Lens barrel and picture taking apparatus having the same
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorKazuo Mikami
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lens barrel movable between a collapsed position and a photographing position, and a picture taking apparatus using the lens barrel. The lens barrel has lens groups movable along an optical axis, a deformable mirror supported in the lens barrel, the deformable mirror having a reflecting surface which varies to vary its optical power, a picture taking optical system including the lens groups and the deformable mirror, and a driving mechanism for retracting the deformable mirror from a light path of the picture taking optical system when the lens barrel lies at the collapsed position, and inserting the deformable mirror into the light path of the picture taking optical system when the lens barrel lies at the photographing position.
Claims41
A picture taking apparatus comprising:
- a lens barrel movable between a collapsed state where the lens barrel is accommodated in a body of the apparatus and a photographing state where the lens barrel is projects from the body of the apparatus;
- a picture taking optical system including
- a lens group driven to move along an optical axis by the lens barrel, and
- a deformable mirror supported in the lens barrel;
- a refracting mechanism for retracting the deformable mirror from a light path of the picture taking optical system when the lens barrel is in the collapsed state, and inserting the deformable mirror into the light path of the picture taking optical system when the lens barrel is in the photographing state;
- and
- a control part for varying a reflecting surface shape of the deformable mirror to vary optical power thereof.
A picture taking apparatus comprising:
- a lens barrel movable between a collapsed state here the lens barrel is accommodated in a body of the apparatus and a photographing state where the lens barrel projects from the body of the apparatus;
- a stationary frame fixed with respect to the body of the apparatus;
- a picture taking optical system including
- a lens group driven to move along an optical axis by the lens barrel and
- a deformable mirror supported in the lens barrel;
- a driving frame movable relative to the stationary frame in a direction of an optical axis;
- a holding frame which holds the deformable mirror to allow the deformable mirror to move between a first position in a light path of the picture taking optical system and a second position outside the light path, and which is supported on the stationary frame,
- an urging member which urges the holding frame toward the first position, and positions the holding frame at the first position when the lens barrel is in the photographing state;
- a part provided on the driving frame and capable of forcing the holding frame toward the second position, the part forcing the deformable mirror toward the second position against an urging force of the urging member when the lens barrel moves from the photographing state to the collapsed state;
- and
- a control part for deforming a reflecting surface shape of the deformable mirror.
A lens barrel comprising:
- an optical system including at least one lens and a reflecting member for reflecting light passing through the at least one lens;
- an image pickup element provided at a position where the image pickup element can receive light reflected from the reflecting member;
- and
- a frame which supports the reflecting member and the image pickup element, the reflecting member being supported on the frame in such a manner as to be insertable into and retractable from a light path of the optical system.
A lens barrel which can be used with a picture taking apparatus and movable between a collapsed state where the lens barrel is accommodated in a body of the picture taking apparatus and a photographing state where the lens barrel projects from the body of the apparatus, comprising:
- a picture taking optical system including
- a lens group movable along an optical axis, and
- a deformable mirror supported in the lens barrel, the deformable mirror having a variable reflecting surface to permit optical power of the deformable mirror to be varied;
- a retracting mechanism which retracts the deformable mirror from a light path of the picture taking optical system when the lens barrel is in the collapsed state, and inserts the deformable mirror into the light path of the picture taking optical system when the lens barrel is in the photographing state.
A lens barrel which can be used with a picture taking apparatus and movable between a collapsed state where the lens barrel is accommodated in a body of the picture taking apparatus and a photographing state where the lens barrel projects from the body of the picture taking apparatus, comprising:
- a stationary frame;
- a picture taking optical system including
- a lens group movable along an optical axis, and
- a deformable mirror having a reflecting surface whose shape is variable;
- a driving frame movable relative to the stationary frame;
- a holding frame which holds the deformable mirror to allow the deformable mirror to move between a first position inside a light path of the picture taking optical system and a second position outside the light path, and which is supported on the stationary frame;
- an urging member which urges the holding frame toward the first position, and positions the holding frame at the first position when the lens barrel is in the photographing state;
- and
- a part provided on the driving frame and capable of forcing the holding frame toward the second position, the pressure part forcing the deformable mirror toward the second position against an urging force of the urging member when the lens barrel moves from the photographing state to the collapsed state.
A lens barrel comprising:
- a stationary frame;
- an optical system including
- a lens group movable along an optical axis, and
- a deformable mirror having a reflecting surface whose shape is variable;
- a driving frame movable relative to the stationary frame;
- a holding frame which holds the deformable mirror to allow the deformable mirror to move between a first position inside a light path of the optical system and a second position outside the light path, and which is supported on the stationary frame;
- an urging member which urges the holding frame toward the first position, and positions the holding frame at the first position;
- and
- a part provided on the driving frame and capable of forcing the holding frame toward the second position, the part forcing the deformable mirror toward the second position against an urging force of the urging member;
- wherein the driving frame is movable along the optical axis between positions projected from and accommodated in the stationary frame;
- and
- wherein the movable lens group is accommodated in the driving frame when the driving frame is positioned in the stationary frame.
An image capture apparatus comprising:
- a lens system including a plurality of lens groups adapted to move along an optical axis which defines at least a part of an image acquiring optical path;
- and
- a mirror,
- wherein the lens system has a first state and a second state,
- wherein, when the lens system is in the first state, the mirror is positioned in the image acquiring optical path in a defined space, and
- wherein, when the lens system is in the second state, each of at least two of the plurality of lens groups occupy at least a part of the defined space.
An image capture apparatus having an image acquiring optical path, comprising:
- a mirror;
- and
- a mirror retracting part,
- wherein the mirror has a first state in which it is positioned in the image acquiring optical path, and a second state in which it is positioned outside the image acquiring optical path, and
- wherein the mirror and mirror retracting part are substantially parallel with respect to each other when the mirror is in the second state.
An optical system having an image acquiring optical path, comprising:
- a plurality of lens groups adapted to move along an optical axis which defines at least a part of the image acquiring optical path;
- and
- a mirror,
- wherein the lens system has a first state and a second state,
- wherein, when the lens system is in the first state, the mirror is positioned in the image acquiring optical path in a defined space, and
- wherein, when the lens system is in the second state, each of at least two of the plurality of lens groups occupy at least a part of the defined space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.