Exposure Control Circuit Patents (Class 396/213)
  • Patent number: 6324311
    Abstract: An integrated image capture device and a desk and floor lamp. The image capture device is adapted to plug or screw into the light bulb socket of the lamp so that the image capture device may obtain power from the light bulb socket of the lamp when the lamp is plugged into a wall socket. The image capture device may also have a ‘pass-through’ socket adapted to receive a standard light bulb so that the standard light bulb may provide additional light for the image capture device. The image capture device may also provide modulation to the light bulb in order to perform exposure control. The image capture device may also provide color compensation by measuring the intensity and color of the light from the light bulb. The image capture device may also perform data transmission through the power cord of the desk or floor lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Robert G. Gann
  • Patent number: 6222995
    Abstract: A lens-fitted photo film unit can take indoor- and night-photographs at adequate tone- and color-reproductions, by satisfying the condition: −6≦2log2(A)+log2(1/T)−log2(0.3·S)≦5 wherein T, A and S represents the shutter speed, the aperture size, and the ISO film speed. The film speed is determined to be not less than ISO640, and more preferably not less than ISO1000. The guide number (ISO100·m) of a flash device of the film unit is set to be in a range from 0.1 to 8, more preferably from 1 to 6, and most preferably from 3 to 5, and satisfies the condition: 8.0≦log2 (G2)+log2 (1/T)≦12.0, in combination with the shutter speed T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Uchida
  • Patent number: 6215960
    Abstract: A camera wherein the light emitted by a subject, which has passed through a photographic optical system, is formed as an image on an area sensor, and which includes an electronic viewfinder that indicates the image of the subject based on the output from the area sensor and an apparatus that detects image shaking caused by camera shake, based on the output from the area sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Inventors: Masataka Hamada, Eiji Yamakawa, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Hisayuki Masumoto, Takashi Okada
  • Patent number: 6212336
    Abstract: A multiple exposure camera performing a plurality of exposures in one photographing operation has a diaphragm, a shutter and a controller. The diaphragm controls an amount of light passing through a taking optical system to reach a light receiving medium. The shutter controls an exposure time of the light receiving medium. The controller controls a degree of blur of a subject image formed on the light receiving medium by controlling an exposure operation at a predetermined aperture value and a predetermined shutter speed in each of the plurality of times of exposures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Tanaka, Shoichi Minato, Shigeto Ohmori, Tatsuya Suzuki, Junichi Tanii
  • Patent number: 6157780
    Abstract: A camera comprises an angular velocity sensor for detecting camera-shake. The angular velocity sensor takes a certain time to be stabilized after its operation is started. When correction of camera-shake is required during the certain period, it is displayed that correction of camera-shake is not possible. As a result, a photographer using the camera with the camera-shake detection sensor refrains from photographing when correction of camera-shake is not possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masataka Hamada, Hisayuki Masumoto, Takashi Okada, Hiroshi Ootsuka, Tougo Teramoto
  • Patent number: 6085046
    Abstract: A device for processing digital data receives digital data with a number of original digital data being reduced in a predetermined manner, discriminates whether a predetermined reference part of the received digital data meets a predetermined condition, sets a value corresponding to a remaining part of the received digital data, and modifies the value in a predetermined way if the reference part meets the predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadayuki Kirigaya, Tetsuo Hosokawa, Satoshi Takami
  • Patent number: 5999752
    Abstract: An exposure controller for use in a photographing apparatus including a flash, includes a diaphragm having a changeable opening to adjust the amount of light reaching a photosensitive medium from a lens optical system, a diaphragm control unit for changing the opening of the diaphragm during the time when a shutter is being opened, and a flash control unit for firing the flash at a predetermined time during the time when the shutter is being opened. This exposure controller enables photography having apodization effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Ueyama, Masayuki Miyazawa, Shigeaki Tochimoto, Junichi Tanii
  • Patent number: 5940646
    Abstract: A photographing operation control device having an electro-developing recording medium to electronically develop an image formed thereon. The developing or photographing operation of the electro-developing recording medium is performed during a period when a recording medium activating signal is outputted. An exposure period for which the electro-developing recording medium is exposed is set based on a measured photometry value. When the exposure period is longer than a standard period for which the recording medium activating signal is outputted, the recording signal activating signal is outputted as pulse signals for a period equal to the exposure period. The operation period for which the pulse signals are outputted is set in such a manner that a total amount of the output period of the recording medium activating signal is equal to the standard period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignees: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Sato, Masato Okabe, Hironori Kamiyama, Osamu Shimizu, Yuudai Yamashita
  • Patent number: 5895132
    Abstract: In an exposure precision tester for a camera, including a flexible wiring board where a photometric sensor is implemented is contained in a case. The case has an appearance similar to that of a film cartridge loaded by drop-in operation and is insertable into a film cartridge cell of the camera. Exposure test can be performed without a back lid because the photometric sensor measures and outputs the exposure energy in the state that the photometric sensor is positioned at a film mask portion by rotating an operation part of a feed shaft with the case being inserted in the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Asakura, Shinya Takahashi, Kiyoshi Doi, Akira Watanabe, Tadashi Ushiyama, Akira Inoue
  • Patent number: 5818528
    Abstract: A hand held label reader is capable of illuminating a label, capturing a digital image of two-dimensional information indicia on the label, and decoding the digital image to provide decoded output data to a terminal. The target label is illuminated by a low variation illuminator that includes a circular LED array mounted behind a plano-concave dispersing lens. The automatic electronic camera, which includes a CCD camera and control circuitry, uses three images to adjust the intensity of the digital image and store a properly exposed image of the label in video RAM. The intensity of the digital image is adjusted by controlling the video system gain via adjusting the CCD array's integration time, the gain of a video amplifier, and the gain provided by an analog-to-digital converter. The gain provided by the analog-digital-converter is adjusted to compensate for the attenuation of light through the camera's lens assembly. For the first image, the digital image is obtained using a default setting for the gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: United Parcel Service of America
    Inventors: Stephen Anthony Roth, Lance Gordon Garland, John William Sussmeier, Ross Napoleon Kruse
  • Patent number: 5784176
    Abstract: A method of noise reduction processing for reducing noise generated when an image of a photographic film is converted to a digital image signal includes the steps of: measuring a large area transmission density of each of a plurality of image frames recorded on the photographic film; classifying measured values of the large area transmission density into a plurality of groups; reading the image signals of the same image frame by an amount corresponding to the number of inputs of the image signals of the same image frame set in advance for each of the classified groups; and subjecting the image signals of the same image frame which have been read to averaging processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiko Narita
  • Patent number: 5646770
    Abstract: A light-quantity control device includes a drive source, a light-quantity control member which is arranged to vary the amount of opening of an aperture by shifting its position, and a speed control part which is arranged to control the driving speed of the drive source in proportion to a rate of change per unit time of the area of the aperture of the light-quantity control member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Sato, Koichi Shimada
  • Patent number: 5636001
    Abstract: Exposure control for cameras and photographic enlargers in which image light from a lens or light source is reflected off a spatial light modulator having a plurality of controllable elements able to be positioned in three dimensions. This reflected light is received by a photoelectric conversion device, analyzed by electronics, modulated and reflected by the spatial light modulator in a second dimension onto photosensitive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Inventor: John Collier
  • Patent number: 5602617
    Abstract: A light metering device incorporates a light dependent resistor as a light sensing element, a network including a plurality of circuit elements, and a selection mechanism for selectively connecting the light dependent resistor to one of the plurality of circuit elements in the network. The selection mechanism is controlled to set a voltage measured at an output terminal of the light dependent resistor within a predetermined threshold level. The light metering device can be readily incorporated in both photographic and electronic cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: J. David Cocca, Clay A. Dunsmore
  • Patent number: 5592251
    Abstract: A camera having an image deflection prevention function and which shortens the time from depression of a release button to the commencement of an exposure action while sufficiently maintaining an image deflection correction stroke during the exposure. After a full-depression operation of the release button, a camera CPU determines a drive position and drive direction of a blurring correction optical system based on an output from a correction optical system position sensor. When the drive direction of the blurring correction optical system is toward the center of its drive range, an exposure action is commenced. When the drive direction is away from the center of the drive range, an exposure action is inhibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Tadao Kai
  • Patent number: 5576800
    Abstract: A camera having an auxiliary photographing function comprises photometering device for photometering an area to be photographed, exposure value calculation device for calculating an exposure value in accordance with the output of said photometering device, photographing mode selection device for selecting a photographing mode, and exposure value setting device for setting a final exposure value in accordance with the mode selected by said photographing mode selection device and the exposure value calculated by said exposure value calculation device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1996
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Tadao Takagi, Hiroyuki Iwasaki