Nikon has been granted a patent for a camera accessory that can be attached and detached from a camera body. The accessory includes a movable correction optical system and a communication unit that transmits information about the position of the optical system and vibrations detected by the accessory to the camera body. The accessory also has a second communication unit that can receive instructions from the camera body. GlobalData’s report on Nikon gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Nikon, Welding robots was a key innovation area identified from patents. Nikon's grant share as of September 2023 was 28%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Camera accessory with movable correction optical system and communication capabilities
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11778323B2) describes a camera accessory that can be attached and detached from a camera body. The camera accessory includes a correction optical system that can be moved in a direction intersecting its optical axis. It also features a first communicator that transmits two types of information to the camera body: first information recording the position of the correction optical system and second information related to vibrations detected by the camera accessory. Additionally, the camera accessory includes a second communicator that receives instructions from the camera body, specifically an instruction to start communication of the first communicator.
The second information transmitted by the camera accessory represents the amount of vibration of an image on the image plane caused by the vibration of the camera accessory. The first communicator repeatedly transmits information, including the first and second information. It periodically transmits this information in a cycle shorter than the cycle in which the second communicator receives instructions from the camera body.
The camera accessory also includes a drive unit that moves the correction optical system in the direction intersecting the optical axis when instructed by the second communicator to start the correction of the vibration. The first information relates to the position of the correction optical system in the direction intersecting the optical axis and has a value obtained by converting the position into a position on the image plane.
The patent also describes a method of transmitting information between the camera accessory and the camera body. This method involves transmitting both the first information regarding the position of the correction optical system and the second information regarding the vibration of the camera accessory. The camera body receives instructions from the camera accessory and an instruction to start communication between the two.
Furthermore, the patent includes a camera body to which an interchangeable lens with a correction lens movable in a direction intersecting the optical axis can be attached. The camera body includes a first communicator that receives the first and second information from the interchangeable lens and a second communicator that transmits instructions to the interchangeable lens. The second communicator transmits an instruction to start communication of the first communicator.
The camera body also features an image sensor that captures images formed by the interchangeable lens and a drive unit that moves the image sensor based on the first and second information received. The first communicator receives the first and second information via a first data signal line terminal, while the second communicator transmits the instruction to start communication of the first communicator via a second data signal line terminal.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
