Four Groups Patents (Class 359/686)
  • Patent number: 8503098
    Abstract: A zoom lens for projection includes a negative first lens group, a positive second lens group, a positive third lens group, and a positive fourth lens group, which are arranged from the magnification side of the zoom lens in the order mentioned above. The first lens group and the fourth lens group are fixed during zooming, but the second lens group and the third lens group move on optical axis Z of the zoom lens toward the magnification side, based on an operation for operating the zoom lens from wide end to tele end, in such a manner that a distance between the second lens group and the third lens group changes. Further, the following formula (1) is satisfied: 17<FG3/fw??(1), where FG3: focal length of the third lens group, and fw: focal length of entire system at wide end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Kenzo Sado
  • Patent number: 8493664
    Abstract: Providing a close-up lens with superb optical performance capable of focusing from infinity to a close distance allowing a life-size magnification by an internal focusing system with small moving amounts of focusing lens groups, an imaging apparatus, and a method for focusing a close-up lens. The close-up lens includes four lens groups, and is able to focus an object with an imaging magnification from ?=0 through at least ?=?0.5, wherein upon focusing, a first lens group and a fourth lens group are fixed with respect to an image plane, and a second lens group and a third lens group are moved along an optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Mitsuaki Wada
  • Patent number: 8488252
    Abstract: A high-performance zoom lens system which is compact and has a wide view angle at a wide-angle limit and a high zooming ratio in a balanced manner, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having negative optical power, a third lens unit having positive optical power, and a fourth lens unit having positive optical power, wherein the first lens unit is composed of at most two lens elements, the second lens unit is composed of two lens elements, the third lens unit is composed of three lens elements, in order from the object side to the image side, including an object side lens element having positive optical power, a lens element having negative optical power, and an image side lens element having positive optical power, and the conditions: ?W?36 and fT/fW>4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Keiki Yoshitsugu
  • Patent number: 8488253
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from object side: a positive first lens unit which does not move for zooming; a zoom lens unit including at least two lens units which move for zooming; a stop; and a positive imaging lens unit which does not move for zooming, in which: the first lens unit includes, in order from object side, a positive first sub-lens unit, a negative second sub-lens unit, and a positive third sub-lens unit; the third sub-lens unit includes a movable positive sub-third sub-lens unit; the second sub-lens unit and sub-third sub-lens unit are driven to object side for focusing to a close object; and focal length f12 of the second sub-lens unit, focal length f13f of the sub-third sub-lens unit, drive amount ?×12 of the second sub-lens unit in focusing, and drive amount ?×13f of the sub-third sub-lens unit in focusing satisfy ?2.5<f12/f13f<?0.4 and 0.05<?×13f/?×12<5.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Wakazono, Fumiaki Usui
  • Patent number: 8482861
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, a third lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power. A distance between consecutive lens units of the first through fourth lens units varies for zooming. The first lens unit includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a negative lens and a positive lens whose surface on the object side has a convex shape. In the zoom lens, a focal length f1, a focal length f3, an Abbe number ?d1p, a focal length f3i, and an Abbe number ?d3i are appropriately set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihisa Tashiro
  • Patent number: 8482862
    Abstract: An optical system including, in order from an object: 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 negative refractive power. The second lens group has, in order from the object, a front group having negative refractive power and a rear group. In various embodiments, the following conditional expressions are satisfied, 0.4<f2F/f2<1.6 and ?3.0<q2<?0.3 where f2 denotes a focal length of the second lens group, f2F denotes a focal length of the front group, and q2 denotes a form factor of a negative lens disposed closest to the object of the front group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Mizuta, Fumio Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8477429
    Abstract: A zoom lens system includes, in order from object-side to image-side a positive first lens unit, a second negative lens unit, a third lens unit, and a fourth positive lens unit. The fourth unit includes a front subunit having positive power and a rear subunit having positive power. The following conditions are satisfied: ?2.100×10?3×?d+0.693<?gF; 0.555<?gF<0.900; 0.8<(?fp/?fn)/(?rp/?rn)<4.0; 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masao Hori, Youtarou Sanjou
  • Publication number: 20130162887
    Abstract: An inner focus lens system comprises, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit, an aperture stop, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, a third lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power, wherein the first lens unit has at least one negative lens and at least one positive lens, the second lens unit has at least one negative lens and at least one positive lens, the third lens unit has at least one negative lens, the fourth lens unit has at least one positive lens, at the time of focusing on an object at a short distance from an object at infinity, the third lens unit moves to an image side so as to lengthen a distance to the second lens unit and to shorten a distance to the fourth lens unit, and the following conditional expression (1) is satisfied: ?6<f3/f<?1??(1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
    Inventor: Olympus Imaging Corp.
  • Patent number: 8472125
    Abstract: A variable power optical system (1) comprises a first lens group (11) having a negative optical power, a second lens group (12) having a positive optical power, and a third lens group (13). The first to third lens groups are arranged in order from the object side to the image side. The first lens group (11) is composed of one negative lens (111) and is fixed in variable power. The third lens group (13) includes at least one aspherical surface. When the third lens group is divided into a front group and a rear group with the largest air space in the third group, the front group has a negative optical power, and the rear group has a positive optical power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Yasunari Fukuta
  • Patent number: 8471946
    Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens system including a compact focusing lens unit and having a suppressed change in image magnification at the time of movement of the focusing lens unit. The zoom lens system of the present invention, in order from an object side to an image side, includes, a first lens unit G1 having positive optical power, a second lens unit G2 having negative optical power, a third lens unit G3 having negative optical power, and a fourth lens unit G4. Further, condition: 1.88<nd2 is satisfied (where, nd2 is an average refractive index of a lens element (a portion excluding a resin layer in the case of a hybrid lens) included in the second lens unit G2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuneo Uchida, Nobuyuki Adachi
  • Patent number: 8472126
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in the order from the object-side to the image-side thereof, a first lens group of a negative refractive power, a second lens group of a positive refractive power, and a third lens group of a positive refractive power. The first lens group includes, in the order from the object-side to the image-side thereof, a first lens of negative refractive power, and a second lens of positive refractive power. The second lens group includes, in the order from the object-side to the image-side thereof, a third lens of positive refractive power, a fourth lens of negative refractive power, and a fifth lens of negative refractive power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignees: Premier Image Technology(China) Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yang-Cheng Luo
  • Patent number: 8472124
    Abstract: In an image forming optical system which includes in order from an object side, a first lens group G1 having a positive refractive power, a second lens group G2 having a negative refractive power, a third lens group G3 having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens group G4, and which includes maximum of five lens groups, and at the time of zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, when a focal length of the overall image forming optical system is in a range of 1.2 fw to 1.8 fw, the first lens group G1 moves to be positioned more toward the object side than a position at the wide angle end, in a rectangular coordinate system in which, a horizontal axis is let to be ?d(LA) and a vertical axis is let to be nd(LA), when a straight line expressed by nd(LA)=a×?d(LA)+b(LA)(provided that a=?0.0267) is set, the image forming optical system satisfies a predetermined conditional expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichi Mihara
  • Publication number: 20130155524
    Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens, including in order from a magnification conjugate side to a reduction conjugate side: a first lens unit having a negative refractive power; a second lens unit having a positive refractive power; a third lens unit having a positive refractive power; a fourth lens unit having a negative refractive power; a fifth lens unit having a negative refractive power; and a sixth lens unit having a positive refractive power. The first and sixth lens units do not move for zooming, while the second to fifth lens units move to the magnification conjugate side during zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end. Each of the second and third lens units is composed of a single positive lens. Movement amounts of the second, third and fourth lens units during zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end satisfy appropriate relationships.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
  • Patent number: 8467134
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes: a first lens group having a negative refractive power; a second lens group having a positive refractive power; a third lens group having a positive refractive power and including one piece of positive lens; and a fourth lens group having a negative refractive power, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth lens groups are sequentially disposed in an order from an object side to an image surface side of the zoom lens, all distances between adjacent lens groups change and the third lens group performs focusing while zooming from a wide angle position to a telephoto position, and a following condition is satisfied: 0<(L23W?L23T)/L23W<0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Min Heu
  • Publication number: 20130148009
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, from the object side, a positionally-fixed first lens group having a positive refracting power, a second lens group having a negative refracting power and movable in an optical axis direction for zooming, a third lens group having a positive refracting power, and a fourth lens group movable in the optical axis direction. The first lens group includes a negative lens, a positive lens and another positive lens disposed in order from the object side and satisfies 15.0<ft/fw<31.0??(1) 7.0<f1/fw<13.0??(2) ?8.5<fL1/fw<?4.0??(3) where fw and ft are the focal lengths of the entire lens system in a wide angle end state and a telephoto end state, respectively, f1 is the focal length of the first lens group, and fL1 is the focal length of the negative lens of the first lens group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Sony Corporation
  • Publication number: 20130148004
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side, a first lens group having a positive refracting power and fixed in position, a second lens group having a negative refracting power and movable in a direction of an optical axis for zooming, a third lens group having a positive refracting power, and a fourth lens group movable in the direction of the optical axis. The first lens group includes three lenses including a negative lens, a positive lens and another positive lens disposed in order from the object side to the image side and satisfies 7.0<ft/fw<13.0 and??(1) 4.2<f1/fw<6.0??(2) where fw and ft are the focal lengths of the entire lens system in a wide angle end state and a telephoto end state, respectively, and f1 the focal length of the first lens group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Sony Corporation
  • Patent number: 8462440
    Abstract: An optical system includes at least one lens unit having a negative refractive power disposed closer to an object side than an aperture portion. The lens unit having a negative refractive power includes at least one positive lens and one negative lens. The ratio between the numbers of positive lenses and negative lenses included in the lens unit having a negative refractive power is appropriately set. The lens unit having a negative refractive power includes a plurality of negative lenses each having an appropriate Abbe number and relative partial dispersion and a positive lens having an appropriate Abbe number. A negative lens having the highest dispersion among the negative lenses is located in an appropriate position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kaoru Eguchi, Norihito Hiasa
  • Patent number: 8462443
    Abstract: A high-performance zoom lens system which is compact and has a wide view angle at a wide-angle limit and a high zooming ratio in a balanced manner, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having negative optical power, a third lens unit having positive optical power, and a fourth lens unit having positive optical power, wherein the first lens unit is composed of at most two lens elements, the second lens unit is composed of two lens elements, the third lens unit is composed of three lens elements, in order from the object side to the image side, including an object side lens element having positive optical power, a lens element having negative optical power, and an image side lens element having positive optical power, and the conditions: fT/fW>6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Keiki Yoshitsugu
  • Patent number: 8462444
    Abstract: A zoom lens including, in a sequence from an object side to an image plane side: a first lens group having a negative refractive power; a second lens group having a positive refractive power; a third lens group having a negative refractive power; and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power. During zooming from a wide angle position to a telephoto position, an interval between the first lens group and the second lens group decreases, an interval between the second lens group and the third lens group increases, and an interval between the third lens group and the fourth lens group decreases. When the location of an object changes from ? to a close location, the first lens group is moved toward the object to perform focusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Min Heu, Young-woo Park
  • Patent number: 8462442
    Abstract: A high-performance zoom lens system which is compact and has a wide view angle at a wide-angle limit and a high zooming ratio in a balanced manner, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having negative optical power, a third lens unit having positive optical power, and a fourth lens unit having positive optical power, wherein the first lens unit is composed of at most two lens elements, the second lens unit is composed of two lens elements, the third lens unit is composed of three lens elements, and the condition: nd>1.75 (nd: a refractive index to the d-line of each lens element constituting the zoom lens system) is satisfied; an imaging device; and a camera are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Keiki Yoshitsugu
  • Patent number: 8456749
    Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens for imaging an object on an imaging surface. The zoom lens includes, in the order from an object side to an image side thereof, a first lens group with positive refraction power, a second lens group with negative refraction power, a third lens group with positive refraction power, and a fourth lens group with positive refraction power. The first lens group includes a first surface. The zoom lens satisfies the formula: 0.15<|L3|/Lt<0.25, where L3 is a distance of the movement of the third lens group along an optical axis of the zoom lens when the zoom lens is switched between a wide-angle state and a telephoto state, and Lt is a distance from the first surface to the imaging surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fang-Ying Peng, Hai-Jo Huang, Sheng-An Wang, Xiao-Na Liu, An-Tze Lee
  • Patent number: 8446678
    Abstract: To provide an image forming optical system that can achieve good correction of chromatic aberration, which is seriously needed particularly when the zoom ratio is high, while achieving slimness and a high zoom ratio and to provide an electronic image pickup apparatus equipped with such an image forming optical system, an image forming optical system has a lens group A including a lens component made up of a positive lens LA and a negative lens LB cemented together and having a negative refracting power as a whole. The lens group A is arranged between a lens group I closest to the object side and an aperture stop. The distance between the lens group I and the lens group A changes for zooming. The lens component has an aspheric cemented surface, and a certain condition concerning the shape of the aspheric surface is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichi Mihara
  • Patent number: 8432621
    Abstract: It is preferable that an image forming optical system 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 subsequent lens group having a positive refractive power as a whole, and that the third lens group includes only a cemented lens having a negative refractive power, which includes a positive lens and a negative lens in order from the object side. Moreover, it is preferable that a cemented surface of the cemented lens in the third lens group has a shape which is convex toward an image side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Ayami Imamura
  • Patent number: 8427758
    Abstract: A zoom lens comprises in order from an object side, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, a third lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a negative refractive power. The second lens unit comprises in order from the object side, a positive lens, a negative lens, and a positive lens. At the time of zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, the first lens unit moves toward the object side, and the fourth lens unit moves, and a distance between the first lens unit and the second lens unit decreases monotonically, a distance between the second lens unit and the third lens unit increases monotonically, and a distance between the third lens unit and the fourth lens unit increases monotonically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Yanai, Mayu Miki
  • Patent number: 8427757
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus satisfying certain conditional expressions comprises a zoom lens and an image pickup element. The zoom lens consists of, in order from the object side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power in which a reflecting surface that deflects the optical path is provided, a second lens unit, comprising a plurality of negative lenses, having a negative refractive power, a rear lens unit, comprising a third lens unit and a fourth lens unit, having a positive refractive power, and an aperture stop between the second and fourth lens units. During zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, the first lens unit is fixed, the second lens unit moves in such a way as to be located closer to the image side at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, and the distances between the lens units change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Masato Katayose, Kenji Ono
  • Patent number: 8411369
    Abstract: An optical system includes, in order from an object side: a first lens group G1 having negative refractive power; and a second lens group G2 having positive refractive power; upon zooming from a wide-angle end state W to a telephoto end state T, a distance between the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2 varying, and the second lens group G2 moving, and the second lens group G2 including a focusing lens group Gf that carries out focusing from an infinity object to a close object, and a decentering lens group Gs that is movable in a direction having a component perpendicular to an optical axis, thereby providing an optical system capable of establishing both of internal focusing and a decentering lens group with obtaining compactness and excellent optical performance, an optical apparatus equipped with the optical system, and a method for manufacturing the optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Mami Muratani, Issei Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8411368
    Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens system including a compact focusing lens unit and having a suppressed change in image magnification at the time of movement of the focusing lens unit. The zoom lens system of the present invention includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit G1 having negative optical power, a second lens unit G2 having positive optical power, a third lens unit G3 having positive optical power, and a fourth lens unit G4 having negative optical power. The fourth lens unit G4 moves to the image side along an optical axis at the time of focusing from an infinity in-focus condition to a close-point in-focus condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kyoichi Miyazaki, Keiichi Zaitsu
  • Patent number: 8390936
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side, 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 unit including one or more lens units. An interval between respective adjacent lens units varies during zooming such that an interval between the first lens unit and the second lens unit is larger at a telephoto end than at a wide-angle end and an interval between the second lens unit and the third lens unit is smaller at the telephoto end than at the wide-angle end. The third lens unit includes at least one negative lens. An Abbe number (?d3n) and a relative partial dispersion (?gF3n) of a material of the negative lens are appropriately set based on predetermined conditional expressions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichiro Saito, Nobuyuki Miyazawa, Tomonori Kimura
  • Patent number: 8390938
    Abstract: A zoom lens has a plurality of lens units including, in order from its object side to image side, a first lens unit having a negative refracting power composed of two lens elements including a biconcave negative lens and a positive lens, and a second lens unit having a positive refracting power composed of four lens elements including a positive lens and a negative lens. During zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, a distance between the lens units changes, and the second lens unit moves toward the object side. The zoom lens has an aperture stop that moves integrally with the second lens during the zooming and satisfies a specific condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventor: Masahiro Katakura
  • Patent number: 8390937
    Abstract: A zoom lens comprising, in order from an object side: a first lens group G1 having positive refractive power; a second lens group G2 having negative refractive power; and a third lens group G3 having positive refractive power; each distance between said lens groups adjacent to each other changing upon zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state, said first lens group G1 having a cemented lens including a negative lens L11, and said third lens group G3 having a cemented lens L32 and L33, and a given conditional expression being satisfied, thereby providing a downsized zoom lens having high optical performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Norio Murayama
  • Patent number: 8379317
    Abstract: A zoom lens system comprising: a front unit having negative optical power as a whole and including a first lens unit located closest to the object side; and a rear unit having positive optical power as a whole, wherein at least the front unit moves along an optical axis in zooming, the first lens unit is composed of at most three lens elements, the rear unit includes a lens unit having an aperture diaphragm between lens elements, an air space between which is not varied in zooming, a sub lens unit comprising a part of a lens unit constituting the rear unit moves in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, and the condition: 0.1<BF/fW<2.0 (?W>72°, FNOW<2.9, BF is a back focal length of the entire system at a wide-angle limit, fW is a focal length of the entire system at a wide-angle limit, ?W is a view angle at a wide-angle limit, FNOW is an F-number at a wide-angle limit) is satisfied; an imaging device; and a camera are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Kurioka, Takehiro Nishioka
  • Patent number: 8369022
    Abstract: A variable magnification optical system of the present invention and an image pickup device and a digital apparatus including this are provided with a four-component optical system of negative-negative-positive-negative arrangement, wherein a first lens group thereof includes only one negative lens as a lens having an optical power, and a third lens group thereof satisfies a conditional expression of 1.4<?3t/?3w<4 when ?3t and ?3w respectively denote image magnifications of the third lens group at a telephoto end and at a wide-angle end. The variable magnification optical system, the image pickup device and the digital apparatus having such a construction can be further downsized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Keiji Matsusaka
  • Patent number: 8363333
    Abstract: A macro lens system includes a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group, and a negative fourth lens group, in that order from the object. Upon focusing from an infinite photographic distance to a life-sized photographic distance, the first lens group remains stationary with respect to the imaging plane, and the second and third lens groups move along the optical axis direction. The macro lens system satisfies the following condition: ?4.6<f2/fi<?3.0 wherein f2 designates the focal length of the second lens group; and fi the focal length of the entire the macro lens system when an object at infinity is in an in-focus state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tatsuyuki Onozaki
  • Publication number: 20130021677
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes a first lens group that has a lens having negative refractive power and a light path changing member; a second lens group that includes a lens having positive refractive power and a lens having negative refractive power, and has negative refractive power as a whole; a third lens group that includes a stop, a front group lens having positive refractive power, and a rear group lens having negative refractive power, and has positive refractive power as a whole; and a fourth lens group having positive or negative refractive power. Upon changing magnification from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the first lens group and the fourth lens group are fixed. The second lens group moves to the object side after the second lens group moves to an image side, and the third lens group linearly moves to the object side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Inventor: Yoji KUBOTA
  • Patent number: 8358470
    Abstract: A zoom lens, including: a front lens group; an aperture stop; and a rear lens group, in which the rear lens group includes: a front lens unit and a rear lens unit, a maximum air interval of the rear lens group being interposed between the front lens unit and the rear lens unit, in which the rear lens unit includes: a first lens which is located on the most object side; a second lens which is located on the most image side, and the following conditional expressions are satisfied: ?6.0?fs1/frr??1.0; and ?9.0?fs3/frr??2.0, where frr indicates a focal length of the rear lens unit, and fs1 and fs3 indicate a focal length of the first lens and a focal length of the second lens, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masakazu Kodaira
  • Patent number: 8351130
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a positive refractive first lens unit, a negative refractive second lens unit, a positive refractive third lens unit, and a rear group including one or more lens units. The first lens unit consists of a negative lens and a positive lens. The first to third lens units and the lens units constituting the rear group move at a time of zooming. The first and third lens units move relative to the image plane in such a way that their respective positions at the telephoto end are displaced toward the object side from their respective positions at the wide angle end. The focal lengths f1, f2 of the first and second lens units and the focal lengths fw, ft of the whole system at the wide angle end and at the telephoto end are arranged appropriately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toyokatsu Fujisaki
  • Publication number: 20130003189
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side, a positive first lens unit which does not move for zooming, a negative second lens unit which moves in an optical axis direction for zooming, a negative third lens unit which moves in the optical axis direction for zooming so as to correct image plane variation due to zooming, and a positive fourth lens unit which does not move for zooming. The fourth lens unit includes, in an order from the object side, a positive first sub lens unit and a positive second sub lens unit, which are separated by a largest air interval in the fourth lens unit. Abbe constants, partial dispersion ratios, and coefficients of the refractive index variation due to the temperature variation are appropriately set for lens materials forming the third lens unit, the first sub lens unit, and the second sub lens unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yotarou Sanjo, Shinichiro Yakita
  • Publication number: 20120327272
    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: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Takakazu Bito
  • Patent number: 8339714
    Abstract: A zoom lens comprising, in order from an object side thereof, a first lens group of positive refracting power, a second lens group of negative refracting power, an aperture stop, a third lens group of positive refracting power, a fourth lens group of negative refracting power, and a fifth lens group of positive refracting power. Upon zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, at least the first lens group and the aperture stop remain fixed in position, the second and third lens groups move in the optical axis direction, and the separation between each of the lens groups and the aperture stop changes. Upon focusing from a focusing-on-infinity state to a close-range-focusing state, the fourth lens group moves in the optical axis direction, with satisfaction of the following: ?0.36<f4/f1<?0.05??(1A), where fl and f4 are the focal lengths of the first and fourth lens groups, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corp.
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Tochigi, Kazuteru Kawamura, Yasuharu Yamada
  • Patent number: 8331033
    Abstract: A zoom optical system comprising, in order from the object side, a first lens unit with negative power, a second lens unit with positive power, a third lens unit with positive power, and a fourth lens unit, wherein spacing between the first lens unit and the fourth lens unit is fixed to an image surface, and the second lens unit and the third lens unit are moved on an optical axis so as to change spacings between the respective lens units when the magnification of the zoom optical system is changed. The third lens unit comprises lens elements more than three, including an aperture stop, at least a lens element with positive power and at least a lens element with negative power, and the most image-side lens element of the third lens unit is a meniscus lens element with a concave surface facing the image side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Keigo Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8331035
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus 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 positive refractive power, and a fourth lens group having a negative refractive power. The fourth lens group includes an image forming optical system which comprises two lens components namely, a positive meniscus lens having a convex surface directed toward an image side, and a biconcave negative lens in order from the object side, or, one lens component in which, the positive meniscus lens having the convex surface directed toward the image side, and the biconcave negative lens are cemented, and the fourth lens group satisfies a predetermined conditional expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Toyoki Kon
  • Patent number: 8325425
    Abstract: A high-performance zoom lens system which is compact and has a wide view angle at a wide-angle limit and a high zooming ratio in a balanced manner, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having negative optical power, a third lens unit having positive optical power, and a fourth lens unit having positive optical power, wherein the first lens unit is composed of at most two lens elements, the second lens unit is composed of two lens elements, the third lens unit is composed of three lens elements, in order from the object side to the image side, including an object side lens element having positive optical power, a lens element having negative optical power, and an image side lens element having positive optical power, and the conditions: ?2.0<f2/fW<?1.1, fT/fW>6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Keiki Yoshitsugu
  • Publication number: 20120300118
    Abstract: A zoom lens including, in order from object side: a positive first unit fixed for zooming; a negative second unit moving for zooming; a zoom unit including at least one unit moving for zooming; a stop; and a fixed unit. The first unit includes a negative first sub-unit not moving for focusing, and a positive second sub-unit and a positive third sub-unit moving toward image side and object side, respectively, when focusing from infinity object to proximity object. A focal lengths of the first and second units, a distance from a vertex of a surface closest to the image side in the first unit to an image side principal point position of the first unit, a thickness of the first unit on an optical axis, and lateral magnifications of the second and third sub-units when focusing on infinity object are appropriately set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya Shimomura, Fumiaki Usui
  • Patent number: 8320051
    Abstract: A zoom lens system, in order from an object side to an image side, comprising a first lens unit having positive optical power, a second lens unit having negative optical power, a third lens unit having positive optical power, and subsequent lens units including a fourth lens unit having optical power, wherein any one of the first lens unit, the second lens unit, the third lens unit, and the subsequent lens units includes a lens element having a reflecting surface that bends a light beam incident from an object, wherein in zooming from a wide-angle limit to a telephoto limit at the time of image taking, the first lens unit and the third lens unit do not move along an optical axis, and wherein the condition is satisfied: 1.42<nd4ave<1.58 (nd4ave is an average of refractive indices to the d-line of the lens elements constituting the fourth lens unit), an imaging device and a camera are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshio Matsumura, Tsutomu Iwashita, Yoshiaki Kurioka, Shinji Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8320050
    Abstract: A zoom lens includes in order from an object side to an image side and arranged along an optical axis thereof, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a second lens unit having a positive refractive power. A distance between each lens unit changes when zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end. The first lens unit includes a first lens sub-unit including a positive lens element and a negative lens element, and having a negative refractive power, and a second lens sub-unit including a single negative lens element. Focusing is performed by moving the second lens sub-unit in an optical axis direction, a focal length of the second lens sub-unit f1b and a focal length of the entire zoom lens fw at a wide-angle end are suitably set based on predetermined mathematical expressions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuichiro Okumura
  • Patent number: 8320052
    Abstract: An image forming optical system includes in order from an object side, a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power, which includes an aperture stop, a third lens group having a negative refractive power, and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power. The first lens group, in order from the object side, includes a negative sub-group and a positive sub-group. The third lens group is a focusing group which includes only a cemented lens having a convex surface directed toward the object side, of a negative lens and a positive meniscus lens, in order from the object side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Toyoki Kon
  • Patent number: 8314996
    Abstract: Provided is a zoom lens including, in order from an object side to an image side: a positive first lens unit having two positive lenses and a negative lens; a negative second lens unit having positive and negative lenses; a positive third lens unit; and a rear group including lens unit, wherein: with respect to a wide angle end, at a telephoto end, intervals between the first and second lens units, the second and third lens units, and the third lens unit and the rear group respectively change; and a focal length and an Abbe number of a material of the positive lens of the first lens unit that has a largest Abbe number among positive lenses, a refractive index and an Abbe number of a material of the positive lens of the second lens unit, and a focal length of the first lens unit are set appropriately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Norihiro Nanba
  • Patent number: 8315000
    Abstract: Provided are a small image pickup lens which ensures a wide angle of view, permits various aberrations to be excellently corrected and is applicable to an image pickup element having a high pixel density, an image pickup apparatus using the image pickup lens, and a mobile terminal using the image pickup apparatus. The image pickup lens employs a structure which includes, in order from the object side, an aperture stop, a first lens with positive refractive power, a second lens with negative refractive power, a third lens with positive refractive power, and a fourth lens with negative refractive power, and the image pickup lens is designed to satisfy predetermined conditional expressions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Yuki Naoi
  • Patent number: 8305692
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an inner focusing macro lens that has a large aperture ratio as expressed by 2.5 or even smaller in F-number and still remains compact, and that is adapted to compensate for spherical aberration, astigmatism, and comatic aberration during photographing throughout the entire object distance ranging from infinity to proximity for an up to 1:1-magnification image. The inner focusing macro lens has the leading or first lens group of positive refractivity, the second lens group of negative refractivity, the third lens group of positive refractivity, and the trailing lens set succeeding to the third lens group in sequence from a position closest to an object being photographed. During focusing from a point infinitely far to that as proximal as desired, the first lens group is static while the second lens group is moved toward the imaging plane, and the third lens group is moved toward the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Tamron Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaori Shimizu, Hisayuki Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 8305693
    Abstract: A high zoom ratio wide-angle zoom lens system includes a first lens group comprising a first lens of biconcave, a second lens of positive meniscus, a third lens of biconvex, and a fourth lens of biconvex wherein the first lens and the second lens are lenses not cemented together by adhesive; a second lens group comprising a fifth lens of positive meniscus, a sixth lens of biconcave, a seventh lens of biconvex, and an eighth lens of plano-concave; a third lens group comprising a ninth lens of biconvex; and a fourth lens group comprising a tenth lens of biconvex, an eleventh lens of plano-concave, a twelfth lens of biconvex, and a thirteenth lens of biconcave. The zoom lens system has a wide angle of view of at least 70-degree, high zoom ratio, and other advantages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Zoom Precision Optical Electronic Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Su-Due Chen