Patents by Inventor Nobuo Matsukawa

Nobuo Matsukawa 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: 5867744
    Abstract: An electric camera has a camera body, a display portion for displaying information preset to the camera body, a tripod mounting screw portion provided in a bottom portion of the camera body and a cell containing portion having at least first and second stages, the first stage having a first plurality of cells so as to interpose the tripod mounting screw portion between the first plurality of cells, and the second stage having a second plurality of cells without interposing the tripod mounting screw portion between the second plurality of cells, wherein the second stage is disposed on top of the first stage, at least one side portion of the first stage is extended outwardly beyond one side portion of the second stage to be a projected portion, and the display portion is disposed immediately above the projected portion and adjacent to the one side portion of the second stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuo Matsukawa, Hiroshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 5848313
    Abstract: A camera having a display device with a transparent window member at the top surface of the camera body. The camera body has a cover with an outer wall rising from the cover top surface, so that a direct impact on the window member is difficult, and the cracking of window member or its dislodgment from the cover, is difficult. The cover outer wall surrounds the periphery of the window member. In one embodiment, the cover outer wall is made up of a plurality of wall portions which do not surround the entire periphery of the window member and have cutout portions so that water drops and dust can be easily removed from the window member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuo Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 5773940
    Abstract: A power drive device is disclosed that includes a motor, a control device coupled to the motor, and a rotatable reference axle member rotatably interlocked with the rotation of the motor. A first detection member detects a first phase and a third phase of rotation of the reference axle member wherein the first phase corresponds to a rotation starting position of the reference axle member and the third phase corresponds to a near completion position of the reference axle member. The device also includes a second detection member that detects a second phase and a fourth phase of rotation of the reference axle member, wherein the fourth phase of rotation corresponds to a rotation completion position of the reference axle member. The control device drives the motor in accordance with the detected phases of the first and second detection members, and in particular, can control the velocity of the motor and the timing of the operation of the motor in relation to a second motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuo Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 5659814
    Abstract: A camera quickly selecting a focus detection region or a light metering region while seeing a finder picture. A region selection member is provided so that an operating surface of the region selection member is substantially parallel to a finder picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuo Matsukawa, Sunao Nishioka
  • Patent number: 5585878
    Abstract: The present invention is applicable to an information setting device for a camera which is capable of switching over several information setting operation members between validity and invalidity for setting control information, and which also contributes to greater compactness of the camera. It includes information setting operation members which are operated for setting control information; an information setting means which sets the control information according to the operation of the information setting operation members; a switchover operation member group which is operated for switching each of the control information setting functions of the information setting operation members between a valid state and an invalid state; and a switchover control means which switches over each of the control information setting functions between the valid state and the invalid state respectively according to the operation of the switchover operation member group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1996
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuo Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 5580156
    Abstract: A marker apparatus including a retroreflector constituted by three reflective surfaces arranged on three surfaces of a trigonal pyramid and a light source disposed on an optical axis of the retroreflector. A lens is provided in front of the retroreflector and a condensing lens is formed on the lens for condensing light emitting from the light source. A plurality of retroreflectors are provided continuously on the same plane in such a manner that directions of the three reflective surfaces, which constitute each of the retroreflector, are different from one another, and a front view of the retroreflector is regular hexagonal. A wall surface is formed between the three reflective surfaces constituting each retroreflector so that the wall surface directed in parallel with an optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Suzuki, Nobuo Matsukawa, Kazunori Tamura
  • Patent number: 5574522
    Abstract: In order to reduce the width of an electric camera to the largest extent possible, and to improve operations in the camera, the driving motor that drives the shutter activating mechanism is a flat motor situated either above or below the spool chamber or the cartridge chamber. Additionally, to provide a camera that can be miniaturized, and with which noise and vibration are minimized, a motor device that drives at least one of a mirror device that drives a mirror at the time of exposure of the film and a shutter device that regulates the exposure time interval of the film, is arranged relative to the film cartridge chamber so that the spindle of the cartridge chamber and the shaft of the motor are substantially coaxial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1996
    Assignee: Nikon Coporation
    Inventor: Nobuo Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 5499074
    Abstract: An autofocus camera conducts a focus detection operation with one of differently directed sets of photoelectric conversion elements which is given priority according to the detected attitude of the camera. If focusing cannot be effected using the elements given priority, a focus detection operation is automatically conducted with the other elements. Also provided is a camera having a first mode of operation in which focusing detecting operations are conducted which collectively utilize outputs of all of the elements of differently directed sets of photoelectric conversion elements when a first camera attitude is detected, and a second mode of operation in which focusing detecting operations are conducted which collectively disregard the output of at least one conversion element when a second camera attitude is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1996
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Keiji Ohsawa, Nobuo Matsukawa, Sunao Nishioka, Ryuichi Mori, Yoshiyuki Nakano
  • Patent number: 5448321
    Abstract: A recording apparatus for a camera using a photographic film bearing a magnetic recording medium comprises a magnetic head capable of assuming a recording position with the magnetic head pressed to the film and a retracted position with the magnetic head away from the film. When the magnetic head is at the recording position, a reference pin engages an edge of the film. To move the magnetic head to the retracted position, a drive mechanism moves the magnetic head in a direction along the film width, thereby disengaging the reference pin from the edge of the film, and then moves the magnetic head in a direction away from the film plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1995
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuo Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 5434759
    Abstract: A safety indicating device having a flexible indicator body and a power source unit. The indicator body has a transparent protective sheet which is disposed on the back side of a front sheet having a plurality of windows and on which projections corresponding to the windows are formed, and a flexible substrate which is disposed on the back side of the transparent protective sheet and on which LEDs are fixedly arranged in a manner corresponding to the projections. The transparent protective sheet and the flexible substrate are stacked and adhered to each other. A waterproof lining sheet is closely adhered to the back of the flexible substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1995
    Inventors: Osamu Endo, Nobuo Matsukawa, Sigeru Kuwahara, Yasuo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 5402203
    Abstract: A camera with an automatic bracketing device for permitting photographing of a plurality of frames in group while exposure is stepwise changed under a certain exposure condition solves a problem which is caused when the number of frames to be photographed in a bracketing photographing mode is set larger than the number of remaining available frames of a film.The camera comprises means for calculating the number of remaining available frames based on the number of available frames of the film loaded and the number of photographed frames, means for calculating a proper exposure, means for setting the number of frames to be photographed in a bracketing photographing mode in which a plurality of frames are photographed with changing exposures, and means for setting the number of steps of exposure to be changed in the bracketing photographing mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuo Matsukawa, Yasuaki Ishiguro, Masao Owashi, Masaaki Tsukamoto, Ryuichi Mori
  • Patent number: 5193895
    Abstract: A plurality of chip-type light-emitting elements are mounted on a flexible printed circuit board, and a resin lens is provided in front of the light-emitting elements. A warning light further has, on the back side, a fixing member such as a double-sided adhesive tape and flexible magnetic sheet. The warning light having such a structure is typically installed on a side face, such as a fitting face, of a vehicle's door, and is turned on/off by a switch which is made on/off in link motion with opening/closing of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1993
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Naruke, Nobuo Matsukawa, Mitsuhiko Nakano
  • Patent number: 5041859
    Abstract: An automatic focusing detection apparatus for a camera includes focused-state detection devices for detecting the focused state in each of a plurality of focusing detection areas which consist of a central area and a plurality of focusing detection areas adjacent to the central area defined by dividing an image field, and a control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1991
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuaki Ishiguro, Osamu Ikeda, Nobuo Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 4697909
    Abstract: A device for supplying an electric energy to an electric device of a camera includes, first power source means in which a first cell is loaded that has a given output capacity sufficient for the electric device to exert its function, second power source means in which a second cell is loaded that has a given output capacity sufficient for the electric device to exert its function, and switching means to be operatively changed between a first switching state where the electric device is connected to the first power source means and a second switching state where the electric device is connected to the second power source means. Furthermore, the device includes responsive means responsive to the loading operation of the first cell for causing the switching means to change to the first switching state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1987
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K.K.
    Inventors: Kiyosada Machida, Yoshiyuki Nakano, Nobuo Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 4371244
    Abstract: In a camera having a film transport mechanism for advancing and rewinding film and a counter for counting the number of frames of film advanced, a first control device operatively coupled to the counter controls the transport mechanism so as to prevent further film advancement upon the counter reaching a predetermined count. Upon the transport mechanism being operated to rewind the film, a second control device automatically disables the first control device so as to enable further film advancement by the transport mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 1, 1983
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K.K.
    Inventors: Koichi Daitoku, Kenji Sekine, Nobuo Matsukawa, Shiro Sugimori
  • Patent number: 4340290
    Abstract: An electric rewind device for a camera having a clutch device for causing a sprocket operatively associated with a wind-up mechanism for feeding a roll film wound on a spool in a film magazine to be disconnected from the wind-up mechanism. A rewind coupling capable of being coupled to the spool is driven by a motor to effect film rewind operation and includes a first operating member engageable with the clutch device and movable between a first position for connecting the wind-up mechanism and the sprocket and a second position for breaking the connection between the two.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1982
    Assignee: Nippon Kogaku K.K.
    Inventors: Nobuo Matsukawa, Kenji Sekine
  • Patent number: D343016
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1994
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuo Matsukawa