Viewfinder apparatus for camera

• US 6,519,420 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2000
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokomae, Yoshihiro, Koide, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Russell
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Arthur A
• Application Number:
  US09/575,959
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 396/84, 396/148, 396/149, 396/377, 396/378, 396/379, 396/435, 396/436
• US Class Current: 396/377
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/12 to compensate for change of camera lens or size of picture

Abstract

Disclosed is a viewfinder apparatus for a camera, comprising: a curvilinear image-forming surface in a viewfinder optical system independent of a photographic optical system; a field frame disposed adjacent to the image-forming surface for defining a reference field of view, the field frame being formed into a curvilinear shape such as to match in profile with the image-forming surface; a field-correcting frame for correcting the field of view defined by the field frame, the field-correcting frame being supported on an arm portion that is pivoted about a revolving shaft in a direction normal to an optical axis of the viewfinder optical system, the field-correcting frame being formed into a curvilinear shape such as to correspond in profile with the image-forming surface; and a motor for driving the field-correcting frame into movement along the image-forming surface, whereby the field-correcting frame of the viewfinder optical system is invariably viewed.

Claims

1. A viewfinder apparatus for a camera including a viewfinder optical system independent of a photographic optical system, comprising:

a correction amount-calculating means for calculating a correction amount of parallax between said photographic optical system and said viewfinder optical system on the basis of information concerning at least one of a focal length of said photographic optical system and an object'"'"'s distance;

a field frame for defining a reference visual field of said viewfinder optical system;

a field-correcting frame for correcting the visual field defined by said field frame; and

a field variable mechanism for moving said field-correcting frame in a direction normal to an optical axis of said viewfinder optical system and in a direction of said viewfinder optical system in accordance with said correction amount of parallax calculated by said correction amount-calculating means;

wherein said field-correcting frame can be visually observed at a plurality of different positions in the visual field of said viewfinder optical system, said field-correcting frame covering a different portion of the visual field of said viewfinder optical system and disposed at a different point relative to the optical axis of said viewfinder optical system at each of said plurality of positions.

2. The viewfinder apparatus of claim 1, wherein said field-correcting frame and said field frame are curvilinear to correspond with a curvilinear profile of an image-forming surface of said viewfinder optical system.

3. The viewfinder apparatus of claim 1, wherein said field-correcting frame is driveable and rotatable about a revolving shaft in a direction normal to said optical axis of said viewfinder optical system, and is thereby moveable along the curvilinear profile of said image-forming surface of said viewfinder optical system.

4. A viewfinder apparatus for a camera as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a motor for driving said field variable mechanism.

5. The viewfinder apparatus of claim 4, wherein said motor is a driving source for at least one of magnifying power-changing behavior and focus-adjusting behavior in said photographic optical system.

6. A viewfinder apparatus for a camera, comprising:

a viewfinder optical system separate from a photographic optical system for photographing an image of an object;

a field-correcting frame for correcting a parallax between said photographic optical system and said viewfinder optical system; and

a driving mechanism for directing said field-correcting frame in a direction substantially normal to an optical axis of said viewfinder optical system, and

in a direction of the optical axis of said viewfinder optical system;

wherein said field-correcting frame can be visually observed at a plurality of different positions in the visual field of said viewfinder optical system, said field-correcting frame covering a different portion of the visual field of said viewfinder optical system and disposed at a different point relative to the optical axis of said viewfinder optical system at each of said plurality of positions.

7. The viewfinder apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a single driving source for driving said driving mechanism.

8. The viewfinder apparatus of claim 6, wherein said driving mechanism includes a first driving mechanism for directing said field-correcting frame in a direction substantially normal to said optical axis of said viewfinder optical system and a second driving mechanism for directing said field-correcting frame in a direction of said optical axis of said viewfinder optical system.

9. The viewfinder apparatus of claim 6, wherein said field-correcting frame is moveable and rotatable about a revolving axis in a direction perpendicular to said optical axis of said viewfinder optical system, and is thereby moveable both in the direction substantially normal to said optical axis of said viewfinder optical system and in said direction of said optical axis of said viewfinder optical system.

10. A camera including a viewfinder apparatus, comprising:

a viewfinder optical system, through which an object can be visually observed; and

a display member movable both in a direction substantially normal to an optical axis of said viewfinder optical system and in a direction of said optical axis of said viewfinder optical system, said display member being inserted into a visual field of said viewfinder apparatus, thereby allowing said display member to be visually observed,

wherein said display member can be visually observed at a plurality of different positions in the visual field of said viewfinder optical system so that a different field range is represented when said display member is stationary at each of said plurality of positions, said field-correcting frame covering a different portion of the visual field of said viewfinder optical system and disposed at a different point relative to the optical axis of said viewfinder optical system at each of said plurality of positions.

11. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 10, wherein said display member is a field-correcting frame for changing said visual field of said viewfinder apparatus.

12. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 11, wherein said viewfinder optical system is an optical system independent of a photographic optical system in said camera, and wherein said field-correcting frame is moved to correct a parallax between said viewfinder optical system and said photographic optical system.

13. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a photographic optical system independent of said viewfinder optical system;

a distance-measuring device for measuring a distance of an object;

an arithmetic operating means for calculating a correction amount of parallax between said photographic optical system and said viewfinder optical system on a basis of a measurement result from said distance-measuring device and a focal length of said photographic optical system; and

a driving mechanism for driving said field-correcting frame in response to a calculation result from said arithmetic operating means.

14. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 13, wherein said field-correcting frame can be located at a plurality of positions in accordance with said calculation result from said arithmetic operating means.

15. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 13, wherein said viewfinder optical system includes an objective optical system for forming an image of an object, a reversing optical system for converting such a formed image of the object into an erect image, and an ocular optical system for visually observing the formed image of the object on a magnified scale, and wherein said field-correcting frame is moved in a direction of an optical axis of said viewfinder optical system in such a manner that said field-correcting frame and said image of said object formed by means of said objective optical system are visually observed at substantially the same diopter at any position midway along a course of movement of said field-correcting frame in a direction substantially normal to said optical axis of said viewfinder optical system.

16. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 13, wherein said photographic optical system and said viewfinder optical system form a magnifying power-changing optical system comprising:

a magnifying power change-driving mechanism for changing respective magnifying powers of said photographic optical system and said viewfinder optical system; and

a focal length-detecting means for detection of a state in which said magnifying power of said photographic optical system is changed,

wherein said arithmetic operating means calculates a correction amount of parallax between said viewfinder optical system and said photographic optical system on a basis of output from said focal length-detecting means and output from said distance-measuring device.

17. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a driving source for driving said driving mechanism and said magnifying power change-driving mechanism.

18. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 13, wherein said field-correcting frame is rotationally moveable.

19. A camera including a viewfinder apparatus, comprising:

a viewfinder optical system for visually observing an image of an object;

a field frame for defining a field range of said viewfinder apparatus; and

a field-correcting frame for changing the field range defined by said field frame,

wherein said field-correcting frame can be visually observed at a plurality of different positions in the visual field of said viewfinder optical system so that a different field range is represented when said field-correcting frame is stationary at each of said plurality of positions, said field-correcting f&

me covering a different portion of the visual field of said viewfinder optical system, and disposed at a different point relative to the optical axis of said viewfinder optical system at each of said plurality of positions.

20. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a driving mechanism for driving said field-correcting frame, in which said driving mechanism drives said field-correcting frame both in a direction normal to an optical axis of said viewfinder optical system and in a direction of the optical axis of said viewfinder optical system when the field range is changed.

21. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a distance-measuring device for measuring a distance of said object;

an arithmetic operating means for calculating a correction amount of parallax between said photographic optical system and said viewfinder optical system on a basis of information regarding at least one of a measurement result from said distance-measuring device and a focal length of said photographic optical system; and

a driving mechanism for driving said field-correcting frame,

wherein said field-correcting frame is driven in accordance with a calculation result from said arithmetic operating means.

22. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 19, wherein said photographic optical system has a single focal length;

and further comprising;

a distance-measuring device for measuring a distance of said object;

an arithmetic operating means for calculating a correction amount of parallax between said photographic optical system and said viewfinder optical system on a basis of a measurement result from said distance-measuring device; and

a driving mechanism for driving said field-correcting frame,

wherein said field-correcting frame is driven in accordance with a calculation result from said arithmetic operating means.

23. The camera including a viewfinder apparatus of claim 21, wherein said photographic optical system is a magnifying power-changing optical system comprising:

a photographic optical system'"'"'s magnifying power-changing mechanism for changing a magnifying power of said photographic optical system; and

a detecting means for detecting a focal length of said photographic optical system,

wherein said arithmetic operating means calculates a correction amount of parallax on a basis of a measurement result from said distance-measuring device and a detection result from said detecting means.