Abstract: A drive control apparatus for a lens apparatus having a zoom lens movable between a telephoto end and a wide-angle end according to the present invention comprises a selecting member which selects a zoom position between the telephoto end and the wide-angle end, a controller which has a drive range limiting function of controlling drive of the zoom lens by using the selected zoom position as a drive end, and a drive range switch member which switches the drive range limiting function between an invalid state and a valid state. The controller drives the zoom lens to the drive end when the drive range limiting function is switched to the valid state.

Abstract: Various camera arrangements are disclosed comprising a camera and an optical element. The camera is configured to record an image defined by light rays directed thereto. The optical element is configured to deflect rays from a scene to the camera for recording thereby. The optical element is further configured to deflect the rays such that, if the rays were undeflected, the rays would instead be tangent to a viewing device of predetermined shape, such as a circle. Optical elements may be in the form of curved mirrors or lenses. The camera arrangements are configured to record images in the form of left or right panoramic images of a stereo panoramic image pair, and several stereo panoramic camera arrangements are described, including one or more camera arrangements, for contemporaneously recording both left or right panoramic images of a stereo panoramic image pair.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to suitably perform a zooming control operation in the case that a zoom ring is provided at a lens-side portion and zoom switches are provided at a camera-body-side portion of a lens-interchangeable video camera. To achieve this object, in the case that no zoom lens stop request is provided from the camera-body-side portion, it is judged from information sent from the camera-body-side portion which of a tele direction and a wide direction the moving direction of the zoom lens group is. Moreover, when the zoom angle is not placed at a tele end or at a wide end, lenses are driven by calculating data for driving the lenses. Thereafter, tele information is set or cleared according to whether the zoom lens group is placed at the tele end, Subsequently, zoom-ring operating information is detected. The detected zoom-ring operating information is sent to the camera-body-side portion.

Abstract: An electronic camera is provided with an image pickup unit in a casing at a position opposite to an opening of the casing. The image pickup unit includes an image pickup device and an optical system. The electronic camera is further provided with a rotating mechanism for rotating the image pickup unit, a changer for changing over a photographing possible state and a photographing impossible state, and a controller for controlling the rotating mechanism to rotate the image pickup unit into a target position in response to the changer.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus has the following components: an imaging device provided with a color filter having a regular arrangement formed by repetition of an 8-pixel unit block having two pixels in the line direction and 4 pixels in the column direction; pixel-shifting device operative to shift a light beam impinging upon the imaging surface of the imaging device by an amount corresponding to ⅔ pixel pitch both in plus and minus directions; an image memory capable of storing at least 9 frames of pixel data outputted from imaging device; a memory controller for arranging the pixel data to be written in the image memory in a spatial arrangement equivalent to the pixel data obtained by an imaginary imaging device having pixels of a number three times as large as that of the imaging device in each of line and column directions; an adder circuit which performs a computation for mixing pixel data of a plurality of pixel lines read from the image memory; and a camera process circuit for processing the plural

Abstract: An image input device can pick up images of a plurality of subjects by switching the image pickup direction. The device is provided with an image pickup device for outputting an image signal corresponding to a picked-up image of a subject, an image pickup direction switching device for switching an image pickup direction of the image pickup device, a first detector for detecting the angle of the image pickup direction, and a memory for storing the image signal according to the detected angle.

Abstract: A digital camera with rotatable components is disclosed. In the front of camera there is provided a lens, a flash, and a viewfinder, while in the rear thereof there is provided a liquid crystal display (LCD) corresponding to lens, a control button, and the rear of viewfinder. Control button is operable to press for rotating lens, flash, viewfinder, and LCD in the same direction and into a desired angle with respect to an object. Next a shutter button on the camera is operable to press for taking a picture. This camera has the benefits of ergonomic, precise picture taking, and full covering of the object by flash.

Abstract: A stereo camera system including: a stereo imaging system such as two or more cameras or a camera and a set of angled mirrors, for outputting at least one stereo image; a recognition system for locating an object of interest in the field of view of the stereo imaging system and at least one of a distance of the object of interest from the stereo imaging system and the size of the object of interest; and an adjustor for automatically changing at least one system parameter which affects the spatial resolution of the object of interest based on at least one of the located distance of the object of interest from the stereo imaging system and the size of the object of interest.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a convex mirror for reflecting incident light representing an object, the convex mirror having a shape of solid of revolution; an imaging mechanism for taking an image represented by reflected light from the convex mirror; and an optical member for guiding the incident light toward the convex mirror and guiding the reflected light toward the imaging mechanism, the optical member being in close-contact with the convex mirror.

Abstract: An image taking apparatus includes an image taking sensor 10 having a high-resolution mode and a normal mode; synchronous signal generators 7 and 8 for generating synchronous signals corresponding to the high-resolution mode and the ordinary mode, respectively; a first memory 17 for storing image signals taken in the high-resolution mode; a second memory 35 for storing image signals taken in the normal mode; and a video signal encoder 33 for processing the image signals stored in the second memory 35 in accordance with a predetermined image signal system, wherein, in the high-resolution mode, image signals are stored in the first memory 17 to output digital image signals, and, in the normal mode, image signals are stored in the second memory 35, video signals 34 being output from the encoder 33.

Abstract: A moveable lens apparatus for digital camera includes a CCD lens set, a first motion mechanism having a bracket pivotally holding the lens set and a first gear set for driving the bracket and the lens set to rotate left or right angularly, and a second motion mechanism having a guide slidably engageable with a rear end of the lens set, a gear rack vertically attached to the guide and a second gear set for driving the gear rack and the guide up or down so that the lens set may be swung pivotally up or down. The first and second gear set may be actuated manually or by motors. The lens set thus may be moved and rotated smoothly and precisely without a user's hand directly touching the lens set.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is disclosed which is provided with a distortional-aberration memorizing element for memorizing distortional-aberration information about an objective lens, a state-of-objective-lens detecting circuit for detecting a state of the objective lens, an image correcting circuit for reading out distortional-aberration information about distortional aberration occurring during photography from the distortional-aberration memorizing element on the basis of information supplied from the state-of-objective-lens detecting circuit, and electrically correcting a distortion of an image due to the objective lens with a predetermined image height in a photographed image selected as a datum.

Abstract: A video camera system can suitably track a moving object without influence of other objects outside the desired image. Detection feature patterns are formed after brightness and hue frequency feature data are obtained on the basis of image information of the detection measurement frame. The position of detection measurement frame having a feature pattern with the largest similarity to the standard feature pattern obtained from the standard measurement frame is determined. An imaging condition of a television camera is controlled on the basis of the position information of the detection measurement frame in order to attain a video camera system enabling to suitably track the object motion. Further, a video camera system can obtain a face image of constantly a same size with a simple construction. An area of the face image on the display plane is detected as the detected face area, and by comparing this with a standard face area, zooming-processing is performed such that the difference becomes 0.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus comprising an electronic zooming function and an optical system capable of varying a focal distance. The image sensing apparatus includes a control circuit for making control when the focal distance of the optical system is changed under photographing on condition that the optical system is positioned at the tele end and magnification of an image sensing device is changed in a region where the electronic zooming function is to be effected, such that the electronic zooming function is effected to change the magnification of the image sensing device to the wide side.

Abstract: A television signal receiver for processing an HDTV signal transmitted in a vestigial sideband (VSB) format includes input complex filters shared by a timing recovery network (30) and a carrier recovery network (50). The filter network includes a pair of upper and lower band edge filters (20, 22) mirror imaged around the upper and lower band edges of the VSB signal for producing suppressed subcarrier AM output signals. The timing recovery network includes a phase detector (28, 38, 62) and responds to an AM signal derived from the two filters (via 26) for synchronizing a system clock (CLK). The carrier recovery network (50) also includes a phase detector (54, 60, 62, 64), and responds to outputs from one or both of the filters for producing an output error signal (.DELTA.) representing a phase/frequency offset of the VSB signal. The error signal is used to reduce or eliminate the offset to produce a recovered baseband or near baseband signal.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging plate having a light receiving face; focusing device for focusing light from a subject on the light receiving face of the imaging plate as the image formed on the light receiving face; image position displacing device for displacing a position of the image formed by the focusing device with respect to a reference position; image position displacement control device for controlling the image position displacing device; motion vector detecting device for detecting a motion vector of each image with respect to a reference image; and image synthesis device for displacing pixels constituting each image and for interpolating the displaced pixels constituting each image between adjacent pixels of the reference image, thereby synthesizing the images into a single image.

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: An omnidirectional light sensor is provided in a disk-like housing including a plurality of successive spaced apart individual radially directed capsules, each including a lens in a frontmost opening on a side edge of the housing, for focussing light rays from surrounding scenery into the interior of the capsule. A prism or reflecting mirror in each capsule receives the focussed light rays for directing them onto an associated photosensor located radially inward in the capsule, for converting the light rays into pixels representing the associated image portion. The pixels form a panoramic digital data strip from the received image portions.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for providing a pair of images to a fixed security camera, the apparatus comprising an angled mirror assembly comprising a left mirror and a right mirror joined at an edge therebetween and disposed at an angle between approximately 60.degree. and 120.degree., preferably 90.degree., to each other. The mirrors are mounted on the angled mirror assembly such that images transmitted through each of a pair of windows of a housing are reflected by the mirrors towards a camera assembly, and the mirrors are bevelled at a joining edge such that no image is generated from the area within and between the respective surfaces thereof. As a result, a left image incident upon the left mirror is reflected thereby towards the camera, and a right image incident upon the right mirror is reflected thereby towards the camera, and the resultant image captured by said camera is composed of a split image of the left image and the right image.