Optical Zoom Patents (Class 348/240.3)
  • Publication number: 20150130961
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side, a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, a third lens group having a negative refractive power, and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power. During change of magnification from a short focal end to a long focal end, the first lens group is fixed, the second lens group is moved to an image side, the third lens group is moved, and the fourth lens group is fixed. The first lens group and the fourth lens group include diffraction surfaces and satisfy the Condition Expressions 50<f1doe/f1<200 (1) and 100<f4doe/f4<300 (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventor: Yoshifumi SUDOH
  • Publication number: 20150130969
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes in order from object side to image side: a positive first lens unit that does not move for zooming; a negative second lens unit that moves during zooming; and a positive N-th lens unit that does not move for zooming, the N-th lens unit being arranged closest to the image side. The first lens unit includes, in order from object side to image side: a negative first sub-lens unit that does not move for focusing; a positive second sub-lens unit that moves along an optical axis during focusing; and a positive third sub-lens unit that does not move for focusing. Focal length of the first lens unit, focal length at wide angle end of the zoom lens, and lateral magnification at wide angle end satisfy predetermined conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Nakamura, Kazuya Shimomura, Tsuyoshi Wakazono, Yu Inomoto
  • Patent number: 9030592
    Abstract: The interchangeable lens includes a focus actuator to move a focus lens, a memory storing speed control data for the focus actuator and end position data showing infinity side and close side end positions of a movable range of the focus lens, a lens controller to control the drive speed of the focus actuator by using the speed control data. The lens controller receives, from an image pickup apparatus, timing information showing a timing relating to acquisition of focus information, performs an end reachability determination for predictively determining, by using the timing information, the speed control data and the end position data, whether or not the focus lens reaches the infinity side or close side end position by a scheduled focus information acquisition timing, and sends information showing a result of the end reachability determination to the image pickup apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Minoru Uchiyama
  • Publication number: 20150124126
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens group that has a positive refractive power; a second lens group that has a negative refractive power; a third lens group that has a positive refractive power; and a fourth lens group that has a positive refractive power. During zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the first lens group is stationary relative to an imaging surface, and the second lens group is moved to the image side in an optical axis direction so as to decrease a space between the second lens group and the third lens group. The third lens group includes a positive lens, a negative lens, and a cemented lens. The zoom lens satisfies ?0.95<fg3_neg/fg3<?0.5. Here, fg3_neg is a focal length of the negative lens of the third lens group, and fg3 is a focal length of the third lens group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventor: Hiroki Yamano
  • Publication number: 20150124127
    Abstract: A zoom lens system comprising a plurality of lens units each being composed of at least one lens element, and comprising, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having negative optical power, a third lens unit having positive optical power, a fourth lens unit having positive optical power, and a fifth lens unit having negative optical power, wherein the first lens unit is composed of two or less lens elements, the third lens unit is composed of five or more lens elements, and the condition: 5.0<f1/f3<8.0 (f1: a focal length of the first lens unit, f3: a focal length of the third lens unit) is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Tsutomu IWASHITA, Yoshiaki KURIOKA, Takehiro NISHIOKA
  • Patent number: 9025052
    Abstract: A manual input via a manual input unit while automatically changing a zoom magnification via a zoom control unit is permitted, and after the manual input, the zoom magnification is automatically changed so that a size of an object output from an object extraction unit becomes a second size in relation to an angle of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takayuki Kimura
  • Patent number: 9019403
    Abstract: A lens barrel includes a lens retaining member retaining a lens group and having a retaining-side cam follower, a moving member being movable in an optical axis direction with respect to the lens retaining member and having a moving-side cam follower, a rotary barrel having a retaining-side cam groove and a moving-side cam groove and being configured to rotate, thereby giving the lens retaining member and the moving member moving force; an elastic member giving the lens retaining member and the moving member relatively pushing force in the optical axis direction, and a rotating load restraining mechanism retaining rotating load of the rotary barrel generated by the pushing force. The rotating load restraining mechanism includes the moving-side cam groove provided such that the angle made by the part on which the moving-side cam follower abuts and the plane orthogonal to the optical axis becomes small, in a sharply inclined area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Ohya
  • Publication number: 20150109484
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing zoom in and zoom out operations are described using multiple optical chains in a camera device. At least one optical chain in the camera device includes a moveable light redirection device, said light redirection device being one of a substantially plane mirror or a prism. Different zoom focal length settings correspond to different scene capture areas for the optical chain with the moveable light redirection device. Overlap between scene areas captured by different optical chains increases during zoom in and decreases during zoom out. Images captured by different optical chains are combined and/or cropped to generate a composite image corresponding to a zoom focal length setting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventor: Rajiv Laroia
  • Publication number: 20150109485
    Abstract: A first lens group includes a plano-concave and negative first lens, a catoptric element having a flat object side surface and a flat image side surface, and a first cemented lens, for example. Here, the first cemented lens includes a negative second lens and a positive third lens in order from an object side. A second lens group includes an aperture stop and a positive second cemented lens, for example. The second cemented lens includes a positive fourth lens, a negative fifth lens, and a positive sixth lens in order from the object side. A zoom lens satisfies a conditional expression 1.59<n21<2.20, assuming that a value n21 indicates refractive index of the fourth lens on a side closest to an object in the second lens group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yuichi OZAKI, Atsushi YAMASHITA
  • Publication number: 20150097989
    Abstract: A zoom lens system comprising: a negative first lens unit; a positive second lens unit; a negative third lens unit; and a positive fourth lens unit, wherein in zooming, the first lens unit moves with locus of a convex to the image side and the second lens unit moves to the object side, and the conditions: 0<(DaW?DaT)/TLW<0.26 and 0<TG2G/TGa11<0.4 (DaW: optical axial interval between the first and second lens units at the wide-angle limit, DaT: optical axial interval between the first and second lens units at the telephoto limit, TLW: overall length of the lens system at the wide-angle limit, TG2G: optical axial thickness of the second lens unit, TGall: sum of optical axial thicknesses of the respective lens units) are satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki KAI, Takahiro KITADA, Takuya IMAOKA
  • Publication number: 20150092085
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an imaging unit, a signal processing unit, a frequency dividing unit, a noise processing unit, a noise frequency unifying unit, an edge processing unit, an edge frequency unifying unit, a synthesizing unit, and a control unit. The control unit controls the rates of the noise processing results of respective frequency components unified by the noise frequency unifying unit, and the rates of the edge processing results of the respective frequency components unified by the edge frequency unifying unit in accordance with control of operations of constituent elements included in the imaging device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Applicant: Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mayumi NAKADE, Shinichiro HIROOKA
  • Publication number: 20150085165
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens group having a positive refractive power; a second lens group having a negative refractive power; a third lens group having a positive refractive power; a fourth lens group having a negative refractive power; and a fifth lens group having a negative refractive power. During zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state, air spacing between the first and second lens groups increases, air spacing between the second and third lens groups decreases, spacing between the third and fourth lens groups changes, and spacing between the fourth and fifth lens groups changes. Thus, all the lens groups are moved in an optical axis direction. The zoom lens satisfies the following Conditional Expression (1). 1.0<?5w?4.0??(1) Here, ?5w is a lateral magnification of the fifth lens group at a wide-angle end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Masaki Maruyama, Masaharu Hosoi, Hiroshi Koizumi
  • Publication number: 20150085153
    Abstract: A zooming optical system has, from the object side, a positive first group, a negative second group, a positive third group, a positive fourth group, and a negative fifth group. During zooming, at least the third to fifth groups move relative to the image plane, and focusing is achieved by moving the fourth group along the optical axis. The conditional formula ?1.0<M5/f5<?0.1 is fulfilled, where M5 is the distance along the optical axis from the position of the fifth group at the wide-angle end to the position of the fifth group at the telephoto end and f5 is the focal length of the fifth group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yoshihito Souma
  • Patent number: 8988594
    Abstract: A lens barrel comprises a first zoom/focus lens group and a second zoom/focus lens group configured to respectively vary a focal distance and imaging distance by moving in an optical axis, a first actuator configured to drive the first zoom/focus lens group, a second actuator configured to drive the second zoom/focus lens group, and a drive controller configured to independently control the first actuator and the second actuator. The drive controller is configured to wobble the first zoom/focus lens group by reciprocating only the first zoom/focus lens group out of the first and second zoom/focus lens groups in a optical axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norikazu Katsuyama, Yusuke Adachi, Fumio Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 8988588
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, first and third lens units having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a rear lens group. The first lens unit is closer to the object side at a telephoto end than at a wide angle end. The second lens unit is closer to the image side at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end. A distance between the second lens unit and the third lens unit at the telephoto end, focal lengths at the wide angle end and the telephoto end, respectively, a focal length of the second lens unit, and an amount of movement of the second lens unit in an optical axis direction during zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end are appropriately set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yosuke Okubo
  • Publication number: 20150077593
    Abstract: A lens control apparatus includes an operation input unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The operation input unit is configured to accept a user operation. The communication unit is configured to perform communication with an external apparatus. The control unit is configured to perform driving control of a zoom lens in response to a zoom operation accepted by the operation input unit or a zoom control signal received by the communication unit. The control unit is also configured to selectively set a zoom position changing speed for driving control performed in response to the zoom operation and a zoom position changing speed for driving control performed in response to the zoom control signal, the zoom position changing speeds being different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: RYOGO ITO, KAZUMA AKAMATSU, MEGUMI TAKAGI, SHUNSUKE KATSUMATA
  • Publication number: 20150077594
    Abstract: The zoom lens includes: a positive first lens unit; a positive second lens unit disposed in an image side of the first lens unit, at least a part of the second lens unit constituting an image stabilizing lens unit configured to move with a component perpendicular to an optical axis; the zoom lens being configured to change an interval between neighboring lens units during zooming; and an aperture stop arranged in the image side of the first lens unit, wherein a focal length of the first lens unit, a focal length of the image stabilizing lens unit, a focal length at a wide angle end of an optical system Lr arranged on the image side of the image stabilizing lens unit, and a focal length of an entire system at the wide angle end are appropriately set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventor: Makoto Nakahara
  • Publication number: 20150070534
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in an order from an object side, four groups of a positive group, a negative group, a positive group, and a negative group. For varying magnification from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the first group is configured to be moved toward the object side, the second group is configured to be moved toward an image side, the third group is configured to be moved toward the object side, and the fourth group is configured to be moved toward the object side, and conditional equations of ?0.63<f2/f1<?0.25, ?10<f2/y?max<?3, and 6<f1/y?max<20 (f1: the focal distance of the first group; f2: the focal distance of the second group; y?max: the maximum image height) are satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kazutaka Noguchi, Mamoru Terada, Daisuke Tanahashi, Hiroaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8976228
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a positive first lens unit, a negative second lens unit, a positive third lens unit, and a positive fourth lens unit. During zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the first lens unit moves with a locus convex toward the image side, and the third lens unit moves toward the object side. The first lens unit includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a negative first lens, a positive second lens, and a positive third lens. A distance (d12) between the first lens and the second lens, a focal length (fw) of the entire zoom lens at the wide-angle end, and a refractive index (Np) of a positive lens having the lowest refractive index among the refractive indices of materials of all positive lenses included in the first lens unit are appropriately set based on predetermined mathematical conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroshi Saruwatari
  • Publication number: 20150062385
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having positive refractive power, a second lens unit having negative refractive power, a third lens unit having positive refractive power, a fourth lens unit having negative refractive power, and a fifth lens unit having positive refractive power. At least the first, second, and third lens units move during zooming so that the first lens unit is located closer to an object side than an image side, the second lens unit is located closer to the image side, and the third lens unit is located closer to the object side at a telephoto end than a wide-angle end. Movement, focal length, and positioning parameters of first to third lens units, during zooming from the wide-angle end toward the telephoto end, are appropriately set based on mathematical conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventor: Toyokatsu Fujisaki
  • Publication number: 20150054989
    Abstract: In a zoom lens, at least a first group of negative optical power and a second group of positive optical power are included from an object side, when zooming is performed from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, a distance between the first and the second groups is reduced and an aperture is moved together with the second group. The first group is formed with a front group composed of only negative lenses and a rear group which is composed of two lenses, a positive and a negative from the object side and which has a positive optical power as a whole and the zoom lens satisfies a conditional formula: 0.06<T1/Lmax<0.11 (T1 is a distance on an optical axis between the front and rear groups, and Lmax is the maximum total length of the zoom lens in zooming).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Atsuo Masui
  • Publication number: 20150054988
    Abstract: A zoom lens is provided which has a wide angle of view and is bright and in which the entire lens system is compact and which can achieve high optical characteristic over the entire zoom range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Tomonori Kimura, Shinji Yamasaki
  • Publication number: 20150042846
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side: a negative first lens unit which does not move for zooming; a positive second lens unit which moves during the zooming; a negative third lens unit which moves during the zooming; and a positive fourth lens unit, wherein the following expressions are satisfied: ?0.80<f1/f2<?0.25, ?1.2<f2/f3<?0.4, and 0.5<|m2/m3|<3.0, where f1 represents a focal length of the first lens unit, f2 represents a focal length of the second lens unit, f3 represents a focal length of the third lens unit, m2 represents a moving amount of the second lens unit during the zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, and m3 represents a moving amount of the third lens unit during the zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventor: Kazuya Shimomura
  • Patent number: 8947562
    Abstract: A zoom lens has first through fourth lens groups from the object side to the image side, and changes the magnification by changing their intervals. The first and third lens groups and the second and fourth lens groups have negative and positive powers, respectively. When changing the magnification from the wide-angle end to the telescopic end, the interval between the first and the second lens groups is reduced. The first lens group includes a reflective optical element. The second lens group includes at least two lenses, and the lens nearest to the image is a single plastic positive lens. The third lens group is configured by a single plastic negative lens. When the focal length of the single lens nearest to the image in the second lens group is defined as f2L and the focal length of the third lens group is defined as f3, “0.60<|f2L/f3|<1.60” is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, inc.
    Inventor: Yuichi Ozaki
  • Publication number: 20150022695
    Abstract: An optical apparatus is provided that includes a reflective component that reflects light from an optical axis to an optical plane substantially perpendicular to the optical axis. The apparatus further includes first and second lens units disposed within the optical plane, and an actuator mechanically coupled with the first and second lens units to cause concurrent first and second displacements, respectively. Light transmitted through the first and second lens units prior to the first and second displacements is imaged with a first magnification at a respective focal plane and light transmitted through the first and second lens units after the first and second displacements is image with a second magnification different from the first magnification at the respective focal plane, thereby effecting an optical zoom effect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2013
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventor: Kangmin Hsia
  • Publication number: 20150022696
    Abstract: An electronic device including a camera module that operates intuitively and an operating method thereof are provided. In a method for operating an electronic device, a rotation event of a zoom ring is detected for a predetermined time. A zoom speed of a barrel is determined in response to the detected rotation event. A zoom-in function or a zoom-out function is performed with the determined zoom speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventor: Joon-Sung Park
  • Patent number: 8934047
    Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens, including, in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens unit having a positive refractive power which does not move; a second lens unit having a negative refractive power which moves during zooming and focusing; a third lens unit having the negative refractive power which moves during zooming; a fourth lens unit having one of the negative refractive power and the positive refractive power; and a fifth lens unit having the positive refractive power, in which a lateral magnification (?2w) of the second lens unit at a wide angle end when an object distance is infinity, and a ratio of a focal length (f2) of the second lens unit and a focal length (f3) of the third lens unit are appropriately set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaru Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 8934046
    Abstract: There is provided a zoom lens including a first focus lens group having negative refractive power and moving in orientation to an image side along an optical axis in focusing from a long distance to a short distance, and a second focus lens group having positive refractive power, the second focus lens group being arranged on a closer side to an image relative to the first focus lens group and moving along the optical axis in focusing. The first and second focus lens groups move in association with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroki Yamano
  • Publication number: 20150009367
    Abstract: An imaging element which outputs a pair of image signals corresponding to a pair of luminous fluxes which pass through different pupil areas of a photographing optical system, the imaging element includes a first pixel cell group including a plurality of first pixel cells for obtaining the pair of image signals and a second pixel cell group including a plurality of second pixel cells for obtaining the pair of image signals. The first pixel cell includes a first photoelectric converting unit and a first micro lens which is provided above the first photoelectric converting unit. The second pixel cell includes a second photoelectric converting unit and a second micro lens which is provided above the second photoelectric converting unit. The first micro lens and the second micro lens are disposed with different regularities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 8928798
    Abstract: A zoom lens, including, in order from object side to image side: a positive first lens unit which does not move during zooming; a negative second lens unit for zooming; a positive third lens unit for zooming; a negative fourth lens unit which moves during zooming; and a positive fifth lens unit which does not move during zooming, in which: 0.6<|?3F|<1.0, ?4.0<f4/f3<?1.0, and 20<L2w/L3w<300 are satisfied, where ?3F is a lateral magnification of the third lens unit at a position at which a lateral magnification of the second lens unit becomes ?1; f3 and f4 are respectively focal lengths of the third and fourth lens units; L2w is a gap between the second and third lens units at a wide angle end; and L3w is a gap between the third and fourth lens units at the wide angle end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Eguchi, Masao Hori
  • Patent number: 8928794
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having negative refractive power, a second lens unit having positive refractive power, a third lens unit having negative refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having positive refractive power, in which each lens unit moves during zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, and a focal length of the first lens unit, a focal length of the second lens unit, and a focal length of the entire zoom lens at the wide-angle end are appropriately set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinji Yamasaki
  • Publication number: 20150002702
    Abstract: A zoom lens apparatus with focus adjusting and an optical imaging device therewith are provided, wherein a combination of screw-driven ultra sonic motor and voice coil motor is adopted to drive different optical lens sets (25,61). For the ultra sonic motor, the screw motion of the rotor (23) is transformed into a simple rectilinear motion by providing a third tube (24) placed in the rotor (23) and radially fixed relative to the stator (22). Thus the zoom lens apparatus with focus adjusting produced with the combination can well maintain the stability of the optical axis, moreover, the combination of different driving methods integrates and makes better use of lens sets of different functions and hence simplifies the overall structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2013
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Xiaoping Hu, Xia Shen, Lihua Chen
  • Patent number: 8922699
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes a fixed first lens group having a positive refracting power, a second lens group having a negative refracting power and movable along an optical axis, a fixed third lens group having a positive refracting power, a fourth lens group having a negative refracting power and movable along the optical axis, and a fixed fifth lens group, disposed in order from the object side to the image side. The following expressions are satisfied: 0.5<f1/(fw·ft)1/2<1.8 ?0.4<f3/f5<0.4 where f1, fw, ft, f3 and f5 are focal lengths of the first lens group, the entire lens system in a wide angle end state, the entire lens system in a telephoto end state, the third lens group and the fifth lens group, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Hatakeyama
  • Publication number: 20140375844
    Abstract: A zoom lens system having at least five lens units, each lens unit being composed of at least one lens element, the zoom lens system, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising: a positive first lens unit; and a negative second lens unit, and in order from the image side to the object side, comprising: a positive lens unit ?; a negative lens unit ?; and a positive lens unit ?, wherein the first lens unit is composed of only optical elements having optical power, and in zooming from a wide-angle limit to a telephoto limit, at least the positive first lens unit is fixed with respect to an image surface, the positive lens unit ? moves with respect to the image surface separately from an aperture diaphragm, and the negative lens unit ? moves to the object side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Yoshio MATSUMURA, Masafumi SUEYOSHI
  • Patent number: 8917352
    Abstract: A lens frame drive apparatus for an image pickup apparatus includes: a first lens frame that moves along a plurality of guide shafts; a second lens frame that moves along the plurality of guide shafts; and a drive shaft with a cam portion for driving the first lens frame, a nut for driving the second lens frame, a feed screw portion threadably connected to the nut, and a driven portion that upon receipt of a driving force from a motor, simultaneously rotates the cam portion and the feed screw portion, formed thereon, wherein the cam portion and the feed screw portion are driven by the nut so that a total amount of movement of the second lens frame is extremely smaller than a total amount of movement of the first lens frame and the second lens frame corrects the amount of movement of the first lens frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Koji Okano, Junya Harada, Kazuhiro Morisaki
  • Patent number: 8917334
    Abstract: An image detection device includes: a subject detector that acquires image information in an image field of an imaging optics with an image sensor, and detects a position of a subject in the image field based upon reference information related to an image of the subject and the image information; and a magnification detector that detects a magnification of the imaging optics. And the subject detector starts operation to detect the position of the subject, when the magnification has become greater than or equal to a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20140362259
    Abstract: A variable-magnification optical system has five lens groups, namely, from object side, positive, negative, positive, positive, and negative lens groups, and achieves magnification variation by varying all axial distances between the lens groups. Focusing is achieved by moving the fourth lens group in optical axis direction. Vibration correction is achieved by moving all or part of the fifth lens group perpendicularly to optical axis. Fulfilled are formulae 4.0<|f1/f2|<6.0, 1.0<f4/f1<1.5, and 2.0<|f4/fv|<4.0, f1 representing a focal length of the first lens group, f2 a focal length of the second lens group, f4 a focal length of the fourth lens group, and fv a focal length of the vibration correction group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Keiko YAMADA, Yoshihito Souma
  • Publication number: 20140354856
    Abstract: The present application provides a micromechanical (MEMS) based zoom lens system, for use in miniature device applications, such as miniature electronic imaging devices. The MEMS-based zoom lens system comprises at least four optical elements, or two Alvarez or Lohmann lenses, that are configured for passage of optical signals therethrough along an optical signal path. Each optical element is MEMS-driven and displaceable in a direction substantially transverse to the optical signal path. In use, the transverse displacement of the optical elements vary an overall focal length of the MEMS zoom lens system such as to provide an optical zoom function. A method of manufacturing a MEMS zoom lens system is also provided in a further aspect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: Guangya Zhou, Hongbin Yu, Fook Siong Chau
  • Publication number: 20140354857
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, a third lens group having positive refractive power, a fourth lens group which has negative refractive power and is configured with only a single lens, and a fifth lens group having positive refractive power, which are arranged in order from an object side to an image side. During zooming, at least the first lens group, the second lens group, the third lens group, and the fourth lens group are movable in an optical axis direction. Focusing from infinity to a close range is performed by the fourth lens group being moved in the optical axis direction. At least one of following conditional expressions (1) and (2) is satisfied. ?11.0<Fno—w×Y/{(1??4—w2)×?5—w2}<?7.0 and??(1) ?11.0<Fno—t×Y/{(1??4—t2)×?5—t2}<?7.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: TAKUYA KATO, ATSUSHI OOHATA, HIROKI HAGIWARA
  • Publication number: 20140354858
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a third lens unit having a negative refractive power. At the time of zooming, distances between the lens units change, and a distance between the first lens unit and the second lens unit at a telephoto end is shorter than at a wide angle end. An aperture stop is disposed on the image side of an image-side surface of the first lens unit, and on the object side of an image-side surface of the second lens unit. The second lens unit includes two sub lens units. The object-side sub lens unit in the second lens unit includes one lens component. The following conditional expressions are satisfied. 3.0<?D12/ERS<4.5 1.05<|f3/fUN21|<2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicants: OLYMPUS CORPORATION, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
    Inventors: Kazuteru Kawamura, Akiko Naito, Keitaro Yokoyama, Toshio Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20140347524
    Abstract: The zoom lens is composed of: an object side lens group at least including, in order from an object side: a first lens group G1 having positive refractive power; and a second lens group G2 having negative refractive power; and an image focusing side lens group including, in order from the object side: a negative lens group A having negative refractive power; and a negative lens group B arranged by facing the negative lens group A across an air distance, having negative refractive power. In the zoom lens, focusing from infinity to a close object is achieved by moving just the negative lens group A toward an image focusing side to satisfy a conditional expression below: [Expression 1] ?1.80<?2t<?0.94??(1) (1??At2)×?Bt2<?4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: Tamron Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshito Iwasawa
  • Publication number: 20140347523
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from object side to image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power and a second lens unit having a positive refractive power. During zooming, the first lens unit and the second lens unit move so that the distance between the first lens unit and the second lens unit changes. The first lens unit includes at least one positive lens and at least one negative lens. The total length of the zoom lens at the wide angle end, the back focal length at the wide angle end, the focal length of the zoom lens at the telephoto end, the focal length of the first lens unit, the focal length of the second lens unit, and the refractive index of the material of the at least one positive lens included in the first lens unit are each appropriately set according to mathematical conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shin Kuwashiro
  • Publication number: 20140347522
    Abstract: The zoom lens includes at least, in order from an object side: a first lens group G1 having positive refractive power; a second lens group G2 having negative refractive power; a third lens group G3 having positive refractive power; a fourth lens group G4 having negative refractive power; and a fifth lens group G5 having negative refractive power. In the zoom lens, focusing from infinity to a proximity of object is achieved by movement of just fourth lens group toward an image focusing side and is characterized in Satisfaction of expressions below: [Expression 1] 2.1<?rt<3.5??(1) ?1.80<?2t<?0.94??(2) where “?rt” is composite lateral magnification at a telephoto end of lens groups locating closer to the image focusing side than the third lens group at infinity focusing, and “?2t” is lateral magnification at a telephoto end of the second lens group at infinity focusing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: Tamron Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshito Iwasawa
  • Publication number: 20140347525
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first lens group having positive refracting power, a second lens group having negative refracting power, a third lens group having positive refracting power, a fourth lens group having negative refracting power and a fifth lens group having negative refracting power in order from an object side, in which the lens groups move in magnification change from a wide angle end to a telephoto end such that a gap between the first lens group and the second lens group increases and a gap between the second lens group and the third lens group decreases, a negative lens group disposed closer to an image focusing side than a diaphragm among all lens groups is set as a focusing lens group, and the focusing lens group moves toward the image focusing side at focusing from infinity to a close object, and the fifth lens group includes at least a single lens block of a meniscus shape provided with a concave surface at an object side, the single lens block of the meniscus shape has a negative focal distanc
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: Tamron Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Obikane
  • Patent number: 8896710
    Abstract: A zoom lens barrel capable, even if it has an image shake correction mechanism and a diaphragm mechanism, of decreasing a distance between lens groups of a photographing optical system of the lens barrel, whereby the lens barrel size can be reduced and the magnification can be increased, and capable of preventing a collision between diaphragm blades of the diaphragm mechanism and the lens groups from occurring when vibration, impact, or the like is applied to the lens barrel. When apart of an image shake correction lens intrudes into an aperture of diaphragm blades, a restricted portion of a lens holding member and a restricting portion of a diaphragm restrict a maximum movement of the lens holding member in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, thereby restricting a maximum amount of movement of the image shake correction lens in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Kudoh
  • Publication number: 20140340545
    Abstract: A zoom lens system comprising: a positive first lens unit composed of three or more lens elements; a negative second lens unit; a positive third lens unit; a negative fourth lens unit; and a positive fifth lens unit, wherein at least the first, second and third lens units move with respect to an image surface in zooming, a focusing lens unit, which moves with respect to the image surface in focusing and is composed of one lens element, is provided, and the conditions: 3.2<LG3/(fT×tan(?T)) and 0.3<fG1/fT<0.9 (LG3: optical axial thickness of third lens unit, fT: focal length of zoom lens system at telephoto limit, ?T: half view angle at telephoto limit, fG1: focal length of first lens unit) are satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Inventors: Yusuke YONETANI, Yoshiaki KURIOKA
  • Publication number: 20140340544
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side thereof, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a rear lens group including one or more lens units. A distance between adjacent ones of the lens units changes during zooming. The second lens unit and the third lens unit each include a resin lens element. A focal length f2p of the resin lens element included in the second lens unit, a focal length f3p of the resin lens element included in the third lens unit, and a focal length ft of the zoom lens at a telephoto end are set to satisfy predetermined mathematical conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kohei Kimura
  • Patent number: 8878961
    Abstract: If zoom magnification falls within an optical-zoom application scaling range of zoom magnifications Z1 to Z2, image data that has been enlarged by a zoom lens is recorded on a recording medium. If zoom magnification falls within an electronic-zoom application scaling range of zoom magnifications Z2 to Z3, the image data is subjected to super-resolution processing, super-resolution image data and image data that has not been subjected to super-resolution processing are combined by weighting processing executed such that the higher the zoom magnification, the greater the weight assigned to the super-resolution image data, and the resultant image data is subjected to electronic zoom processing and then recorded. If zoom magnification exceeds Z3, the super-resolution image data is recorded upon being subjected to electronic zoom processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Maiko Endo
  • Publication number: 20140320703
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a third lens unit including a lens. The distance between the first lens unit and the second lens unit is smaller at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, and the distance between the second lens unit and the third lens unit changes during zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end. The first lens unit consists, in order from the object side, of a front sub lens unit having a negative refractive power, an optical path bending member, and a rear sub lens unit having a positive refractive power. The front sub lens unit includes a biconcave single lens, and the rear sub lens unit includes one or two single lenses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: Masato Katayose, Kenji Ono, Kazuhito Hayakawa
  • Publication number: 20140320702
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a first operation unit configured to instruct to change an angle of view, an object detection unit configured to detect an object from an image, and a control unit configured to control the angle of view. In response to a first operation via the first operation unit, the control unit executes a first mode. In the first mode, if the object is detected in a first area set within the image, the control unit changes the angle of view to a first angle of view, and sets the angle of view before the change as a second angle of view, and if, at the first angle of view, the object is detected in a second area, the control unit changes the angle of view to the second angle of view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akihiro Tsubusaki