Diaphragm Blades Open For Focusing Or Viewing Patents (Class 396/461)
  • Patent number: 8405894
    Abstract: A light amount adjustment apparatus having a plurality of light-shielding blade members that can be so manufactured by simple machining as to reduce undesired reflection on end faces of the light-shielding blade members which are parallel with the optical axis and prevent degradation in image quality such as flare and ghosts. A driving force of a stepping motor is transmitted to the light-shielding blade members so that an aperture diameter can be changed. The light-shielding blade members are formed by injection molding of a light-shielding resin material. By performing blasting on an end face of each light-shielding blade member in a part that forms the aperture diameter, an aperture end face whose surface is roughened while substantially maintaining outside dimensions of the light-shielding blade member is formed, and an oblique portion tilted relative to the aperture end face is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Junichi Saito
  • Patent number: 8186895
    Abstract: An apparatus, useful in, for example, a miniature camera, includes an object, e.g., an optical element such as a shutter blade, an actuator operable to apply an impulse to the object such that the object moves from a first position to a second position, and at least one flexure coupled to the object and operable to confine movement of the object to movement along a predefined trajectory extending between the first and second positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Digitaloptics Corporation Mems
    Inventor: Roman C. Gutierrez
  • Patent number: 7982973
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a zoom lens, wherein a stop moves in an optical axis direction n in a phase of zooming; a position of the stop in a telephoto end is located on an object side with respect to a position of the stop in a wide-angle end; an opening size of the stop is controlled in conjunction with the zooming so that an open F number becomes approximately constant in a range from the wide-angle end to a specific intermediate focal length; the opening size of the stop is made approximately constant in a range from the specific intermediate focal length to the telephoto end so that the open F number is changed; and the specific intermediate focal length fulfills the following conditional expression (1), wide-angle end focal length×1.5<specific intermediate focal length<telephoto end focal length/1.4 . . . (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Nanjo, Takashi Koyama
  • Patent number: 7972070
    Abstract: An impulse actuated device for, e.g., an optical element of a digital camera, includes an elongated flexure having a first end upon which the optical element is disposed, and an opposite second end fixed so as to constrain the element to move along an arcuate, relatively long first trajectory between opposite initial and final positions, and a short-throw, high force element actuator that includes a stator and a stage supported for movement relative to the stator and along a second trajectory intersecting the first trajectory at the initial position of the element, and an apparatus for accelerating the stage along the second trajectory and against the element such that at least some of the momentum of the stage is imparted to the element and causes the element to move along the first trajectory and from the initial position to the final position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Tessera MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Roman C. Gutierrez
  • Patent number: 7832948
    Abstract: An impulse actuated mechanism for, e.g., a digital camera shutter, includes a shutter blade disposed at a first end of a flexure having an opposite second end fixed so as to constrain the blade to move along a planar, relatively long, first trajectory between opposite initial and final blade positions, and a short-throw, high force blade actuator that includes a stator and a stage supported for movement relative to the stator and along a second trajectory intersecting the initial blade position, and a mechanism for accelerating the stage along the second trajectory and against the blade such that at least some of the momentum of the stage is imparted to the blade, causing the blade to move along the first trajectory from the initial blade position to the final blade position, where it blocks the passage of light through a light aperture of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Tessera MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Roman C. Gutierrez
  • Patent number: 7559707
    Abstract: A screen assembly is disclosed including a case, a screen assembly, and a bracket assembly that supports the screen assembly within an interior region of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Draper, Inc.
    Inventor: Rick A Shopp
  • Patent number: 6930723
    Abstract: In a quantity-of-light adjusting apparatus having an iris and an ND filter which limit incident light, a control method for the quantity-of-light adjusting apparatus, and a computer program product providing a control program for the quantity-of-light adjusting apparatus, a state of limitation of the incident light by the iris is changed at a first changing speed, and, when a state of limitation of the incident light by the ND filter is changed, the state of limitation of the incident light by the iris is changed at a second changing speed different from the first changing speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Tsuda, Kunihiko Yamada
  • Patent number: 6547457
    Abstract: The camera shutter unit of the present invention comprises a diaphragm blade arranged to be capable of moving between a stopping-down position wherein an aperture is stopped down, and an evacuating position wherein the aperture is opened. A shutter blade is arranged to be capable of moving between an opening position, wherein the aperture is opened, and a closing position, wherein the aperture is closed. A dive-control mechanism is provided for drive-controlling the shutter blade and the diaphragm blade. The drive-control mechanism has a single electromagnetic drive source, a spring for restricting movement of the shutter blade toward the closing position when the diaphragm blade is positioned in the stopping-down position, and for releasing its restriction by a predetermined or more drive force generated by the electromagnetic drive source, and a control means for controlling the electromagnetic drive source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Nidec Copal Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Yaginuma, Nobuaki Watanabe, Norihumi Ikeda, Tomokazu Kihara
  • Patent number: 6092431
    Abstract: A driving device (actuator) 10 includes a driving shaft 16 which is Linearly driven in the axial direction by a piezoelectric element 15 and two disks 18a and 18b which are made of an elastic material and fixed to a rotary shaft 17. Peripheral portions of the two disks 18a and 18b vertically hold the driving shaft 16 between them so as to be frictionally coupled with the driving shaft 16 by their elastic forces. When the driving shaft 16 is linearly driven in the axial direction by the piezoelectric element 15, the peripheral portions of the two disks 18a and 18b receive a force in the tangential direction and rotate around the rotary shaft 17.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Okamoto, Yasushi Tanijiri
  • Patent number: 5878296
    Abstract: A preview apparatus in a single lens reflex camera is provided in which a mirror drive mechanism, a diaphragm drive mechanism, and a shutter are driven in association with the rotation of a single-revolution cam gear which is driven by a motor. When the release switch is turned ON, the one-turn cam gear is rotated by single-revolution in the forward direction, and when an external preview switch is turned ON, the preview operation is carried out by the reverse rotation of the single-revolution cam gear within a predetermined angle range in which the stop-down operation takes place without causing an upward movement of the mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mikio Ogi, Yutaka Osawa
  • Patent number: 5864725
    Abstract: A method for controlling a single lens reflex camera having a preview function is provided in which a mirror drive mechanism, a diaphragm drive mechanism, and a shutter are driven in association with the rotation of a single-revolution cam gear which is driven by a motor. When the release switch is turned ON, the single-revolution cam gear is rotated by a single revolution in the forward direction, and when an external preview switch is turned ON, the preview operation is carried out by the reverse rotation of the single-revolution cam gear within a predetermined angle range in which the stop-down operation takes place without causing an upward movement of the mirror. When the release switch is turned ON during the preview operation, the motor is rotated in the forward direction until the single revolution cam gear is returned to the initial position, so that the photometering operation is carried out at the full-open aperture position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mikio Ogi
  • Patent number: 5663839
    Abstract: A zoom lens barrel has a first lens unit, a second lens unit sharing an optical axis with the first lens unit, a fixed barrel for containing the first lens unit and the second lens unit, a first lens unit shifting frame held in the fixed barrel so as to be shiftable in a direction of the optical axis or in a direction around the optical axis for holding the first lens unit, a second lens unit shifting frame held in the lens unit shifting frame so as to be shiftable in a direction of the optical axis or in a direction around the optical axis for holding the second lens unit, a zooming mechanism held by the fixed barrel so as to be rotatable around the optical axis for shifting the first lens unit shifting frame in the optical axis direction to perform zooming when the zooming mechanism is rotated around the optical axis, a focusing mechanism held by the fixed barrel so as to be rotatable around the optical axis for rotating the second lens unit shifting frame around the optical axis and shifting the second len
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Hideo Kanno