Photography – Camera shake sensing – Having stabilization system
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-17
2001-08-07
Mahoney, Christopher E. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Camera shake sensing
Having stabilization system
C396S072000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06272288
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved vibration correction system for a camera, and more specifically to a vibration correction system capable of correcting the effects of extremely small vibrations and vibrations caused by hand-holding the camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
JP-A-3-110530 [Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 03-110530] discloses a vibration correction system for a camera. In this known system, a correcting lens, constituting a portion of the photographic lens, is driven by a drive motor. A reduction gear train is used to reduce the speed of the rotation of the motor and to convert the reduced rotation into linear motion. A shift member causes a shift of the correcting lens in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis. Image deflection, originating from vibration and the like of the camera, is prevented by judiciously shifting the correcting lens. A photointerruptor is arranged on the last gear of the reduction gear train to detect the amount of movement of the correcting lens. After the correcting lens has been driven, it is reset to a predetermined standard position based on the output of the photointerruptor. However, because the photointerruptor detects the amount of rotation of the final gear of the reduction gear train, it is in fact detecting the most reduced amount of rotation as the amount of drive of the correcting lens. Therefore, the resolving power of this known vibration correction system is too low to precisely correct for small vibrations. Further, it is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately reset the correcting lens to a standard initial position after the vibration correction operation.
There exists a need for an optical vibration correction system capable of accurately correcting the effects of small vibrations and having enough resolving power to determine the exact location of the correcting lens.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vibration correction system for a camera which is able to correct image deflection precisely.
It is another object of the invention to provide a vibration correction system for a camera with high resolving power for the detection of the amount of movement of the correcting lens.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a vibration correction system for a camera capable of resetting the correcting lens to an exact starting position after the vibration correction operation.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The foregoing objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a camera with a correcting lens driven by a reduction gear train attached to an actuator, preferably a motor. Image deflection, originating from vibration and the like of the camera, is prevented by means of the shift of the correcting lens. A movement detector, to detect the amount of movement of the correcting lens, is arranged near the drive shaft of the motor or, alternatively, near the first half of the reduction gear train. Preferably, the movement detector is a photointerruptor. After the correcting lens has been driven, it is reset to a predetermined standard position, based on the output of the movement detector.
By placing the movement detector on or near the drive shaft, because the amount of rotation of the drive shaft of the motor, or the amount of rotation of a gear of the first half of the reduction gear train, is detected as a physical quantity related to the amount of shift of the correcting lens, high resolving power is obtained. Accordingly, the correcting lens can be shifted with fine precise movements, and accurate correction of image deflection becomes possible.
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patent: 5172276 (1992-12-01), Ueyama et al.
patent: 5416558 (1995-05-01), Katayama et al.
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patent: 5715479 (1998-02-01), Katayama et al.
patent: 5831671 (1998-11-01), Chigira et al.
patent: 5943169 (1999-08-01), Okada
Kato Minoru
Miyamoto Hidenori
Omi Junichi
Soshi Isao
Takeuchi Yoshihiro
Mahoney Christopher E.
Nikon Corporation
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