Optical Zoom Patents (Class 348/240.3)
  • Patent number: 8866935
    Abstract: Provided is a drive unit which, if an amount of driving to rotate the imaging optical system during the preset mode is smaller than a threshold value in accordance with an imaging field angle of the imaging optical system, the control unit is further configured to control the driving to rotate at a speed in accordance with a change rate per unit time of imaging field angle and the imaging field angle by the zooming of the imaging optical system and, if the amount of driving to rotate the imaging optical system during the preset mode is greater than the threshold value, the control unit is further configured to control the driving to rotate at a speed irrespective of a change rate per unit time of the imaging field angle and the imaging field angle by the zooming of the imaging optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Kagei
  • Publication number: 20140300782
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side to the image plane side, first to fifth lens units having positive, negative, positive, negative and positive refractive powers. At least the second lens unit and the fourth lens unit move during zooming such that at the telephoto end, in comparison with the wide angle end, the interval between the first lens unit and the second lens unit increases, the interval between the second lens unit and the third lens unit decreases, the interval between the third lens unit and the fourth lens unit changes, and the interval between the fourth lens unit and the fifth lens unit increases, and the fifth lens unit does not move. The zoom lens further includes a reflection unit for bending a light path, between the fourth lens unit and the fifth lens unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Inventor: Tomonori Kimura
  • Publication number: 20140300781
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes first, second, and third lens units respectively having negative, positive, and negative refractive powers in this order from an object side to an image side. The lens units move during zooming such that the spacing between adjacent lens units changes, the second and third lens units are positioned on the object side at a telephoto end when compared to a wide angle end, and the third lens unit moves during focusing. A lateral magnification of the second lens unit at the wide angle end, a lateral magnification of the second lens unit at the telephoto end, a lateral magnification of the third lens unit at the wide angle end, a lateral magnification of the third lens unit at the telephoto end, a focal length of the first lens unit, and a focal length of the second lens unit are appropriately set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Inventor: Shinji Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 8855478
    Abstract: At an inner circumferential surface of a cam frame, second cam grooves and an inner gear are formed. A second lens group frame includes a base, extensions each extending from the base in an optical axis direction, and cam pins each outwardly protruding from a tip end part of a corresponding one of the extensions in a radial direction. In the extension, a stepped part is formed. The stepped part overlaps, when each cam pin moves according to a corresponding one of the second cam grooves, with the inner gear as viewed in the radial direction, and is recessed toward the inside in the radial direction as compared to a tooth tip of the inner gear so as not to overlap with the tooth tip of the inner gear as viewed in a circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshiharu Araki
  • Patent number: 8854504
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes first to fifth lens unit having negative, positive, positive, negative, and positive refractive powers, in an order from an object side to an image side, an interval of each lens unit is configured to be changed in zooming, the first lens unit, in order from the object side to the image side, consists of one or two negative lenses and one positive lens, the second lens unit consists of one lens component that moves to the image side in focusing on an object at an infinite distance to a short distance object, and an interval D23, combined focal lengths D23w, f23w, and f4Rw, and a length D2 are appropriately set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihisa Tashiro
  • Patent number: 8842202
    Abstract: To provide a mobile terminal, a method for adjusting the magnification of a camera and a program that enable a photographer, who shoots an image using a display screen, to easily see an image displayed on the display screen. A mobile terminal including a camera and a display screen comprises: a display control section that displays an image of an object picked up by the camera on the display screen; a detecting section that detects a photographer's eye position with respect to the display screen and measures a distance from the eye position to the display screen; a measuring section that measures a distance from the camera to the object; and an adjusting section that adjusts a magnification of the camera on the basis of the distance measured by the detecting section and the distance measured by the measuring section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: NEC Casio Mobile Communications Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Koike
  • Patent number: 8842210
    Abstract: There is provided a zoom lens including in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens group having negative refractive power, a second lens group having positive refractive power, a third lens group having negative refractive power, and a fourth lens group having positive refractive power. In zooming from a wide-angle end to a telescopic end, the first lens group moves to the object side in a manner that a distance toward the second lens group narrows, and a distance between the third lens group and the fourth lens group widens. The third lens group includes a single lens or a single cemented lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Hagiwara, Atsushi Oohata
  • Patent number: 8836822
    Abstract: A zoom lens system used in a spectrum region including visible light has movable lens groups moved for zooming, and has, in a movable lens group, a negative lens element made of a material fulfilling the conditional formulae Vd<55 and 0.0018×Vd+P<0.65 and, in a movable lens group, a positive lens element made of a material fulfilling the conditional formulae 60<Vd, 0.645<0.0018×Vd+P, and 9×10?6<dN/dT, where Vd is the Abbe number for a d-line; P=(Ng?NF)/(NF?NC); Ng, NF, and NC are the refractive indices for the g-, F-, and C-lines respectively; and dN/dT is the variation rate in refractive index accompanying variation in room temperature. The negative and positive lens elements move in the same direction during zooming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Advanced Layers, Inc.
    Inventor: Masayuki Imaoka
  • Publication number: 20140253762
    Abstract: In the present invention, when a backlash control operation is being performed, the position of a zoom lens at the time of image capturing and the captured image are stored in association with each other. Subsequently, an image processing section trims the periphery of the captured image in accordance with the focal length of a target position (WIDE end) and the focal length of the position of the zoom lens associated with the captured image, and enlarges the trimmed image to a normal size (size for use in a live view or a size of the image before being trimmed). Then, a display section displays the image subjected to the image processing as a live view image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi TSUKAGOSHI, Kenzo SASHIDA
  • Patent number: 8830358
    Abstract: A high zoom-ratio zoom lens system includes a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group and a positive fourth lens group. Upon zooming, the distance between the first and second lens groups increases, the distance between the second and third lens groups decreases, and the distance between the third and fourth lens groups increases. The first lens group includes a negative lens element, and two positive lens elements. The absolute value of the radius-of-curvature of the image-side surface of the negative lens element within the first lens group is smaller than the absolute value of the radius-of-curvature of the object-side surface of the positive lens element on the object side within the first lens group. The following condition (1) is satisfied: 1.95<n11??(1), wherein n11 designates the refractive index at the d-line of the negative lens element within the first lens group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Masaru Eguchi
  • Patent number: 8823862
    Abstract: There is provided a position detection device including a first detection sensor that operates in a predetermined direction, outputs a continuously increasing or decreasing signal, and detects an absolute position of a movable lens moved in an optical axis direction, and a second detection sensor that operates in the predetermined direction, outputs a periodically and continuously changing signal, and detects a relative position of the movable lens. The first detection sensor and the second detection sensor operate at different operation speeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Soichiro Katsumata, Naoyuki Ohno
  • Patent number: 8817134
    Abstract: An imaging control device for an imaging apparatus or an imaging system having an imaging section which performs imaging of a subject and an imaging field changing section of the imaging section, includes: a determination section which determines whether or not a subject detecting section detects a predetermined target subject by analyzing a captured image signal acquired by the imaging section, in a subject detection processing; and an imaging field change control section which controls the imaging field changing section to change an angle of view in the imaging section, wherein when the determination section determines that the subject detecting section does not detect a target subject in the subject detection processing, the imaging field change control section controls the imaging field changing section to change the angle of view in the imaging section and then the image control device controls the subject detecting section to perform the subject detection processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shingo Yoshizumi
  • Patent number: 8810916
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a taking optical system and an image pickup element. The taking optical system includes at least two zoom optical systems having the same focal length range. The distance between the optical axes of any two zoom optical systems among the plurality of zoom optical systems is substantially constant over a range from an incidence surface to an image pickup surface of the image pickup element. The plurality of zoom optical systems are arranged in such a way as to form images of an object respectively in different regions on the image pickup surface of the same image pickup element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Ryosuke Uemura
  • Patent number: 8810917
    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: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Masato Katayose, Kenji Ono, Kazuhito Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 8792047
    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: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yosuke Okubo
  • Patent number: 8780232
    Abstract: A method of analyzing images captured using an imaging device is provided herein. The analysis provides suggestions for changing a parameter of the imaging device during subsequent image capture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Murray D. Craig, Gregory Hofer, Susan E. Manson, Amy E. Battles
  • Patent number: 8773543
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are described in which image information is received from an image sensor relating to one image frame, one or more sub-images are produced from the received image information according to given cropping data; and the produced one or more sub-images are forwarded through an output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Juha Alakarhu, Matti Hämäläinen, Ossi Kalevo, Tero Vuori
  • Patent number: 8767097
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an image capturing device and a lens actuating device and a lens actuating method thereof. The lens actuating device comprises a focus lens group, a zoom lens group, a motor and a microcontroller. The focus lens group is arranged for changing a focus point of the image. The zoom lens group is arranged for changing distance of the image. The motor is arranged for driving the movements of the focus lens group and the zoom lens group respectively. The microcontroller is arranged for receiving a plurality of instructions, and controlling the motor at one of a plurality of predetermined speeds according to the instruction received to control the motor to drive the focus lens group or the zoom lens group to perform a focus motion or a zoom motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventor: Hong-Bin Koh
  • Publication number: 20140168476
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: an optical system configured to form an image of an object; an imaging unit configured to image an image of the object and generate image data; a first image generating unit configured to generate a first image data based on image data from a first area of the image data; a second image generating unit configured to generate a second image data based on image data from a second area of the image data; and a controller which (A) detects a setting operation and then sets the first area in the second area, and (B) detects a zooming operation and then performs zooming of the optical system, wherein a zooming range of the optical system is limited based on a setting of the second area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Tatsuyuki Uemura, Osamu Nonaka
  • Patent number: 8755128
    Abstract: An image pickup lens includes a controller and a manipulator position detector configured to detect a position of a manipulator configured to accept a manipulation used to move the lens. When the manipulation of the manipulator becomes valid and a difference between the position of the manipulator when the manipulation of the manipulator is invalid and the position of the manipulator when the manipulation of the manipulator is valid is equal or smaller than a threshold, the controller controls a movement of the lens from an initial position that is the position of the lens when the manipulation of the manipulator is invalid. When the manipulation of the manipulator becomes valid and the difference is larger than the threshold, the controller controls a movement of the lens from an initial position that is the position of the lens corresponding to the manipulator's position detected by the manipulator position detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yosuke Morimoto
  • Patent number: 8754962
    Abstract: A method and apparatus support a zoom microphone function in a mobile terminal. The apparatus includes a plurality of microphones, a camera, and a controller. Each of the plurality of microphones has a different directional characteristic. The camera captures an image. And the controller determines a zoom level of the camera, and adjusts gains of the plurality of microphones based on a zoom range to which the zoom level belongs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seok-Weon Seo
  • Patent number: 8730588
    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, and a fourth lens group having positive refractive power, the first to fourth lens groups being arranged in order from an object side, in which zooming is performed through varying a distance between adjacent lens groups of the first to fourth lens groups, and the fourth lens group includes a first positive lens, a first negative meniscus lens, and a cemented lens which are arranged in order from the object side, the cemented lens being configured of a second negative meniscus lens with a convex surface facing the object side and a second positive lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Kai, Syuuji Maki
  • Patent number: 8717691
    Abstract: A lens barrel includes a lens group including a fixed lens including one or more lenses and an adjustment lens including one or more lenses, and a lens frame to hold the lens group, including an adjustment lens frame to hold the adjustment lens and an aligning mechanism to hold the adjustment lens frame movably in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis of the lens group relative to the lens frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Terahara, Takehide Ohno
  • Patent number: 8704918
    Abstract: A line memory stores sequentially image data captured through optical lenses. A distortion correction value storage stores distortion correction values used in the correction of optical distortion occurring in the image data due to distortion aberration present in the optical lens. An image data control unit selects pixels of image data stored in the line memory as pixels to be corrected for the correction of optical distortion respectively. Then the image data control unit determines a region for use in correction, having the fixed number of pixels horizontally and the fixed number of lines vertically, based on the positions of the pixels to be corrected and the distortion correction values obtained from the distortion correction value storage. Here, the region contains a plurality of pixels for use in correction of the pixels to be corrected. Then the image data control unit reads out the image data from the line memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Usami
  • Patent number: 8692908
    Abstract: An image-pickup apparatus includes an image-pickup element that photoelectrically converts an optical image formed by an image-pickup optical system having a zoom function, and a correcting part that performs correction processing for a distortion component in image data generated based on an output from the image-pickup element, the distortion component corresponding to a distortion of the image-pickup optical system. The image-pickup optical system provides a first zoom range in which a distortion amount at a certain image height is larger than a predetermined value and a second zoom range in which a distortion amount at the certain image height is smaller than the predetermined value. The correcting part performs the correction processing so that the distortion component remains in a first corrected image data in the first zoom range is larger than the distortion component remaining in a second corrected image data in the second zoom range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinichiro Saito
  • Publication number: 20140085513
    Abstract: The zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a rear unit including one or more lens units, a distance between every adjacent lens units varies during zooming, and an aperture diaphragm on the image side of the first lens unit, a combined focal length of the rear unit at a wide-angle end being positive. One lens unit LG on the object side of the aperture diaphragm is made of a solid material, and includes an optical element GnNL having a negative refractive power and another optical element having a positive refractive power, and the predetermined conditions are satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihisa TASHIRO, Norihito HIASA
  • Patent number: 8675082
    Abstract: An imaging device of the present invention comprises a photographing lens for forming a subject image, an imaging section for converting the subject image to image signals and outputting the image signals, a storage section for storing image data obtained based on the image signals output from the storage section, an attitude detection section for detecting an attitude of the imaging device, an image detection section for detecting a face image contained in the image signals, and a storage control section for determining storage start and storage end for the image data, based on detection results of the attitude detection section and detection results of the image detection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Takeshi Sato, Osamu Nonaka
  • Publication number: 20140063296
    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: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Inventor: Takahiro OHYA
  • Patent number: 8659681
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling zoom of a digital photographing apparatus using a touch screen. According to the method, a view angle may be modified by inputting a zooming gesture to the touch screen and zooming operation may be conveniently performed on a reproduced image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chang-hoon Kim
  • Patent number: 8654216
    Abstract: A camera system includes a lens unit, a mount, a camera body, and a control unit. The lens unit includes at least one lens unit operation portion and changes the magnification of an optical image electrically. The mount supports removably the lens unit. The camera body includes at least one camera body operation portion. The control unit controls the lens unit so as to change the magnification of an optical image electrically in response to either one of the operation of the camera body operation portion or the operation of the lens unit operation portion. The control unit controls the lens unit so as to execute an operation that is different from the operation which changes the magnification of an optical image, in response to the other of the operation of the camera body operation portion or the operation of the lens unit operation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Dai Shintani, Akira Koga, Koji Shibuno
  • Publication number: 20140043503
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus including an imaging unit that captures images of a photographic subject and continuously generates electronic image data; a display unit that displays, at a predetermined display frame rate, images corresponding to the image data generated by the imaging unit; an image processing unit that either performs a first-type special effect operation that can be displayed at the predetermined display frame rate or performs a second-type special effect operation that can be displayed at a faster display frame rate than the predetermined display frame rate; an operation input unit that receives input of a change instruction signal that provides an instruction for changing a combination of image processing operations during a special effect operation performed by the image processing unit; and a control unit that instructs the image processing unit to switch the special effect operation from the first-type special effect operation to the second-type special effect operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Keiji Kunishige, Manabu Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8649675
    Abstract: An interchangeable lens mountable to a camera body includes a zoom lens configured to adjust an angle of view of a subject image, a driver configured to move the zoom lens in an optical axis direction, a plurality of operating members configured to generate an operation signal for driving the driver according to operation performed by a user, a communication unit configured to receive, from the camera body, setting information for setting valid/invalid of at least one of the plurality of operating members, and a controller configured to control the driver. The controller drives and does not drive the driver based on the operation signal from the operating member having been set to valid and invalid, respectively, by the setting information received through the communication unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Junji Takahata, Takahiro Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8638365
    Abstract: A camera apparatus includes: a base; an outer case provided on the case for rotation around a first imaginary axis passing the base; an inner case provided on the outer case for rotation around a second imaginary axis extending on a plane intersecting with the first imaginary axis; a camera section incorporated in the inner case and having an image pickup optical system; a first driving section for rotating the outer case; a second driving section for rotating the inner case; and a conversion lens supported on the outer case; the inner case being rotated by the second driving section between a conversion lens use position at which an optical axis of the image pickup optical system is aligned with an optical axis of the conversion lens and a conversion lens non-use range within which an optical path of the image pickup optical system is displaced from the conversion lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yohta Origuchi
  • Publication number: 20140022416
    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. During zooming, a distance between every adjacent lens unit from the first to fourth lens units varies. A focal length fw of the entire zoom lens at a wide-angle end, a focal length f1 of the first lens unit, and a focal length f4 of the fourth lens unit are appropriately set according to predetermined mathematical conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Inventor: Kenji Shinohara
  • Patent number: 8634000
    Abstract: The image pickup apparatus includes an image production unit producing an image by using an output signal from an image pickup unit, a size detection unit detecting a size of a specific object in the image, a storage unit storing a target value of the size of the specific object, a control unit performing auto zoom control that automatically provides a zoom operation to make the size of the specific object equal or closer to the target value, and a position detection unit detecting a position of the specific object in the image. The control unit controls, in the auto zoom control, a speed of the zoom operation depending on the position of the specific object detected by the position detection unit. The apparatus can prevent easy disappearance of the specific object from the image when the auto zoom operation is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Daisuke Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8629925
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an image obtaining unit which obtains an image signal; an extraction position information obtaining unit which obtains information about an extraction position, where an image is extracted, from the image signal; a correction target value calculating unit which calculates a correction target value for correcting the image signal in accordance with the position information from an image center based on the extraction position information; an image correcting unit which corrects the image signal based on the correction target value; and an image extracting unit which extracts the image based on the extraction position information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Satou, Atsushi Ueda, Jun Minakuti
  • Patent number: 8610799
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus which stores an image signal from an image sensing element and reads out and processes the stored image signal to magnify and display an image on a display device includes a designation unit that designates the magnification ratio of the image to be displayed, a storage unit that stores the magnification ratio designated by the designation unit, and a magnifying processing unit that executes magnifying processing for the stored image signal on the basis of the magnification ratio stored in the storage unit and outputs the image signal to the display device. The magnification ratio stored in the storage unit is updated when a different magnification ratio is designated by the designation unit, and the magnification ratio stored in the storage unit is used for a plurality of images that are sequentially displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Furukawa
  • Patent number: 8610798
    Abstract: A zoom lens system comprises: a negative first lens unit being composed of two lens elements; a positive second lens unit; and a positive third lens unit, wherein the lens units are moved such that an interval between the first lens unit and the second lens unit decreases and an interval between the second lens unit and the third lens unit increases in zooming, so that magnification change is achieved, wherein the first lens unit is composed of a negative first lens element and a positive second lens element, and wherein the condition is satisfied: 0.50<fL2/fT<1.00 where, Z=fT/fW>4.0, ?W>35, fL2: a focal length of the second lens element, fT, fW: focal lengths of the entire system at a telephoto limit, a wide-angle limit, ?W: a half view angle at a wide-angle limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Keiki Yoshitsugu, Takakazu Bito
  • Publication number: 20130329089
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus including a display device for suppressing a motion blur during a panning operation and displaying a picture with high simultaneity. An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging unit including a lens and an imaging element; a display device including a pixel whose light emission period is adjustable, for displaying an image of a target object to be imaged; an angular velocity sensor for detecting a movement of the imaging element; a panning speed detection unit for detecting a panning speed based on an output from the angular velocity sensor; a light emission period ratio determination unit for determining a light emission period ratio of the pixel based on the panning speed; and a display device driving unit for driving the display device by using the light emission period ratio determined by the light emission period ratio determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Inventors: Shunichi Shido, Hideo Mori
  • Patent number: 8593743
    Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein relates to electromagnetic force generation for an imaging device having a small form factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kin Ming Fan, Kwok Sing Cheng, Kai Cheong Kwan
  • Patent number: 8576494
    Abstract: A zoom lens system includes a first unit having a positive refractive power, a second unit having a negative refractive power that moves for magnification-varying, a third unit having one of a positive refractive power and a negative refractive power that moves for magnification-varying, and a fourth unit having a positive refractive power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinichiro Yakita
  • Publication number: 20130286257
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes first to fifth lens unit having negative, positive, positive, negative, and positive refractive powers, in an order from an object side to an image side, an interval of each lens unit is configured to be changed in zooming, the first lens unit, in order from the object side to the image side, consists of one or two negative lenses and one positive lens, the second lens unit consists of one lens component that moves to the image side in focusing on an object at an infinite distance to a short distance object, and an interval D23, combined focal lengths D23w, f23w, and f4Rw, and a length D2 are appropriately set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Inventor: Yoshihisa Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20130258140
    Abstract: An autofocus zoom miniature MEMS camera module includes a housing with an aperture for capturing digital images, an image sensor, and an optical assembly. The optical assembly includes at least one fixed lens group, at least one movable lens group, and a MEMS actuator that is configured to move the movable lens group along an optical axis of the camera module relative to the image sensor and the fixed lens group. The MEMS actuation of the movable lens group automatically focuses an object at a determined zoom disposed an arbitrary distance from the camera module onto the image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: DIGITALOPTICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ariel Lipson, Uri Kinrot, Dalit Bahar, Moshe Kriman, Moshe Levy, Ocie Ward, Mark Harland
  • Patent number: 8542446
    Abstract: A zoom lens system comprising: a positive first lens unit; a negative second lens unit; a positive third lens unit; a fourth lens unit; and an aperture diaphragm provided between the third lens unit and the fourth lens unit, wherein in zooming, the first to third lens units are moved along an optical axis to perform magnification change, the third lens unit includes two or more lens elements and one or more inter-lens-element air spaces, and the conditions: ?7.0<f1/f2<?4.0 and fT/fW>9.0 (f1 and f2: composite focal lengths of the first and second lens units, fW and fT: focal lengths of the entire system at a wide-angle limit and a telephoto limit) are satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Takakazu Bito
  • Publication number: 20130242142
    Abstract: A zoom lens system, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising: a first lens unit having positive optical power; and a second lens unit having negative optical power, wherein the first lens unit is composed of two or less lens elements, in zooming from a wide-angle limit to a telephoto limit at the time of image taking, at least the first lens unit is fixed with respect to an image surface, and the conditions: LT/fT<1.45 and 2.6<(fT/fW)×(tan(?W))2 (LT: an overall length of lens system at a telephoto limit, fT: a focal length of the entire system at the telephoto limit, fW: a focal length of the entire system at a wide-angle limit, ?W: a half view angle at the wide-angle limit) are satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshio MATSUMURA
  • Patent number: 8537249
    Abstract: A zoom lens system of lens units, the system including, in object-side-to-image-side order: a first lens unit having positive optical power; a second lens unit; an aperture diaphragm; one or more additional lens units, with a first of the additional lens units being a first focusing-lens unit having negative optical power and moving along the optical axis in the zoom lens system focusing; an image blur compensating lens unit, adjacent the first focusing-lens unit and movable in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis in order to optically compensate image blur; with the lens system satisfying: 0.1<(T1+T2)/H<2.0 (T1 being the axial thickness of the first lens unit, T2 being the axial thickness of the second lens unit, and H being the height of an image the zoom lens system forms on an image surface on the image-side end of the zoom lens system).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Imaoka, Kyoichi Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 8537250
    Abstract: A zoom lens according to the invention includes in order starting from an object side a first lens group having a positive refractive power; a second lens group having a negative refractive power and selectively moveable along an optical axis for zooming; an aperture stop; a third lens group having a positive refractive power and including a third-A lens group including a doublet lens including a positive lens and a negative lens and having at least one aspherical surface, selectively moveable along the optical axis for image blur compensation, and having a positive refractive power, and a third-B lens group including a positive lens and a negative lens; and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power and selectively moveable along the optical axis to compensate for a variation in an image plane caused by the zooming and to perform focusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Hagiwara
  • Patent number: 8531539
    Abstract: A control unit controls an image capture unit to perform a plurality of image captures of an object and acquires a plurality of mutually different image data based on a positional change of an image capturing device. Then, the control unit extracts a specified object image common to each of the acquired plurality of image data. The control unit synthesizes the acquired plurality of image data using the extracted specified object image as a reference, and thereby creates synthesized image data. The synthesized image data is an image equivalent to a captured image having a shallow depth of field such that only the specified object image is clearly photographed and the other portions are blurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Sasaki, Akira Hamada
  • Patent number: 8531578
    Abstract: Provided are a wide angle optical system having better optical performance, low in cost, and compact in size, an imaging lens device having the wide angle optical system, a monitor camera, and a digital apparatus. The wide angle optical system (1) has, in order from the object side to the image side, a first lens (11) having a negative optical power, a second lens (12) having a negative optical power, a third lens (13) having a positive optical power, an aperture (15), and a fourth lens (14) having a positive optical power. The wide angle optical system satisfies the conditional expression of 3<f34/f<10, where f34 is the composite focal length of the third and fourth lenses (13, 14) and f is the focal length of the entire system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Keiji Matsusaka, Toru Nakatani
  • Patent number: 8525916
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an optical system including a focus lens, an imaging unit operable to capture a subject image formed by the optical system to generate image data, a driver operable to drive the focus lens along an optical axis of the optical system, and an autofocus adjusting unit operable to adjust a subject image formed on the imaging unit to be in focus by evaluating the image data generated by the imaging unit and by controlling the driver to drive the focus lens. When adjusting the subject image to be in focus anew after previously adjusting the subject image to be in focus, the autofocus adjusting unit estimates a focus position and controls the driver to drive the focus lens according to a driving method used for evaluating the image data generated by the imaging unit, and different driving methods are used for different results of the estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Okamoto, Koji Shibuno