Camera with vibration compensation device having anti-vibration lens urging mechanism and feed screw mechanism

• US 5,684,640 A
• Filed: 11/30/1995
• Issued: 11/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Okano, Hiroshi, Tanaka, Etsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Application Number:
  US08/565,153
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 359/823, 359/694, 359/698, 359/697, 250/201.1, 250/201.2, 250/201.4, 348/345
• US Class Current: 359/694
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/646 compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68

Abstract

A camera having an optical system which is shiftable to compensate for vibrations affecting the camera, a shift mechanism which shifts the optical system along an axis, and an urging mechanism. The urging mechanism provides an urging force along the axis to urge the optical system and to assist the shift mechanism in shifting the optical system. The urging force of the urging mechanism is approximately 1.5 to 5 times the weight of the optical system. Moreover, a feed screw mechanism includes a male portion and a female portion which cooperate, via a helical groove, to shift the optical system. The feed screw mechanism has an angle of friction and the helical groove has a lead angle that is smaller than the angle of friction.

Claims

1. A lens apparatus having an optical axis, an x-y plane being perpendicular to the optical axis and defined by an x-axis and a y-axis which are perpendicular to the optical axis and intersect at a centering position, the lens apparatus comprising:

an optical system which is shifted in the x-y plane from the centering position, to compensate for vibrations affecting the lens apparatus; and

a movement amount detection unit which detects a distance the optical system has been shifted from the centering position.

2. A lens apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the movement amount detection unit comprises:

a first detection unit which determines the distance the optical system has been shifted from the centering position along the y-axis; and

a second detection unit which determines the distance the optical system has been shifted from the centering position along the x-axis.

3. A lens apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the first detection unit comprises an encoder and a photointerruptor which operate together to detect the distance the optical system has been shifted from the centering position along the y-axis.

4. A lens apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the second detection unit comprises an encoder and a photointerruptor which operate together to detect the distance the optical system has been shifted from the centering position along the x-axis.