Electricity: motive power systems – Automatic and/or with time-delay means – With nonautomatic control means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-26
2001-10-23
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Automatic and/or with time-delay means
With nonautomatic control means
C318S445000, C356S139060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307342
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical apparatus which is suited in particular for a photographic lens used for TV photographing and so on.
2. Related Background Art
An optical apparatus used for TV photographing, etc. moves a movable lens group (not shown) held in a casing
39
in a direction along an optical axis and adjusts a stop (not shown) by manually or electrically rotating operation rings
31
which are disposed rotatably on an outer circumference of a main body
30
of the apparatus shown in
FIG. 9. A
motor and a control circuit for electrically driving the operation rings
31
are accommodated in a drive unit
32
disposed in the vicinity of the casing
39
of the optical apparatus
30
, and driven by operating an electric control member
33
or the like disposed on an outside surface of the drive unit
32
.
Switching between the manual operation and the electric drive is generally performed by operating a clutch mechanism equipped with a switching lever. In the clutch mechanism, an idler gear
37
is disposed between an operation gear
34
disposed on an operation ring
31
and an output gear
36
disposed on a motor
35
as shown in
FIG. 10
, and the idler gear
37
is caused to slide in an axial direction (longitudinal direction) of a shaft
38
by operating a clutch lever (not shown). The clutch mechanism is configured to engage the idler gear
37
with both the operation gear
34
and the output gear
36
at the time of the electric drive, and to disengage the idler gear
37
from the output gear
36
at the time of the manual operation, thereby switching a power transmission system for the electric drive and the manual operation of the operation ring
31
.
However, such an optical apparatus requires complicated operations and tends to hinder speedy switching between the manual operation and the electric drive since it requires operation of the clutch lever of the clutch mechanism for each switching between the manual operation and the electric drive of the operation ring.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved by further developing the conventional technique described above and has a primary object to provide an optical system which has excellent operability to permit speedy switching between the manual operation and the electric drive of a movable optical unit held in a casing.
The present invention provides an optical system mainly characterized in that it is capable of manually and electrically driving an optical unit, and comprises a manual operation unit for manually driving the optical unit, an electric drive unit for electrically driving the optical unit, a discrimination unit for discriminating whether the optical unit is manually or electrically driven on the basis of a drive command signal for driving the electric drive unit and a state changeover unit for switching the optical unit to an electrically driven state or a manually driven state on the basis of a discrimination result obtained with the discrimination unit.
The present invention provides an optical system which is capable of manually and electrically driving an optical unit, and comprises a manual operation unit for manually driving the optical unit, an electric drive unit for electrically driving the optical unit, an electric operation member for outputting a drive command signal to the electric drive unit, a discrimination unit for discriminating whether the optical unit is electrically or manually driven on the basis of the drive command signal to the electric drive unit and a state changeover unit for switching the optical unit to an electrically driven state or a manually driven state on the basis of a discrimination result obtained with the discrimination unit.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an optical system which is capable of manually and electrically driving an optical unit, and comprises a manual operation unit for manually driving the optical unit, an electric drive unit for electrically driving the optical unit, an electric operation member for outputting a drive command signal to the electric drive unit, an electric operation detecting unit for detecting an operation of the electric operation member, a discrimination unit for discriminating whether the optical unit is electrically or manually driven on the basis of a detection result obtained with the electric operation detecting unit and a state changeover unit for switching the optical unit to an electrically driven state or a manually driven state on the basis of a discrimination result obtained with the discrimination unit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4404595 (1983-09-01), Ushiro et al.
patent: 4553817 (1985-11-01), Ando et al.
patent: 4893145 (1990-01-01), Matsuda
patent: 5177524 (1993-01-01), Tanaka
patent: 5227829 (1993-07-01), Imanari et al.
patent: 5463442 (1995-10-01), Harigaya et al.
patent: 5471296 (1995-11-01), Parker et al.
patent: 0 405 051 (1991-01-01), None
patent: 0 439 219 (1991-07-01), None
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 63-110430.
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Leykin Rita
Nappi Robert E.
Robin Blecker & Daley
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