Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a photodiode, a first transistor, and a second transistor. The photodiode has a function of supplying a charge corresponding to incident light to a gate of the first transistor, the first transistor has a function of accumulating the charge supplied to the gate, and the second transistor has a function of retaining the charge accumulated in the gate of the first transistor. The second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor.

Abstract: A mobile terminal includes: a terminal body; and a camera module provided at one side of the terminal body, wherein the camera module includes: a first lens assembly; a second lens assembly provided below the first lens assembly; a diaphragm disposed between the first and second lens assemblies, and having its aperture changed; and an actuator disposed close to the first lens assembly, and configured to reciprocate the first lens assembly, wherein the diaphragm includes: a first blade having a through hole therein; a second blade having a through hole therein, and configured to change an aperture of the diaphragm by a relative motion with respect to the first blade; a link member coupled to end parts of the first and second blades, and configured to move the first and second blades by being rotated; and a motor coupled to one side of the link member, and configured to rotate the link member.

Abstract: An image sensor and an image processing system including the same are provided. The image sensor includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels each connected to one of first through m-th column lines to output a pixel signal, where “m” is an integer of at least 2; analog-to-digital converters each configured to receive the pixel signal corresponding to one of the first through m-th column lines, to compare the pixel signal with a ramp signal, and to convert the pixel signal to a digital pixel signal; and a blocking circuit connected to an input terminal of at least one of the analog-to-digital converters to block an influence of an operation of others among the analog-to-digital converters.

Abstract: A method is provided for automatically adjusting a size of characters using a camera. The method includes receiving an image with characters; adjusting a focus of the image with characters and detecting a region and a size of characters in the image; determining whether the size of the characters in the image falls within a preset range; recognizing the characters in the image and displaying the recognition results, if the size of the characters falls within the preset range; and automatically adjusting a zoom ratio of the image and recognizing the characters in the resized image, if the size of the characters does not fall within the preset range.

Abstract: A camera module having an image sensor and an optical system having at least one lens includes a memory storing information regarding aberration characteristics of the camera module affecting a resolution of the camera module, and the information regarding aberration characteristics comprises information estimated in advance by comparing an image generated by the camera module with a reference image.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus which enhances usability in shooting in a case where a user sets an initial lens position. A system control unit starts shifting a zoom position of a taking lens in response to start of a zooming operation in which the zoom position is changed, and stops shifting the zoom position in response to termination of the zooming operation. When the zoom position reaches a predetermined zoom position, which is inside an optical zoom range and is neither an optical wide-angle end nor an optical telephoto end, while the zoom position is being shifted in a first direction in response to a first zooming operation for shifting the zoom position in the first direction, the system control unit provides control to fix the zoom position at the predetermined zoom position even when the first zooming operation has not been terminated.

Abstract: An image stabilization mechanism includes: a sensor holder unit configured to hold an image sensor; a rear frame; a front frame; a first ball; a second ball; and a cylinder unit configured to press the first ball against the sensor holder unit. The cylinder unit has a cylinder on the rear frame so that an axial direction thereof is parallel to an optical axis direction, a piston movably positioned in the cylinder, and a spring configured to urge the piston toward the sensor holder unit. The first ball is between an end surface of the piston and the sensor holder unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to an image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels operatively connected to a control unit that includes a readout circuit, characterized in that it comprises a monolithic three-dimensional integrated circuit comprising an upper level and a lower level; wherein each pixel comprises: a photosensitive element arranged in said upper level and comprising a photosensitizing layer associated to a transport layer; an active device arranged in said lower level and operatively coupled to the photosensitive element; and a first intermediate terminal and an output terminal circuitally connected, respectively, to the photosensitive element and to the readout circuit; wherein the image sensor further comprises a dark current suppressing circuit; and wherein the control unit is configured to, upon readout of a pixel, circuitally connect the first intermediate terminal of said pixel with its output terminal through the dark current suppressing circuit.

Abstract: A global shutter image sensor may include an array of image sensor pixels. Each pixel may have a photodiode, a charge storage region, low light level circuitry and high light level circuitry. During high light level conditions, some charge generated by the photodiode may be diverted to the high light level circuitry and the remainder may be transferred to the low light level circuitry. During low light level conditions, all of the generated charge may be transferred to the low light level circuitry. A light shielding structure may be formed over the charge storage region. The circuit components of each pixel may be divided between first and second chips. By forming the components on separate chips and by implementing high light level circuitry, the size of the charge storage region may be reduced while preserving the high dynamic range and low noise of the image sensor during all illumination conditions.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes a photometric sensor having a plurality of pixels having a sensitivity to an infrared light range and a visible light range, an acquisition unit that divides the photometric sensor into a plurality of pixel groups and acquires image information of the infrared light range and image information of the visible light range in each of the plurality of pixel groups, a subtraction unit that generates a visible light component obtained by subtracting an infrared light component that is based on the image information of the infrared light range from the image information of each of the plurality of pixel groups, and a processing unit that performs at least one of light source determination processing, specific color detection processing, and exposure amount determination processing, using the visible light component generated by the subtraction unit.

Abstract: Techniques for proving digital photograph authorship using ECG biometrics are described. Electrodes are located on the exterior of a digital camera and are electrically coupled to an ECG circuit. When a photographer holds the camera with both hands, the electrodes detect electrical voltages from the photographer's hands and the ECG circuit produces a digital ECG signal. When the photographer uses the digital camera to capture a photograph, the camera's stenographic engine uses a stenographic key to embedded the ECG signal into the raw image file, producing a watermarked image. The camera's cryptographic engine uses a cryptographic key to encrypt the watermarked image to produce an encrypted image. If a dispute arises regarding authorship of the photograph, the stenographic and cryptographic engines convert the encrypted image into the raw image file and the photographer's ECG signals, which are compared to the ECG signals of the disputed author(s).

Abstract: A pixel circuit including a photodiode, a first storage capacitor and a second storage capacitor is provided. The first storage capacitor discharges to a first output voltage in a first exposure time and to a third output voltage in a third exposure time. The second storage capacitor discharges to a second output voltage in a second exposure time and to a fourth output voltage in a fourth exposure time. The first and second exposure times are included in a first frame period. The third and fourth exposure times are included in a second frame period. The second frame period is a next frame period of the first frame period. In the first frame period, the first exposure time is subsequent to the second exposure time. In the second frame period, the third exposure time is prior to the fourth exposure time.

Abstract: An apparatus having a rectangular imaging array characterized by a plurality of pixel sensors and a plurality of readout lines is disclosed. The apparatus has a plurality of column processing circuits, each column processing circuit being connected to a corresponding one of the readout lines and a plurality of signal injectors, one signal injector being connected to each of the readout lines. Each signal injector causes one of a predetermined number of voltages to be coupled to that readout line. An exposure for each of the pixel sensors is determined during image recording periods. The signal injectors inject a plurality of calibration voltages into the readout lines during calibration periods, and determines a gain function of an amplifier in one of the column processing circuits by measuring an output of the amplifier for the plurality of calibration voltages, the calibration period is between the imaging recording periods.

Abstract: In an image capturing apparatus and a photographing method using the same, the image capturing apparatus comprises: a transparent display panel; and a camera facing a bottom surface of the transparent display panel for synchronizing a shutter time with a period when the transparent display panel displays a black image, and for capturing an image positioned in front of the transparent display panel, thereby capturing a clear image without interference between images due to light-leakage property.

Abstract: An image sensing device includes a read-out control block suitable for generating a selection address signal and one or more address clock signals based on a source address signal, and a judge clock signal having a higher frequency than a source clock signal; and a read-out block suitable for reading out a plurality of pixel signals in response to the selection address signal, the address clock signals and the judge clock signal.

Abstract: An action camera having a camera body joined to the cover, at least one optical unit disposed inside the cavity of the cover, and connection means used to connect the cover to the base support in such manner that the cover rotates with respect to the base support around an axis. The cover being a cap shaped as a portion of geoid cut at a parallel of 50°-60° in such a manner that the cap has a basically flat upper surface and a lateral surface that is curved.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of operating a wearable life logging device (2) comprising a data processing unit (9), a camera unit (7), and at least one motion sensor (4, 5). The method comprises selectively operating the device in a take photo state (200), wherein a photo is captured by means of the camera unit (7), and selectively operating the device in a sleep state (300), wherein the camera unit (7) is in a low power mode. The method further comprises causing the device to transition (120, 330, 430) to the take photo state (200) in response to a signal from the motion sensor (4, 5).

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes at least one processor operatively coupled to a memory. A first anti-shake unit executes an anti-shake process on image data relating to a captured image, and to record image data after the anti-shake process on a recording unit. A second anti-shake unit executes a re-anti-shake process while performing a control process of removing influence of the anti-shake process, which adversely affects the re-anti-shake process executed by the second anti-shake unit, executed by the first anti-shake unit on the image data, after the anti-shake process recorded on the recording unit, based on auxiliary information regarding the anti-shake process output by the first anti-shake unit.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device capable of reducing an area of a chip, capable of realizing both reduction of voltage and prevention of inversion video noise and consequently capable of realizing a higher image quality having a pixel portion and a clipping circuit capable of clipping a pixel readout voltage in accordance with a clipping voltage, wherein the pixel includes a photo-electric conversion element PD, a transfer element capable of transferring a charge accumulated in the photo-electric conversion element in a transfer period, a floating diffusion FD to which the charge accumulated in the photo-electric conversion element is transferred through a transfer element, a source-follower element which converts the charge in the floating diffusion to a voltage signal in accordance with a charge quantity, and a reset element which resets the floating diffusion to a predetermined potential in a resetting period, and the clipping circuit is arranged in an ineffective region of the pixel portion, a driving method

Abstract: A short delay time from imaging of an imaging element to displaying on a view finder is realized using a simple circuit configuration. In a live view mode, an image processing circuit performs image processing on imaging data from an image sensor, and generates image data of a display image. When processing for one line ends, progress information is output. When the image data of the display image is able to be output in synchronization with a second horizontal synchronization signal, a timing generator causes a data enable signal to be active, and supplies the image data to a data input unit according to this progress information on the other hand, when the image data is unable to be output, the timing generator causes the data enable signal to be inactive and supplies dummy data to the data input unit.