Abstract: A torque detection device includes a first yoke and a first magnetic guide member. A first opposing portion of the first magnetic guide member overlaps with a first-yoke ring of the first yoke when the first-yoke ring is projected onto the first opposing portion in an axial direction. Furthermore, the first opposing portion overlaps with an inner surface of a second tubular portion when the inner surface is projected onto the first opposing portion in the axial direction. A housing distance, which is a shortest distance measured from the first opposing portion to the inner surface, is longer than a yoke distance, which is a shortest distance measured from the first opposing portion to the first-yoke ring.

Abstract: An endoscope processor includes a processor that can be connected to an endoscope including a moving mechanism of a focusing lens included in an objective optical system and an image pickup apparatus. The processor is configured to determine whether or not a transition has been made from a screening state to a proximity state based on positional information of the focusing lens and an image in a proximity determination mode when a variation in an image height in an effective image range with control of the moving mechanism is 1% or less, and when it is determined that a transition has been made to the proximity state, the processor is configured to end the proximity determination mode and control the moving mechanism in an autofocus mode.

Abstract: An endoscope processor includes a processor that can be connected to an endoscope including a moving mechanism of a focusing lens included in an objective optical system and an image pickup apparatus. The processor is configured to determine whether or not a transition has been made from a screening state to a proximity state based on positional information of the focusing lens and an image in a proximity determination mode when a variation in an image height in an effective image range with control of the moving mechanism is 1% or less, and when it is determined that a transition has been made to the proximity state, the processor is configured to end the proximity determination mode and control the moving mechanism in an autofocus mode.

Abstract: A focus control device includes a processor. The processor analyzes detection results of a target object in time sequence to determine whether the target object is in a lost state in which the target object is not temporarily captured into an image, sets a focus drive mode to an autofocus mode when the target object is detected, sets a first positional mode in which the focus lens is arranged at a position that is within a set range of an in-focus object plane position and is on the far point side of a central position when the target object is not detected and is not in the lost state, and sets the focus drive mode such that a lens position is nearer to a near point than in the first positional mode or sets the focus drive mode to the autofocus mode in a when the lost state is determined.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes a processor. The processor performs controlling a focus position of an objective optical system, acquiring images sequentially captured by an image sensor, and combining the images in N frames thus captured into a depth of field extended image in one frame. The processor controls the focus position such that focus positions at timings when the respective images in N frames are captured differ from each other. The processor combines the images in N frames that have been controlled to receive a constant quantity of light emission of illumination light or the images in N frames that have undergone a correction process to make image brightness constant, into the depth of field extended image.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a processor including hardware. The processor is configured to implement controlling a focus position of an objective optical system configured to form an image of a subject on an image sensor, acquiring L×N images per second captured by the image sensor, and combining acquired M images into one extended depth of field image to extend a depth of field, and outputting L extended depth of field images per second. The processor sets one of the M images as a reference image, performs positioning of the other image or images of the M images with respect to the reference image, and combines the thus positioned M images into the one extended depth of field image.

Abstract: An imaging device includes an objective optical system, an optical path splitter splitting an object image into a first and a second optical image different from each other in an in-focus object plane position, an image sensor capturing the first and second optical image to acquire a first and a second image. The processor performs a combining process of selecting an image with a relatively high contrast in predetermined corresponding areas between the first and second image to generate a single combined image. The processor controls the position of a focus lens to be a position determined to form the object image of the target object at a position between a first position corresponding to the image sensor for acquiring the first image and a second position corresponding to the image sensor for acquiring the second image, based on the first and second image before the combining process.

Abstract: An imaging device includes an objective optical system that includes a focus lens, an optical path splitter that splits an object image into a first optical image and a second optical image different from each other in in-focus object plane position, an image sensor that captures the first optical image to acquire a first image and the second optical image to acquire a second image, and a processor including hardware. The processor performs a combining process of generating a single combined image based on the first image and the second image, and an Auto Focus (AF) control. The processor operates in the AF control mode including a first AF control mode of performing the AF control by using a first AF evaluation value calculated from the first image and a second AF evaluation value calculated from the second image.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a processor. The processor, in a manual focus mode, sets a focus evaluation area to have a larger size than the focus evaluation area set in an auto focus mode, generates assist information assisting adjustment of the in-focus object plane position based on a focus evaluation value obtained from an image of the focus evaluation area, and outputting the assist information to a display section.

Abstract: An image capturing device includes a processor. The processor is configured to implement: a switching control process for switching between a manual focus (MF) mode and an auto focus (AF) mode of performing auto focus control; a process for controlling driving of a focus lens; scene status determination process for performing a detection process for detecting a scene change during the MF mode and an estimation process for estimating distance change information indicating distance change between the image capturing section and an object. The processor is configured to implement: controlling the driving of the focus lens based on lens drive information; switching control for switching from the MF mode to the AF mode when the scene change is detected; and controlling the driving of the focus lens to bring the object into focus based on the distance change information.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a processor including hardware. The processor is configured to implement controlling a focus position of an objective optical system configured to form an image of a subject on an image sensor, acquiring L×N images per second captured by the image sensor, and combining acquired M images into one extended depth of field image to extend a depth of field, and outputting L extended depth of field images per second. The processor sets one of the M images as a reference image, performs positioning of the other image or images of the M images with respect to the reference image, and combines the thus positioned M images into the one extended depth of field image.

Abstract: A focus control device includes a region setting section 2010 that sets a plurality of regions, each including a plurality of pixels, to an image acquired by an imaging section 200, an AF evaluation value calculation section 2020 that calculates an AF evaluation value of each of the plurality of regions, an invalid region setting section (invalid block setting section 2050) that sets an invalid region (low contrast determination invalid block) in the plurality of regions, a low contrast state determination section 2075 that determines whether or not the target subject is in a low contrast state based on the AF evaluation value of a region, in the plurality of regions, other than the invalid region, and a focus control section 2000 that controls an in-focus object plane position based on the AF evaluation value. The focus control section 2000 is configured to implement the focus control varying depending on a determination result obtained by the low contrast state determination section 2075.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes a processor. The processor performs controlling a focus position of an objective optical system, acquiring images sequentially captured by an image sensor, and combining the images in N frames thus captured into a depth of field extended image in one frame. The processor controls the focus position such that focus positions at timings when the respective images in N frames are captured differ from each other. The processor combines the images in N frames that have been controlled to receive a constant quantity of light emission of illumination light or the images in N frames that have undergone a correction process to make image brightness constant, into the depth of field extended image.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus including an imaging section that includes a phase difference detection element for implementing phase detection autofocus, and acquires a captured image; a phase difference calculation section that calculates a phase difference based on a signal output from the phase difference detection element; a lens position selection section that selects a lens position that is either a near point-side lens position or a far point-side lens position based on the phase difference, the near point-side lens position and the far point-side lens position being discrete lens positions set in advance; a driver section that changes a lens position of the imaging section to the lens position selected by the lens position selection section; and a control section that controls an intensity of illumination light that is applied to an object.

Abstract: A focus control device includes a processor including hardware. The processor sets a plurality of regions, each including a plurality of pixels, to an image acquired by an imaging section, obtains a direction determination result for each region in some or all of the plurality of regions set, by determining whether a target focusing position that is a target of an in-focus object plane position is on a NEAR side or a FAR side relative to a reference position, determines an in-focus direction by performing weighted comparison between NEAR area information and FAR area information, based on the direction determination result and weight information, and controls the in-focus object plane position based on the in-focus direction.

Abstract: A focus control device includes a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to implement: an area setting process that sets a plurality of areas, each including a plurality of pixels, on a captured image acquired by an imaging section, an evaluation value calculation process that calculates an AF (Autofocus) evaluation value for each of the plurality of set areas, a bright spot influence rate calculation process that calculates a bright spot influence rate for each of the plurality of set areas, based on whether or not the area includes a high luminance portion determined to have a size equal to or larger than a given size, and focus control based on the AF evaluation value and the bright spot influence rate.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes a processor comprising hardware, a processor performs a focus control that controls a position of a focus lens to an in-focus position based on an in-focus evaluation value, the focus lens being included in an optical system that forms an image of a captured image that is acquired by an imaging section, and the in-focus evaluation value being calculated from a first area within the captured image, and a change-in-scene detection process that detects whether or not a change in scene has occurred from a second area that includes an area that differs from the first area, wherein the processor is set to a standby state when the position of the focus lens has been controlled to the in-focus position, and resumes the focus control process when a change in scene has been detected when the focus control section is set to the standby state.

Abstract: A focus control device includes a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to implement: an area setting process that sets a plurality of areas to a captured image that has been captured by an imaging section, each of the plurality of areas including a plurality of pixels; a direction determination process that determines whether a target in-focus position lies in a NEAR direction or a FAR direction with respect to a reference position with respect to some or all of the plurality of areas set to the captured image to calculate a direction determination result with respect to each of the plurality of areas, the target in-focus position being a target of an in-focus object plane position; and a focus control process that preferentially brings an area among the plurality of areas that is situated away from the imaging section into focus based on the direction determination result.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes an optical system including a focus lens, a connector to which an interchangeable optical system is connected, an image sensor configured to output a captured image based on the optical system and the interchangeable optical system, and a processor including hardware. The processor performs a determination process of determining whether the interchangeable optical system is a known or unknown optical system, implements a first step amount determination process when the interchangeable optical system is determined to be a known optical system, and implements a second step amount determination process when the interchangeable optical system is determined to be an unknown optical system and controls the focus lens based on step amount information determined.

Abstract: A focus control device includes: a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to implement: an area setting process that sets a plurality of areas to a captured image that has been captured by an imaging section, each of the plurality of areas including a plurality of pixels; an object distance information calculation process that calculates distance information about a distance to an object that is captured within each of the plurality of areas; and a focus control process based on the distance information, wherein the processor implements the focus control process that performs a classification process that classifies the plurality of areas into a plurality of groups, and performs the focus control process based on area information about each of the plurality of groups.