A mirror driving device includes a positioner in the imaging apparatus; a mirror holder configured to hold the movable mirror and move to the first position and the second position of the movable mirror; a positioning surface at the mirror holder and configured to come into contact with the positioner to determine the first position of the movable mirror; and a shock dispersion surface provided at the mirror holder. When moving from the second position toward the first position, the movable mirror is configured to contact the positioner before the positioning surface comes into contact with the positioner to reduce a shock. The shock dispersion surface has a smaller inclination with respect to a travel-direction tangent line than an inclination of the positioning surface with respect to the tangent line. The shock dispersion surface is located forward of the positioning surface in the travel direction toward the first position.

An image capturing device includes a movable mirror including a half mirror and circuitry to set a superimpose display mode that superimposes and displays an optical image of a finder optical system and an electronic image captured by an image sensor, and a consecutive photographing mode, control the movable mirror to rotate between a mirror-down position, in which the mirror is inserted in a photographing optical path, reflects light to a finder optical system, and transmits the light to an image sensor, and a mirror-up position in which the mirror is retracted from the photographing optical path and the light passes through to the image sensor, and prohibit the movable mirror from rotating to the mirror-up position and maintain the mirror-down position, when the superimpose display mode and the consecutive photographing mode are both set.

A control apparatus controls driving a vibratory actuator. The control apparatus applies a signal to an electromechanical energy conversion device of a vibrator of the vibratory actuator to excite vibration on the vibrator and cause the vibrator and a driven object contacting the vibrator to move relative to one another by the vibration. If the vibratory actuator decelerates, the control apparatus changes a driving frequency of the signal to a frequency higher than a start-up frequency of the vibratory actuator and a preceding frequency at a deceleration start position. After changing the driving frequency of the signal, the control apparatus controls the signal driving frequency to perform deceleration control and fixes voltage of the signal in a deceleration period in which the vibratory actuator is decelerated.

A control apparatus controls driving a vibratory actuator. The control apparatus applies a signal to an electromechanical energy conversion device of a vibrator of the vibratory actuator to excite vibration on the vibrator and cause the vibrator and a driven object contacting the vibrator to move relative to one another by the vibration. If the vibratory actuator decelerates, the control apparatus changes a driving frequency of the signal to a frequency higher than a start-up frequency of the vibratory actuator and a preceding frequency at a deceleration start position. After changing the driving frequency of the signal, the control apparatus controls the signal driving frequency to perform deceleration control and fixes voltage of the signal in a deceleration period in which the vibratory actuator is decelerated.

An imaging device in which an autofocus function can be performed without using brightness information is provided. In an imaging device according to one aspect, a density of points obtained by plotting two-dimensional point data of a plurality of event data as points on a plane, the event data outputted from an imaging element in a predetermined period in a state in which a focal point of a light receiving lens is adjusted by an adjustment mechanism, is calculated as a point density. When the point density is calculated, a control unit drives and controls the adjustment mechanism based on comparison results between the point density currently calculated and the point density last calculated to thereby adjust the focal point toward the in-focus position. In another aspect, an imaging device having an autofocus function can be provided without using event data.

A lens barrel of the invention includes: an imaging optical system including a focus adjustment lens; a driver that drives the focus adjustment lens in a direction of an optical axis; a transceiver that transmits and receives a signal to and from a camera body; and a controller that controls the transceiver to repeatedly transmit a first image plane transfer coefficient which is determined in correspondence with a position of the focus adjustment lens included in the imaging optical system and a second image plane transfer coefficient which does not depend on the position of the focus adjustment lens to the camera body at a predetermined interval, and, when the controller repeatedly transmits the second image plane transfer coefficient to the camera body, the controller varies the second image plane transfer coefficient over time.

An imaging device in which an autofocus function can be performed without using brightness information is provided. In an imaging device according to one aspect, a density of points obtained by plotting two-dimensional point data of a plurality of event data as points on a plane, the event data outputted from an imaging element in a predetermined period in a state in which a focal point of a light receiving lens is adjusted by an adjustment mechanism, is calculated as a point density. When the point density is calculated, a control unit drives and controls the adjustment mechanism based on comparison results between the point density currently calculated and the point density last calculated to thereby adjust the focal point toward the in-focus position. In another aspect, an imaging device having an autofocus function can be provided without using event data.

An imaging device in which an autofocus function can be performed without using brightness information is provided. In an imaging device according to one aspect, a density of points obtained by plotting two-dimensional point data of a plurality of event data as points on a plane, the event data outputted from an imaging element in a predetermined period in a state in which a focal point of a light receiving lens is adjusted by an adjustment mechanism, is calculated as a point density. When the point density is calculated, a control unit drives and controls the adjustment mechanism based on comparison results between the point density currently calculated and the point density last calculated to thereby adjust the focal point toward the in-focus position. In another aspect, an imaging device having an autofocus function can be provided without using event data.

An optical path switching method is applied to a surveillance module. The method includes: determining a target magnification; and (i) when the target magnification is less than or equal to a maximum magnification of a camera, setting a magnification of the camera to the target magnification, determining that a reflection element is at a first location or in a first working state, and performing image capture by using the camera alone; or (ii) when the target magnification is greater than a maximum magnification of the camera, setting a magnification of the camera to a first magnification, determining that the reflection element is at a second location or in a second working state, and performing image capture by using both the camera and a teleconverter, where a product of the first magnification and a magnification of the teleconverter is the target magnification. The method increases a surveillance distance while reducing costs.

An optical path switching method is applied to a surveillance module. The method includes: determining a target magnification; and (i) when the target magnification is less than or equal to a maximum magnification of a camera, setting a magnification of the camera to the target magnification, determining that a reflection element is at a first location or in a first working state, and performing image capture by using the camera alone; or (ii) when the target magnification is greater than a maximum magnification of the camera, setting a magnification of the camera to a first magnification, determining that the reflection element is at a second location or in a second working state, and performing image capture by using both the camera and a teleconverter, where a product of the first magnification and a magnification of the teleconverter is the target magnification. The method increases a surveillance distance while reducing costs.