Interchangeable lens and digital camera including controller for stopping zoom lens at one of discrete predetermined stop positions
AssigneePanasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
InventorTakahiro Ikeda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An interchangeable lens includes a zoom lens, a driver configured to drive the zoom lens, an operation unit configured to receive a user's operation for changing a magnification of the zoom lens, and a controller configured to control the driver according to the operation of the operation unit. The controller controls the driver in either one of a first operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at an arbitrary position according to the operation of the operation unit and a second operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at one of discrete predetermined stop positions according to the operation of the operation unit.
Claims7
An interchangeable lens mountable to a camera body, comprising:
- a zoom lens;
- a driver configured to drive the zoom lens;
- an operation unit configured to receive a user's operation for changing a magnification of the zoom lens;
- a storage unit configured to store information about discrete predetermined stop positions;
- a communication unit configured to transmit the information about the discrete predetermined stop positions stored in the storage unit to the camera body;
- and
- a controller configured to control the driver according to the operation of the operation unit, wherein
- the controller controls the driver in either one of a first operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at an arbitrary position according to the operation of the operation unit and a second operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at one of discrete predetermined stop positions according to the operation to the operation unit and the controller stops the zoom lens at one of discrete predetermined stop positions when a stop position of the zoom lens determined according to the operation received by the operation unit is different from one of discrete predetermined stop positions in the second operation mode.
A digital camera comprising:
- a camera body;
- an interchangeable lens configured to be mountable to the camera body, the interchangeable lens including:
- a zoom lens;
- a driver configured to drive the zoom lens;
- an operation unit configured to receive a user's operation for changing a magnification of the zoom lens;
- and
- a lens controller configured to control the driver according to the operation of the operation unit, wherein:
- the lens controller controls the driver in either one of a first operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at an arbitrary position according to the operation of the operation unit and a second operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at one of discrete predetermined stop positions according to the operation to the operation unit, and
- the lens controller stops the zoom lens at one of discrete predetermined stop positions when a stop position of the zoom lens determined according to the operation received by the operation unit is different from one of discrete predetermined stop positions in the second operation mode;
- the camera body including:
- a storage unit configured to store information about the discrete predetermined stop positions regarding the interchangeable lens;
- a camera controller configured to obtain characteristic information about the interchangeable lens from the mounted interchangeable lens and obtain information about the discrete predetermined stop position regarding the mounted interchangeable lens out of the information stored in the storage unit based on the obtained characteristic information;
- and
- a communication unit configured to transmit the obtained information about the discrete predetermined stop position to the interchangeable lens.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.