Patents by Inventor Takuji Umezu

Takuji Umezu 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: 9804407
    Abstract: An image shake correction apparatus includes a first fixing member; a movable member configured to correct the image shake, and configured to hold an optical element; a plurality of spherical members that are movable; a biasing member configured to apply a biasing force through the spherical member in the optical axis direction; a second fixing member that is disposed on the opposite side of the optical axis direction; and a plurality of damping members disposed in the second fixing member that suppresses vibration resulting from movement of the movable member. Either one of the first fixing member or the movable member includes a contact surface configured to make contact with the spherical member, and the maximum movable range of the contact surface overlaps with at least a portion of the installation region of the damping member in the optical axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takuji Umezu
  • Patent number: 8957980
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image sensor that includes a plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements, and a plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements, a plurality of micro lenses each of which is provided for each pixel on the image sensor, and a controller configured to execute still image pickup using the plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements simultaneous with motion image pickup using the plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements. Each micro lens introduces a light flux from part of an exit pupil of the image pickup optical system to at least one first photoelectric conversion element, and a light flux from another part of the exit pupil to at least one second photoelectric conversion element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Okuyama, Takuji Umezu
  • Publication number: 20140098421
    Abstract: An image shake correction apparatus includes a first fixing member; a movable member configured to correct the image shake, and configured to hold an optical element; a plurality of spherical members that are movable; a biasing member configured to apply a biasing force through the spherical member in the optical axis direction; a second fixing member that is disposed on the opposite side of the optical axis direction; and a plurality of damping members disposed in the second fixing member that suppresses vibration resulting from movement of the movable member. Either one of the first fixing member or the movable member includes a contact surface configured to make contact with the spherical member, and the maximum movable range of the contact surface overlaps with at least a portion of the installation region of the damping member in the optical axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuji UMEZU
  • Patent number: 8634138
    Abstract: A lens barrel includes first and second driving units configured to move first and second moving frames in an optical axis direction, and two correction driving sources configured to move the second moving frame in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis. Moving ranges in the optical axis direction of the first and second moving frames overlap with each other. The first and second moving frames are connected to a fixing portion of a fixed barrel by first and second flexible printed boards. One of the first and second driving units is located on a side of the optical axis opposite one of the second correction driving sources, and U-turn portions of the first and second flexible printed boards are located on a side of the optical axis opposite the other correction driving source, when viewed in the optical axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuji Umezu
  • Patent number: 8437094
    Abstract: A lens barrel includes a lens holding member that holds a lens, a positioning guide bar, a rotation blocking guide bar, an optical filter holding member that holds an optical filter, an optical filter supporting member that is disposed at a side of the lens holding member with reference to the optical filter holding member and that supports the optical filter holding member, and an image pickup element holding member that is disposed at a side of an image pickup element with reference to the optical filter holding member and that has a positioning guide bar holding portion that holds the positioning guide bar. The optical filter supporting member includes a rotation blocking guide bar holding portion that holds the rotation blocking guide bar, and the rotation blocking guide bar holding portion is positioned in an insertion and removal range of the optical filter holding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuji Umezu
  • Publication number: 20120105984
    Abstract: A lens barrel includes a lens holding member that holds a lens, a positioning guide bar, a rotation blocking guide bar, an optical filter holding member that holds an optical filter, an optical filter supporting member that is disposed at a side of the lens holding member with reference to the optical filter holding member and that supports the optical filter holding member, and an image pickup element holding member that is disposed at a side of an image pickup element with reference to the optical filter holding member and that has a positioning guide bar holding portion that holds the positioning guide bar. The optical filter supporting member includes a rotation blocking guide bar holding portion that holds the rotation blocking guide bar, and the rotation blocking guide bar holding portion is positioned in an insertion and removal range of the optical filter holding member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takuji UMEZU
  • Publication number: 20120050866
    Abstract: A lens barrel includes first and second driving units configured to move first and second moving frames in an optical axis direction, and two correction driving sources configured to move the second moving frame in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis. Moving ranges in the optical axis direction of the first and second moving frames overlap with each other. The first and second moving frames are connected to a fixing portion of a fixed barrel by first and second flexible printed boards. One of the first and second driving units is located on a side of the optical axis opposite one of the second correction driving sources, and U-turn portions of the first and second flexible printed boards are located on a side of the optical axis opposite the other correction driving source, when viewed in the optical axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takuji Umezu
  • Patent number: 8120865
    Abstract: An optical apparatus which is capable of preventing degradation of image quality caused by an ND filter. The optical apparatus incorporates an aperture stop having an aperture variable in size, and an ND filter movable with respect to the aperture of the aperture stop, an actuator that drives the ND filter, and a controller that controls the actuator. The ND filter includes a part having a size that can fully cover a first aperture that is the aperture with the aperture stop being narrowed. The controller controls the actuator so that the ND filter is moved without a halt between a first position where the part is retracted with respect to the first aperture with the aperture stop being narrowed, and a second position where the part fully covers the first aperture in any stop operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuji Umezu, Harunobu Ichinose
  • Patent number: 7477313
    Abstract: A light-quantity adjusting apparatus which can temporarily suppress an MTF (contrast) from being deteriorated by small-aperture diffraction is disclosed. The light-quantity adjusting apparatus comprises a main body in which an opening is formed, a light-blocking member moved with respect to the opening to change an area of a light-passing aperture, an optical filter moved with respect to the opening to insert and remove with respect to a region opposed the light-passing aperture, an actuator serving as a drive source, a drive mechanism for driving the light-blocking member and the optical filter by drive force from the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuji Umezu
  • Patent number: 7460775
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a shift unit portion 3 holding a lens that can bend a photographing optical axis when driven in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis A and a variator moving frame that moves in the optical axis direction. A part of driving means for driving the shift unit portion 3 having a hand shake correction function and a part of a lens held by the variator moving frame 7 are arranged to overlap with each other in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis A. Thus, the apparatus can be made compact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuji Umezu
  • Publication number: 20080037092
    Abstract: An optical apparatus is disclosed which is capable of preventing degradation of image quality caused by an ND filter. The optical apparatus includes an aperture stop having an aperture variable in size, and an ND filter movable with respect to the aperture of the aperture stop, an actuator that drives the ND filter, and a controller that controls the actuator. The ND filter includes a part having a size that can fully cover a first aperture that is the aperture with the aperture stop being narrowed. The controller controls the actuator so that the ND filter is moved without a halt between a first position where the part is retracted with respect to the first aperture with the aperture stop being narrowed, and a second position where the part fully covers the first aperture in any stop operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2007
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Inventors: Takuji Umezu, Harunobu Ichinose
  • Patent number: 7253976
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a light-quantity-adjusting unit, a first lens unit disposed closer to an object than the light-quantity-adjusting unit, a second lens unit disposed closer to an image plane than the light-quantity-adjusting unit, and a drive unit for driving the first lens unit and the second lens unit in an orthogonal-to-optical-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuji Umezu, Kazuhiro Noguchi
  • Publication number: 20070091478
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a light-quantity-adjusting unit, a first lens unit disposed closer to an object than the light-quantity-adjusting unit, a second lens unit disposed closer to an image plane than the light-quantity-adjusting unit, and a drive unit for driving the first lens unit and the second lens unit in an orthogonal-to-optical-axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Publication date: April 26, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takuji Umezu, Kazuhiro Noguchi
  • Patent number: 7154682
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a light-quantity-adjusting unit, a first lens unit disposed closer to an object than the light-quantity-adjusting unit, a second lens unit disposed closer to an image plane than the light-quantity-adjusting unit, and a drive unit for driving the first lens unit and the second lens unit in an orthogonal-to-optical-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuji Umezu, Kazuhiro Noguchi
  • Publication number: 20060093339
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a shift unit portion 3 holding a lens that can bend a photographing optical axis when driven in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis A and a variator moving frame that moves in the optical axis direction. A part of driving means for driving the shift unit portion 3 having a hand shake correction function and a part of a lens held by the variator moving frame 7 are arranged to overlap with each other in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis A. Thus, the apparatus can be made compact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Inventor: Takuji Umezu
  • Publication number: 20050219718
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a light-quantity-adjusting unit, a first lens unit disposed closer to an object than the light-quantity-adjusting unit, a second lens unit disposed closer to an image plane than the light-quantity-adjusting unit, and a drive unit for driving the first lens unit and the second lens unit in an orthogonal-to-optical-axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Publication date: October 6, 2005
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuji Umezu, Kazuhiro Noguchi
  • Publication number: 20050073604
    Abstract: A light-quantity adjusting apparatus which can temporarily suppress an MTF (contrast) from being deteriorated by small-aperture diffraction is disclosed. The light-quantity adjusting apparatus comprises a main body in which an opening is formed, a light-blocking member moved with respect to the opening to change an area of a light-passing aperture, an optical filter moved with respect to the opening to insert and remove with respect to a region opposed the light-passing aperture, an actuator serving as a drive source, a drive mechanism for driving the light-blocking member and the optical filter by drive force from the actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Publication date: April 7, 2005
    Inventor: Takuji Umezu