate includes a projecting portion dimensioned to fit within the axial bore of the bobbin to support the bobbin and thereby mount the same on the support plate.

Abstract: A timepiece including two base plates opposite each other and defining a space therebetween, and having a gear train and an electro-mechanical converter for driving the gear train and both disposed in the space between the two base plates. The converter includes a stator comprised of a platelike member defining an intermediate plate portion positioned in the space between the two base plates. The intermediate plate portion supports gear train components and is isolated magnetically from the rest of the stator.

Abstract: A driving mechanism including a stepping motor having a rotor which rotates through a certain angular interval each time the stepping motor is energized. A driving member having a plurality of radial slots is mounted for rotation about an axis and is rotated by the rotor. A driven member is mounted for rotation and includes a pin extending therefrom for engaging one of the slots as the driving member rotates and for disengaging from the one of the slots after the driving member has rotated past the certain angular interval, whereby the driven member is rotated through the certain angular interval upon energization of the stepping motor. The driving member includes arcuate peripheral portions over a limited angular extent and concentric with the axis of rotation of the driving member. The driven member includes concave arcuate portions of limited angular extend spaced about the periphery thereof.

Abstract: An alarm device of a clock has an alarm time detection mechanism coacting with the time wheels of the clock for detecting a preset alarm time and sound an audible alarm. The audible alarm is terminated in response to manual depression of a call time setter pin and with each depression of the pin, the alarm time detection mechanism is reset to detect a new alarm time so that the new alarm time is determined by the number of times the pin is depressed. A time indicating mechanism indicates the preset alarm time and is automatically adjusted to display the new alarm time dependent upon the number of depressions of the call time setter pin.

Abstract: A single-lens reflex camera shutter having an operating ring driven in one direction by a gear-rack and pinion combination. The operating ring actuates the diaphragm and shutter blades and is stopped by a stop lever during the taking of an exposure. The stop lever is locked during the taking of an exposure by a signal lever that signals the taking of an exposure and is released upon completion of an exposure to allow the operating ring to continue in its travel and carry out opening of the shutter and opening of the diaphragm blades.

Abstract: An electric shutter in which an electrical circuit normally controls the automatic closing of the shutter lens aperture. A mechanical device in the shutter coactive with the electrical circuit closes the shutter lens aperture mechanically, automatically when the electrical circuit is deenergized or because insufficiently energized because of an exhausted power source or because of other reasons.

Abstract: An electrical switch device for detecting preset alarm times in an alarming device comprises a one-piece switch part connected to and rotatable with a rotationally driven time wheel, and first and second fixed switch parts electrically insulated from each other. An alarming circuit is electrically connected to the fixed switch parts and sounds an audible alarm when the switch parts are closed. An alarm time setting mechanism is settable in a predetermined angular position corresponding to the alarm time to be detected so that when the time wheel is driven to the predetermined position, the switch parts are closed thereby activating the alarm.

Abstract: A lens shutter for a quick-return single-lens reflex camera in which the diaphragm blades and shutter blades are operated by an operating ring driven rotationally in opposite directions by a driving device. The driving device has a pair of axially biased rods that coact to sequence their travel axially in two directions for driving the operating ring through gear racks on one of the rods and a driving ring coupled to the operating ring. A pinion meshes with both gear racks. A stop lever releasably locked by a signal lever stops the operating ring temporarily during taking of an exposure and the signal lever releases the stop lever at the end of an exposure which it signals or indicates. A cocking mechanism comprising a plurality of levers cocks the operating rods to cock the shutter.

Abstract: A polarized drive rotor having opposite polarity poles is rotatably arranged in the magnetic field developed by a coreless field coil and a polarized auxiliary rotor also having opposite polarity poles is arranged and magnetically coupled to the drive rotor so as to displace, the drive rotor through a preselected angle with respect to the direction of the magnetic field developed by the coreless field coil. An output is taken out of either one of the polarized rotors to drive a gear train and accordingly drive a clock hand. Electric drive circuitry applies a forward electric current to the field coil to rotationally advance the rotors and after the rotors stop and when a preselected time has passed since the energization of the coil, the rotors are rotated again in the same direction by applying a reverse electric current to the coil. In this way the clock hand can be driven stepwise at intervals of preselected constant time.