Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; blades opening and closing the opening; an electromagnet supported by the board; a drive lever adsorbed to and held by the electromagnet, and swingably supported by the board; a drive arm connected to the drive lever, swingably supported by the board, and driving the blades; a first biasing member always biasing the drive lever away from the electromagnet and moving the blades; a first adjusting member that stepwisely adjusts a biasing force of the first biasing member; a second biasing member always biasing the drive arm in a direction opposite to a biasing direction of the first biasing member to such an extent that the blades are moved in accordance with the biasing force of the first biasing member; and a second adjusting member that steplessly adjusts a biasing force of the second biasing member.

Abstract: A light reduction device for adjusting an amount of light reaching an imaging device includes: a light shielding plate in which light shielding parts are discretely formed for blocking the light, and a light transmission part is formed for transmitting the light; a first light reduction plate in which light reduction parts are discretely formed for reducing the amount of the light passing through, and a light transmission part is formed for transmitting the light; and a moving unit configured to move at least one of the light shielding plate and the first light reduction plate in a first direction which intersects with an incident direction of the light, in which the light shielding plate and the first light reduction plate overlap each other at least in part, when viewed from the incident direction of the light.

Abstract: A light transmittance adjusting device is provided, including a first electrode, a second electrode, and a first elastomer layer disposed between the first and second electrodes. A light transmittance of the first elastomer layer is variable depending on a voltage applied thereto.

Abstract: A shutter driving system and a camera device having the same, and a driving method thereof are provided. The shutter driving system includes a base plate including an opening part, a front-curtain and a rear-curtain, a front-curtain link and a rear-curtain link supporting respective folding and unfolding operations of the front-curtain and the rear-curtain, a front-curtain drive lever and a rear-curtain drive lever controlling respective drives of the front-curtain link and the rear-curtain link for opening and closing the opening part, a front-curtain electromagnet and a rear-curtain electromagnet selectively and respectively stopping the front-curtain and rear-curtain drive levers, a cam gear mechanically closing the opening part of the front curtain and mechanically opening the opening part of the rear-curtain, a motor rotating the cam gear, and a reduction gear train including at least one gear disposed between the cam gear and the motor.

Abstract: An imaging device includes an imaging element, a shutter mechanism, an actuator, a position detector, and a drive controller. The shutter mechanism is switchable between an open and a closed state to control the light incident on the imaging element. The actuator is configured to drive the shutter mechanism. The position detector is configured to detect the time between when the actuator begins storing the driving force and when the shutter mechanism switches from the closed state. The drive controller is configured to direct the actuator to begin storing the driving force while image data is being read from the imaging element, and to control the actuator so as to delay the time when the shutter mechanism is switched from the closed state if the position detector detects that the shutter mechanism is in the first state prior to completion of the image data being read from the imaging element.

Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; blades capable of opening and closing the opening; a drive lever swingably supported, holding a movable iron piece and driving the blades; a self-holding type solenoid capable of adsorbing to the movable iron piece by a given attraction force in a non-energized state, and reducing the given attraction force in an energized state; a biasing member biasing the drive lever to move the drive lever away from the self-holding type solenoid; and a set member moving the drive lever to abut the drive lever with the self-holding type solenoid, wherein the self-holding type solenoid is energized to reduce the given attraction force when the drive lever is swung by the set member to abut the movable iron piece with the self-holding type solenoid.

Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; a blade movable between a position where the blade recedes from the opening and a position where the blade covers at least part of the opening; a drive arm connected to the blade, the drive arm including an engagement hole; a drive lever including a drive pin engaging the engagement hole; and a restriction portion provided in the drive arm, the restriction portion abutting the drive pin and being thicker than the drive arm.

Abstract: A light screening apparatus and an electronic device including the light screening apparatus are provided, where the electronic device could be an imaging device or a display device. The light screening apparatus includes a base plate, a rollup blade, and a driving unit. The base plate includes a lower electrode and a light transmitting portion through which light passes. The rollup blade includes an upper electrode and at least two layers having different optical properties. The driving portion is electrically connected to the base plate and the rollup blade, and it controls the amount of light passing through the light transmitting portion of the base plate. The outer circumferential surface of the rollup blade, when in a rolled-up position, may be an anti-reflection surface.

Abstract: A focal plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; a blade movable between a position where the blade recedes from the opening and a position where the blade covers at least part of the opening; a drive arm connected to the blade, the drive arm including an engagement hole; a drive lever including a drive pin engaging the engagement hole; and a restriction portion provided in the drive arm, the restriction portion abutting the drive pin and being thicker than the drive arm.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a foreign substance removal member configured to move along a surface of an optical member to remove foreign substances, a shutter blade configured to open and close an photographic optical path, the shutter blade being disposed closer to an object side than the optical member, and a cover plate configured to restrict an operation range of the shutter blade toward the optical member side, wherein the cover plate has an opening larger than the photographic optical path, and an area other than the photographic optical path of the opening includes a standby position for the foreign substance removal member, and at least a part of the foreign substance removal member is positioned inside the opening.

Abstract: Provided are a focal plane shutter, which can offer a live view function, and improve a control velocity of a shutter speed to reduce a time interval between shootings, a photographing apparatus including the focal plane shutter, and a photographing method for the photographing apparatus. The focal plane shutter includes: a front curtain; a rear curtain; a support part coupled to one side of the front curtain and the rear curtain; and a movable part movably contacting one side of the support part, wherein either the front curtain or the rear curtain is independently moved by the motion of the movable part.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image pickup apparatus including: an image sensor; and a shutter device, wherein said shutter device includes a trailing curtain, a first driving member, a second driving member, first urging force applying means, and a charging member.

Abstract: A control method for a mechanical shutter in an image sensing apparatus that has the mechanical shutter which includes and a second curtain held in a pre-travel initial position using electric power, that performs image sensing using an image sensor, and that has an electronic viewfinder function. The voltage of the electric power for holding the second curtain is reduced during execution of the electronic viewfinder function, the voltage of the electric power for holding the second curtain is raised if a shutter speed set for image sensing is faster than a preset period in a case where still image sensing is instructed, and the second curtain is made to travel when a period corresponding to the shutter speed has elapsed.

Abstract: A micro shutter with an iris function includes a base plate with a transparent portion formed in a circular shape corresponding to an image sensor which allows light to pass through; a plurality of rollup blades which block the light, arranged in a regular polygon at a circumference of the transparent portion on the base plate to cover the transparent portion, and each of the plurality of rollup blades to have a fixing portion fixed to the base plate and a moving portion rolled up toward the fixing portion; and a controller electrically connected with the base plate and the plurality of rollup blades which controls unrolling degrees of the plurality of rollup blades.

Abstract: Provided are a focal plane shutter, which can offer a live view function, and improve a control velocity of a shutter speed to reduce a time interval between shootings, a photographing apparatus including the focal plane shutter, and a photographing method for the photographing apparatus. The focal plane shutter includes: a front curtain; a rear curtain; a support part coupled to one side of the front curtain and the rear curtain; and a movable part movably contacting one side of the support part, wherein either the front curtain or the rear curtain is independently moved by the motion of the movable part.

Abstract: A first cam gear (a shutter cam gear) and a second cam gear (a mirror cam gear) are driven to successively realize a first phase (a stop phase), a second phase (a live view phase), and a third phase (a shooting phase).

Abstract: An image-taking apparatus is disclosed which allows preparatory driving for the next image-taking without degrading image quality and a reduction in time taken for one image-taking operation. The image-taking apparatus has a controller which controls an actuator which drives an operation mechanism which performs a first operation for allowing the image-taking with a photoelectrical conversion device and then a second operation (preparatory driving) for returning to the state before the first operation. The controller starts to drive the actuator for causing the operation mechanism to perform the second operation after the start of the travel of a rear curtain of a shutter and before the end thereof during accumulation of charge on the photoelectrical conversion device, or before reading of charge from the photoelectrical conversion device after the completion of exposure of the photoelectrical conversion device.

Abstract: A camera shutter control device includes a controller for controlling the camera, a shutter device having front and rear curtains, and shutter drives for driving the curtains. A computation device determines the shutter time and a correction device corrects the shutter time based on correction values stored in a memory. The shutter curtains are continuously controlled by the controller based on a corrected shutter time, wherein the corrected shutter time can have either a positive, negative, or zero value.