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US 5,671,449 AGranted
Switching system for camera
AssigneeAsahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHitoshi Shimizu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A switching system for a camera is able to selectively transmit the motive power of a motor to either of a drive system for controlling an aperture or a drive system for controlling a zooming function. The switching system uses either (a) a transmission to couple either a telephoto or a wide-angle drive system, or (b) a direct coupling to the aperture drive system. The transmission to the zoom drive system has a range of play and a catch, and is controlled when the catch holds an aperture control lever away from the aperture drive system. The aperture drive system is controlled in the range of play of the transmission when the catch allows the aperture control lever to connect to the aperture drive system.
Claims52
A switching system for a camera, said switching system comprising:
- a main drive, comprising a motor, for transmitting a motive force of said motor in forward and reverse rotational directions;
- a zoom drive system for transmitting said motive force to a zoom lens group to move said zoom lens group in wide-angle and telephoto directions;
- an aperture drive system for transmitting said motive force to an aperture to open and close said aperture;
- a transmission, coupled to said main drive, for selectively transmitting said motive force of said motor to said zoom drive system and said aperture drive system;
- and
- switching means for applying a force to said transmission to switch said transmission between transmitting said motive force to said zoom drive system and to said aperture drive system, wherein said transmission comprises:
- a first shaft that moves linearly along a longitudinal axis of said first shaft, said first shaft having a first engaging portion at one distal end of said first shaft and a second engaging portion at an other distal end of said first shaft;
- said aperture drive system comprising:
- a second shaft coaxially aligned with said first shaft and having a third engaging portion at one distal end of said second shaft,
- said zoom drive system comprising:
- a third shaft coaxially aligned with said first shaft and having a fourth engaging portion at one distal end of said third shaft, said first shaft moving linearly to engage one of said first engaging portion and said second engaging portion with one of said third engaging portion and said fourth engaging portion, respectively, when said transmission is switched, said first engaging portion and said third engaging portion engaging to transmit said motive force transmitted by said transmission to said aperture of said camera to open and close said aperture, and wherein said second engaging portion and said fourth engaging portion engage to transmit said motive force transmitted by said transmission to said zoom drive system of said camera to move said lens zoom group in telephoto and wide-angle zooming directions.
8 more elements
A switching system for a camera, said switching system comprising:
- a main drive, comprising a motor and means for transmitting a motive force of said motor;
- an aperture for opening and closing;
- an aperture drive system for transmitting said motive force of said motor to said aperture to open and close said aperture;
- a zoom lens group for moving in wide-angle and telephoto directions;
- a zoom drive system for transmitting said motive force of said motor at least to said zoom lens group to move said zoom lens group in telephoto and wide-angle directions;
- and
- a transmission, coupled to said main drive, for selectively applying said motive force of said main drive to said zoom drive system, wherein
- said transmission and said aperture drive system sequentially apply said motive force of said main drive to said zoom drive system and to said aperture respectively, said transmission comprising a drive portion and a driven portion, said drive portion and said driven portion being engaged to transmit said motive force of said drive portion to said driven portion, said engagement between said drive portion and said driven portion having a predetermined range of play within which said driven portion is free of the motive force of said drive portion, said driven portion being driven by a plurality of rotations in one of two directions to drive said zoom drive system, while being driven by less than one rotation in one of said two directions to drive said aperture drive system.
5 more elements
A method of switching a motive force of a main drive to a zoom drive system and to an aperture in a camera, which comprises the steps of:
- (a) monitoring an angular position of a rotating drive member of said main drive, said rotating drive member being directly coupled with a whole number drive ratio to an aperture drive system for operating said aperture, and said rotating drive member further drives said zoom drive system at either of one of a first and second contact points, a first rotating direction of said rotating drive member being away from said second contact point and towards said first contact point, and a second rotating direction of said rotating drive member being away from said first contact point and towards said second contact point;
- (b) driving said rotating drive member and said aperture drive system in said first rotating direction by an angular amount of at least the angular range from said first contact point to said second contact point, to a first predetermined angular position corresponding to a minimum possible aperture size of said aperture;
- (c) detecting a depression of a release switch;
- (d) setting an aperture size variable to a value between said minimum possible aperture size and a maximum possible aperture size of said aperture;
- and
- (e) driving said rotating drive member, and said aperture drive system, in said second rotating direction, to a variable angular position of said rotating drive member corresponding to said set value of said aperture size variable,
- an angular range in said second rotating direction, from said first predetermined angular position to a second predetermined angular position corresponding to said maximum possible aperture size, is equal to or less than an angular range, in said second rotating direction, from said first contact point to said second contact point.
4 more elements
A switching system for a camera, the switching system comprising:
- a release switch;
- a main drive comprising a rotating drive member;
- an aperture drive system directly coupled with a whole number drive ratio to said main drive for operating an aperture;
- a zoom drive system driven by said rotating drive member at either one of a first and second contact points, a first rotating direction of said rotating drive member being away from said second contact point and towards said first contact point, and a second rotating direction of said rotating drive member being away from said first contact point and towards said second contact point;
- and
- a controller for:
- (a) monitoring the angular position of said rotating drive member,
- (b) activating said main drive to drive said rotating drive member and said aperture drive system in said first rotating direction by an angular amount of at least the angular range from said first contact point to said second contact point, to a first predetermined angular position corresponding to a minimum possible aperture size of said aperture,
- (c) detecting a depression of said release switch,
- (d) setting a variable aperture size to a value between said minimum possible aperture size and a maximum possible aperture size of said aperture, and
- (e) activating said main drive to drive said rotating drive member, and said aperture drive system, in said second rotating direction, to a variable angular position of said rotating drive member corresponding to said set value of said variable aperture size of said aperture,
- an angular range in said second rotating direction, from said first predetermined angular position to a second predetermined angular position corresponding to said maximum possible aperture size, is equal to or less than an angular range, in said second rotating direction, from said first contact point to said second contact point.
9 more elements
A switching system for a camera, comprising:
- a main drive, comprising:
- a motor;
- and
- means for transmitting a motive force of said motor;
- an aperture for opening and closing;
- an aperture drive system that transmits said motive force of said motor to said aperture to open and close said aperture;
- a zoom lens group that moves in a wide-angle direction and a telephoto direction;
- a zoom drive system that transmits said motive force of said motor at least to said zoom lens group to move said zoom lens group in said telephoto direction and said wide-angle direction;
- and
- a transmission, coupled to said main drive, for selectively applying said motive force of said main drive to said zoom drive system and said aperture drive system without returning to a system-wide initial position when said transmission switches the application of said motive force between said zoom drive system and said aperture drive system, said zoom drive system being driven in a first rotational direction to drive said zoom lens group in said wide-angle direction, said zoom drive system being driven in a second rotational direction to drive said zoom lens group in said telephoto direction, said aperture drive system being driven in one of said first and second rotational directions to control said aperture.
7 more elements
A switching system for controlling a zoom lens and an aperture of a camera, comprising:
- a motor;
- an aperture drive system that transmits a motive force of said motor to the aperture;
- a zoom drive system that transmits said motive force of said motor to the zoom lens;
- and
- a transmission that selectively applies said motive force of said motor to said zoom drive system and to said aperture drive system, wherein said zoom drive system is driven in two directions by said transmission to control a zooming operation of the zoom lens, and said aperture drive system is driven in one of said two directions by said transmission to control an operation of the aperture, said transmission having a range of play sufficient for controlling said aperture without substantially changing a position of the zoom lens, said transmission performing a predetermined operation to create said predetermined range of play, said zoom drive system having a first drive ratio and said aperture drive system having a second drive ratio that differs from said first drive ratio so that said predetermined operation performed by said transmission to create said predetermined range of play causes substantially no change in said position of the zoom lens.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.