US 11,722,786 B2
Imaging apparatus with removable variable neutral density filter
Junki Yoshimuta, Tokyo (JP); Tetsuo Morimoto, Tokyo (JP); and Koji Morioka, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Sony Group Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/610,273
Filed by Sony Group Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Apr. 3, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/015304
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 10, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/235232, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-095173 (JP), filed on May 21, 2019; and application No. 2019-152689 (JP), filed on Aug. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0224814 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. H04N 5/335 (2011.01); H04N 23/75 (2023.01); H04N 23/71 (2023.01); H04N 23/55 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/75 (2023.01) [H04N 23/71 (2023.01); H04N 23/55 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:
a variable neutral density filter that has a variable transmittance;
an imaging sensor on which object light via the variable neutral density filter forms an image;
a variable transmittance drive circuit that changes the transmittance of the variable neutral density filter in accordance with a transmittance control value;
an operating device, being one of a button, a knob, or a touch panel, and configured to receive instruction of a transmittance lowering operation and a transmittance raising operation;
a filter insertion/removal device including a drive actuator and configured to remove the variable neutral density filter from an incident light path of the object light and insert the variable neutral density filter into the incident light path; and
filter control circuitry configured to instruct the filter insertion/removal device to insert the variable neutral density filter into the incident light path and instruct the variable transmittance drive circuit to lower the transmittance of the variable neutral density filter, both based on detection of the transmittance lowering operation of the operating device, and instruct the variable transmittance drive circuit to raise the transmittance of the variable neutral density filter and instruct the filter insertion/removal device to remove the variable neutral density filter from the incident light path, both based on detection of the transmittance raising operation of the operating device.