US6700610B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Imaging apparatus
Assignee: Olympus Corp
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Filing: 1999-07-09
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Granted: 2004-03-02
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Expires: 2019-07-09
Abstract
Abstract An operating condition judging circuit judges at least one of consumed whether or not a mechanically driven part is being operated, the supply voltage level, the ambient temperature, whether or not the lens stop device is operative, whether or not the strobo device is being charged, and whether or not access operation of a recording device is being performed. A controller controls a frequency of sweep-out of unnecessary charge in the imaging element on the basis of the output of the operating condition judging circuit. Thus, it is possible to effectively reduce the peak consumed current through the entire imaging apparatus, reduce the power consumption and extend battery life.
Inventors
- 👤 Takayuki Kijima
- 👤 Masataka Ide
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 10:25
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/60; H04N23/65; H04N23/651; H04N23/70; H04N23/74; H04N25/00; H04N25/40; H04N25/44; H04N25/441; H04N25/60; H04N25/62; H04N25/625; H04N25/70; H04N25/71; H04N25/73
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
An imaging apparatus having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a sweep-out means for sweeping out unnecessary charge in the imaging element; an operating condition judging means for judging an operating condition of the imaging apparatus; a control means for controlling a change in frequency of the sweep-out of unnecessary charge by the sweep-out means on the basis of an output of the operating condition judging means; and said change in frequency being a reduction in the frequency when the operating condition judging means determines that the operating condition requires energy during a sweep-out operation.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
110 words
An imaging apparatus having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a sweep-out means for sweeping out unnecessary charge in the imaging element; an operating condition judging means for judging an operating condition of the imaging apparatus; a control means for controlling a change in frequency of the sweep-out of unnecessary charge by the sweep-out means on the basis of an output of the operating condition judging means; and said change in frequency being a reduction in the frequency when the operating condition judging means determines that the operating condition requires energy during a sweep-out operation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
108 words
An imaging apparatus having at least one mechanically driven part and having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a sweep-out means for sweeping out unnecessary charge in the imaging element; an operating condition judging means for judging whether or not the mechanically driven part is being operated thereby requiring the need for energy during a sweep-out operation; and a control means for setting a lower sweep-out frequency of the sweep-out means when the mechanically driven part is being operated during a sweep-out operation than when the mechanically driven part is not being operated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
108 words
An imaging apparatus having at least one mechanically driven part and having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a sweep-out means for sweeping out unnecessary charge in the imaging element; an operating condition judging means for judging whether or not the mechanically driven part is being operated thereby requiring the need for energy during a sweep-out operation; and a control means for setting a lower sweep-out frequency of the sweep-out means when the mechanically driven part is being operated during a sweep-out operation than when the mechanically driven part is not being operated.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
113 words
An imaging apparatus having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a lens stop means for stopping a light flux incident on the imaging element; a sweep-out means for sweeping out unnecessary charge in the imaging element; and a control means for controlling a sweep-out frequency of the sweep-out means such as to provide a lower sweep-out frequency when the lens stop means is operative than when the lens stop means is inoperative during a sweep-out operating, the lower sweep-out frequency being chosen due to a need for energy to operate the lens stop means during a sweep-out operation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
113 words
An imaging apparatus having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a lens stop means for stopping a light flux incident on the imaging element; a sweep-out means for sweeping out unnecessary charge in the imaging element; and a control means for controlling a sweep-out frequency of the sweep-out means such as to provide a lower sweep-out frequency when the lens stop means is operative than when the lens stop means is inoperative during a sweep-out operating, the lower sweep-out frequency being chosen due to a need for energy to operate the lens stop means during a sweep-out operation.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein: the control means reduces the sweep-out frequency of the sweep-out means when the lens stop means is operative so that the consumed current at this time is less than the maximum consumed current when the lens stop means is inoperative.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
81 words
An imaging apparatus having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a recording means for writing image data from the imaging element; a control means detecting energy needed for a recording operation during a sweep-out operation for setting a lower sweep-out frequency of a sweep-out means during an access operation of the recording means to write image data than during a non-access operation of the recording means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
81 words
An imaging apparatus having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a recording means for writing image data from the imaging element; a control means detecting energy needed for a recording operation during a sweep-out operation for setting a lower sweep-out frequency of a sweep-out means during an access operation of the recording means to write image data than during a non-access operation of the recording means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
106 words
An imaging apparatus having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a sweep-out means for sweeping out unnecessary charge in the imaging element; an operating condition judging means for judging a predetermined plurality of operating conditions of the imaging apparatus; a control means selecting a frequency of the sweep-out means among a plurality of predetermined frequencies on the basis of the judged operating conditions; and said change in frequency being a reduction in the frequency when the operating condition judging means determines that an operating condition requires energy during a sweep-out operation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
106 words
An imaging apparatus having an imaging element for accumulating signal charge corresponding to an incident scene light flux in a photo-electric converting element section comprising: a sweep-out means for sweeping out unnecessary charge in the imaging element; an operating condition judging means for judging a predetermined plurality of operating conditions of the imaging apparatus; a control means selecting a frequency of the sweep-out means among a plurality of predetermined frequencies on the basis of the judged operating conditions; and said change in frequency being a reduction in the frequency when the operating condition judging means determines that an operating condition requires energy during a sweep-out operation.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of frequencies is set on the basis of a number of the judged operating conditions needing energy during a sweep-out operation.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a normally open shutter which is fully closed during a time when an image is read out of the imaging element.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The imaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the imaging element includes shift registers, and said sweep-out means sweeps out charge from the shift registers.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
The imaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the imaging element includes charge storage elements and shift registers and the sweep-out means sweeps out charge transferred to the shift registers from the charge storage elements.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-03-02 | 2007-09-01 | 2008-03-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-03-02 | 2011-09-01 | 2012-03-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-03-02 | 2015-09-01 | 2016-03-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |