IMAGING APPARATUS AND SHUTTER DRIVING METHOD

• US 20200133092A1
• Filed: 04/25/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: YONEDA, MASAFUMI, HAYASHI, TOSHIRO
• Granted Patent: US 11,480,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 9/08 Shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 9/36 Sliding rigid plate
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 9/42 with adjustable slot; with mechanism controlling relative movement of plates to form slot
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 9/60 by varying speed of movement of obturating members
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 9/64 Mechanism for delaying opening of shutter separate from shutter G03B17/38

Abstract

To enable correction or adjustment of a curtain travel curve in a case of driving an opening and closing blade by a power source in which a motor mechanism and a spring mechanism are combined. Provided are the motor mechanism that generates a traveling torque of the opening and closing blade of a mechanical shutter provided in an incident light path to an imaging element by electric conduction to a coil, and the spring mechanism that generates the traveling torque of the opening and closing blade together with the motor mechanism. In this case, a control unit capable of individually controlling a time length from the start of the electric conduction to the coil to the start of traveling of the opening and closing blade, and a value of a current to be supplied to the coil is provided.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a motor mechanism configured to generate a traveling torque of an opening and closing blade of a mechanical shutter provided in an incident light path to an imaging element by electric conduction to a coil;

a spring mechanism configured to generate the traveling torque of the opening and closing blade together with the motor mechanism; and

a control unit configured to be able to individually control a time length from start of the electric conduction to the coil to start of traveling of the opening and closing blade, and a current value to be supplied to the coil.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit adjusts one or both of the time length and the current value to correct a traveling operation of the opening and closing blade.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a counter configured to count the number of times of traveling of the opening and closing blade, wherein

the control unit performs the correction on a basis of a count value of the counter.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a speed sensor of the opening and closing blade, wherein

the control unit performs the correction on a basis of detection information of the speed sensor.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the motor mechanism or the spring mechanism, wherein

the control unit performs the correction on a basis of detection information of the temperature sensor.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:

the motor mechanism and the spring mechanism corresponding to the opening and closing blade as a front curtain mechanism; and

the motor mechanism and the spring mechanism corresponding to the opening and closing blade as a rear curtain mechanism, wherein

the control unit performs the correction of one or both of the front curtain mechanism and the rear curtain mechanism.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit adjusts one or both of the time length and the current value according to a selected imaging mode.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the control unit adjusts one or both of the time length and the current value such that an exposure time of a center of an image becomes longer than an exposure time of an end portion of the image in an up-down direction according to selection of an imaging mode for making a center of an image brighter than an end portion of the image in the up-down direction.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the control unit adjusts one or both of the time length and the current value such that an exposure time of a center of an image becomes shorter than an exposure time of upper and lower end portions of the image in an up and down direction according to selection of an imaging mode for making upper and lower end portions of an image brighter than a center of the image in the up and down direction.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, comprising:

the motor mechanism and the spring mechanism corresponding to the opening and closing blade as a front curtain mechanism; and

the motor mechanism and the spring mechanism corresponding to the opening and closing blade as a rear curtain mechanism, wherein

the control unit performs the adjustment of one or both of the front curtain mechanism and the rear curtain mechanism.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a lock mechanism configured to restrict the opening and closing blade not to start traveling even by energization of the spring mechanism and the start of the electric conduction to the coil.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the control unit varies the time length according to restriction release timing by the lock mechanism after the start of the electric conduction to the coil.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the motor mechanism includes a coil to which a drive current is supplied, and a magnet rotated with the electric conduction to the coil,

the spring mechanism is configured to energize the magnet in a rotation direction,

a drive body configured to cause the opening and closing blade to travel according to rotation of the magnet and including a portion to be locked, and

the lock mechanism is configured to maintain the opening and closing blade not to start traveling by locking the portion to be locked.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the spring mechanism is configured to energize the magnet in the rotation direction.

15. A shutter driving method of an imaging apparatus including

a motor mechanism configured to generate a traveling torque of an opening and closing blade of a mechanical shutter provided in an incident light path to an imaging element by electric conduction to a coil, and

a spring mechanism configured to generate the traveling torque of the opening and closing blade together with the motor mechanism, the shutter driving method comprising:

a procedure of setting a time length from start of the electric conduction to the coil to start of traveling of the opening and closing blade; and

a procedure of setting a current value to be supplied to the coil.