Abstract: A movement detection apparatus comprises a first circuit for detecting a difference signal between first and second image signals, a second circuit for integrating the difference signal detected by the first circuit, a third circuit for detecting respective image signal levels of the first and second image signals when the image signals reach a predetermined level, a fourth circuit for detecting a difference signal of plural detection results given by the third circuit, and a fifth circuit for dividing the second circuit output signal by the fourth circuit output signal to detect a signal corresponding to image movement.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus comprising plural image taking systems for taking the image of an object and outputting image signals, a memory circuit for storing plural image signals output from the plural image pickup systems, a convergence angle setting unit for setting the convergence angle of the plural image pickup systems, and a trimming circuit for extracting, from each of the plural image signals stored in the memory circuit, the signal of a portion corresponding to the convergence angle set by the convergence angle setting unit.

Abstract: An image shake detecting device for detecting a shake of an image on an image sensing plane on the basis of a video signal output from an image sensor includes detection circuits arranged to detect image displacement in a plurality of areas set on the image sensing plane, and a control microcomputer which makes a discrimination, on the basis of information output from these detection circuits, between a movement of a camera and a solo movement of a photographed object. The device thus accurately makes compensation for an image shake by judging the state of the image on the basis of information output from these detection circuits. The image shake detecting device further includes a computing circuit arranged to compute a quantity of an image shake on the basis of a difference in detecting timing of a feature point of the image and a sensitivity control circuit arranged to change the detection sensitivity of the shake detection circuits.

Abstract: A movement vector detection apparatus includes a detecting circuit for detecting a movement vector of an image in accordance with the amount of change in an image density value over a determined time at an arbitrary position of an image and a space gradient of an image signal at the arbitrary position, and a setting circuit for suitably setting a dimension and a shape of a unit operation area to output the movement vector in response to a space frequency of the input image.

Abstract: A movement vector detecting apparatus comprising: a movement vector detecting circuit for dividing an input image into a plurality of blocks and for detecting a movement vector every block; and a movement vector calculating circuit for extracting areas which perform the same movement from the movement vectors from the movement vector detecting circuit and for calculating movement vector values in such areas by executing a weight averaging process according to position information which occupies in the area of each of the blocks. A video camera having such a movement vector detecting apparatus is provided.

Abstract: A movement detection device for detecting movement of an image incident on an image sensing device and for compensating for that movement includes movement detection circuitry for detecting the movement of the image from image signals output from the image sensing device. Correction circuitry is provided for electrically correcting the movement of the image based on an output of the movement detection circuitry. A filter is provided for receiving the corrected image signals output from the correction circuitry, and for performing a filter processing operation on the corrected image signals to compensate for degradation of image resolution due to the movement of the image.

Abstract: In a stereoscopic image pick-up mode and an aspect ratio change/panoramic image pick-up mode by a multi-eye image pick-up apparatus, information is displayed such that a photographer can intuitively grasp various image pick-up conditions.A multi-eye image pick-up apparatus having a plurality of image pick-up optical systems includes an operation processing portion for receiving signals of position information obtained by an encoder and a rotational angle encoder provided to each image pick-up optical system, and a slide mechanism to calculate the image pick-up conditions and the display position of a figure representing the image pick-up state to be displayed in a finder, and a finder screen image producing portion for producing, from a calculation result, a video signal to be displayed in the finder.

Abstract: An image pick-up apparatus includes a detection circuit for detecting vibration of the apparatus body, a correction system for correcting the vibration by shifting an image, and a control circuit for controlling driving of the correction system in accordance with an output of the detection circuit. A closed loop frequency characteristic is constituted as a notch filter, and a blocking frequency of the notch filter is made variable on the basis of changes in the detected vibration frequency.

Abstract: A photographing system for detecting and correcting camera shake in a camera having a photoelectric converting circuit for converting an optical image formed by an objective lens into an electrical signal includes a detecting device for detecting the shake of the photographing system. A deflecting device optically deflects the optical image on the basis of a detection signal from the detecting device. Shifting circuitry is provided for shifting an image received by the photoelectric converting circuitry, and a calculating circuit is provided for calculating the amount of shift of the image on the basis of the amount of deflection produced by the deflecting device. The photoelectric converting circuitry produces electrical signals corresponding to a plurality of color components, and the shifting circuitry processes at least one of the electrical signals on the basis of the result of the calculation by the calculating circuit. Thus, camera shake may be corrected by both optical and electrical correction.

Abstract: An image processing system comprises an image shifting circuit for shifting an image by processing an input video signal, a scene-change detecting circuit for detecting the presence or absence of a scene change in the input video signal, and a control circuit for controlling the amount in which the image is shifted by the image shifting circuit, according to the presence or absence of the scene change detected by the scene-change detecting circuit.

Abstract: In an optical element, an optically transparent substance is sandwiched between transparent paired plate-shaped elements by utilizing a connection member capable of deforming, and the angle formed by the paired plate-shaped elements is caused to vary by a force applied thereto from the outside, so that a predetermined optical characteristic for the passing light rays is obtained. The connection member is constructed from a high-molecular material capable of molding.

Abstract: A shakeproof camera includes an image pickup element whose exposure time and exposure period are set variable, a shake detection circuit for detecting a photographed image shake on the basis of an output from the image pickup element, a shake correction unit for correcting the image shake on the basis of an output from the shake detection circuit, and a control circuit for changing control parameters of the shake correction unit in accordance with the exposure time and the exposure period of the image pickup element.

Abstract: A movement detection apparatus comprises a first circuit for detecting a difference signal between first and second image signals, a second circuit for integrating the difference signal detected by the first circuit, a third circuit for detecting respective image signal levels of the first and second image signals when the image signals reach a predetermined level, a fourth circuit for detecting a difference signal of plural detection results given by the third circuit, and a fifth circuit for dividing the second circuit output signal by the fourth circuit output signal to detect a signal corresponding to image movement.

Abstract: An optical apparatus is provided with a lens unit movable in the direction of the optical axis thereof, a lens barrel, an electromagnetic coil coupled to one of the lens unit and the lens barrel, a driving unit having a magnetic material coupled to the other of the lens unit and the lens barrel, and a guide for slidably guiding the lens unit relative to the lens barrel.

Abstract: An automatic image stabilization device which is arranged to detect image movement information from a sensed image signal produced from an image sensor and to reduce the image movement comprises a movement detecting circuit which obtains movement vector information for each of a plurality of parts of an image plane, and a weight setting circuit arranged to attach weight to each movement vector information and to vary the weighting degree according to photographing conditions. A camera using this device is arranged to correct the shaking of the camera on the basis of the result of a computing operation performed on a camera shake detected from the signal produced from the image sensor together with a camera shake physically detected by means of an accelerometer.

Abstract: A movement detection device for detecting movement of an image incident on an image sensing device and for compensating for that movement includes movement detection circuitry for detecting the movement of the image from image signals output from the image sensing device. Correction circuitry is provided for electrically correcting the movement of the image based on an output of the movement detection circuitry. A filter is provided for receiving the corrected image signals output from the correction circuitry, and for performing a filter processing operation on the corrected image signals to compensate for degradation of image resolution due to the movement of the image.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a displacement of an object comprises a light source element for emitting a detection light beam, a reflection member for reflecting the detection light beam from the light source element, the detection light beam being irradiated to the object by the reflection by the reflection member, a photo-sensing element for sensing the detection light beam reflected from the object by a photo-sensing plane thereof to detect an incident position of the detection light beam on the photo-sensing plane, displacement information of the object being determined in accordance with the detection by the photo-sensing element, and a substrate having the light source element, the reflection member and the photo-sensing element arranged thereon.

Abstract: An image shake detecting device for detecting a shake of an image on an image sensing plane on the basis of a video signal output from an image sensor includes detection circuits arranged to detect image displacement in a plurality of areas set on the image sensing plane, and a control microcomputer which makes a discrimination, on the basis of information output from these detection circuits, between a movement of a camera and a solo movement of a photographed object. The device thus accurately makes compensation for an image shake by judging the state of the image on the basis of information output from these detection circuits. The image shake detecting device further includes a computing circuit arranged to compute a quantity of an image shake on the basis of a difference in detecting timing of a feature point of the image and a sensitivity control circuit arranged to change the detection sensitivity of the shake detection circuits.

Abstract: A position detecting device comprises a movable member, a first electrode movable with the movement of the movable member, and a second electrode disposed at a location opposed to the first electrode. The edge of at least one of the first and second electrodes are inclined with respect to the direction of movement of the first electrode, whereby the area over which the first electrode and the second electrode overlap each other is varied by the relative movement of the two electrodes and an electrostatic capacity provided by the two electrodes is also varied to make the detection of the absolute position of the movable member possible and to change a position detection accuracy in accordance with a position of the first electrode.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a movement vector detection apparatus for obtaining the movement amount of an image from the density difference between frames and the spatial inclination. More particularly, the present invention relates to a movement vector detection apparatus having a first operation circuit for operating the movement vector in accordance with an estimation equation approximating an influence of the diagonal spatial inclination component, a second operation circuit for obtaining a signal denoting the amount of the diagonal spatial inclination component of a supplied image signal and a third operation circuit for averaging the output from the first operation circuit under a weight which corresponds to the output from the second operation circuit.