Abstract: A drive apparatus includes a magnet rotor having a plurality of magnetic poles that are magnetized, a stator having a magnetic pole portion that opposes each pole of the magnet rotor, a coil configured to excite the magnetic pole portion, a position detector configured to detect a position of the magnet rotor, a first driver configured to switch an electrification state of the coil in accordance with a preset time interval, a second driver configured to switch an electrification state of the coil in accordance with an output of the position detector, and a controller configured to select the first driver when the output of the position detector is less than a first threshold, and to select the second driver when the output of the position detector is equal to or larger than the first threshold.

Abstract: A method for determining feature point locations in an image performs a first search in a predetermined first search area to search for locations of plural feature points in the image, corrects the locations of the plural feature points based on a geometric layout relationship among the plural feature points searched for, sets a second search area based on the corrected location of each of the feature points, and performs a second search in the second search area to search for the location of each of the feature points. Then, the method determines reliability of the location of each feature point searched for by the second search and selects one of the corrected location and the location searched for by the second search, as a location of the feature point.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus able to reliably detect a power supply abnormality even in an arrangement in which power supplies are managed by using a communication unit of single system. The image pickup apparatus includes a recording unit for writing image data onto a recording medium, and a power supply control unit for selecting and executing either a monitoring operation to monitor a state of a power supply for a camera main unit or a communication operation to communicate with a power supply for an accessory unit. The power supply control unit selects and executes the monitoring operation while the recording unit is performing an image data writing operation.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus of the present invention comprises an image obtaining part configured to photoelectrically convert a first object image and a second object image formed by light fluxes divided by a pupil divider among light fluxes from an image pickup optical system to generate a first image and a second image, a displaying part configured to display images, and a processing part configured to cause the displaying part to display a superimposed image formed by superimposing the first and second images on each other.

Abstract: A technique for performing high-quality cluster type FM halftone image output without “anisotropy” or “sweep out texture” phenomenon is provided. An error diffused to a current pixel position and a random number RND are added by an adder to multi-level pixel data as a subject of binarization, and supplied as pixel data Pxy to a selector. The selector compares the pixel data Pxy with thresholds, and supplies the pixel data Pxy to one of a highlight portion processor, a dark portion processor and an intermediate portion processor. The highlight and dark portion processors refer to already-binarized results within a range determined in accordance with the value of the input pixel data Pxy, and determine a binarization result Qxy. The intermediate portion processor compares a threshold, which monotonously increases in accordance with the value of the pixel data Pxy, with the pixel data Pxy, thereby determines the binarization result Qxy.

Abstract: The image stabilizing apparatus includes a base member, a first member shiftable with respect to the base member in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis direction, a first actuator shifting the first member with respect to the base member, an image-pickup element constituted by a photoelectrical conversion element, a second member holding the image-pickup element. The second member is shiftable together with the first member in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis direction and rotatable with respect to the first member in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis direction. The apparatus further includes a second actuator rotating the second member with respect to the first member.

Abstract: A control method of detecting an object image to be focused from a sensed image, setting a focus detection area in detecting an in-focus state of a photographing optical system, and exercising control such that the photographing optical system is moved based on a signal output in the focus detection area to carry out focus control, wherein, in the setting of the focus detection area, a first focus detection area corresponding to an object to be focused detected from the sensed image and a second focus detection area which is larger than the first focus detection area are set, and in the focus control, control is exercised such that the photographing optical system is moved based on output signals in the set first and second focus detection areas.

Abstract: A key region extraction unit (303) extracts a first region including pixels having a predetermined pixel value in a physical space image. A motion vector detection unit (304) calculates motion vectors at a plurality of portions on the physical space image. An object region detection unit (305) specifies, using the motion vectors, a second region to be merged with the first region. When superimposing a virtual space image on the physical space image, an image composition unit (308) excludes a composition region obtained by merging the first region with the second region from a virtual space image superimposition target.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes an image sensor which photo-electrically converts an object image, a memory which stores foreign substance area information associated with a foreign substance adhering to an optical member disposed in front of the image sensor, a positional shift detection unit which detects the mutual positional shifts between a plurality of images generated by sensing almost the same object by the image sensor, an image composition unit which positions and composites the plurality of images on the basis of the detection result obtained by the positional shift detection unit, and an image correction unit which corrects at least parts of the plurality of images on the basis of the detection result obtained by the positional shift detection unit and the foreign substance area information stored in the memory.

Abstract: This invention is directed to extract the scattering characteristic of a measurement target together when measuring the surface shape in a measurement system, which measures the surface shape of a measurement target, by the pattern projection method. To accomplish this, the measurement system includes an illumination unit which irradiates a measurement target with dot pattern light, a reflected light measurement unit which receives the reflected light at a reflection angle almost equal to a incident angle, and a reflected light extraction unit which extracts the inclination of the surface of the measurement target, based on the shift amount between the light receiving position of the received reflected light and a predetermined reference position, and extracts the luminance value of the reflected light and the dot diameter of the dot pattern light as information about the scattering characteristic.

Abstract: This invention deters information leakage by a flexible monitoring method according to the characteristic of an image or document. A job analysis section analyzes a print job and separates image data and attribute information. An image generator generates print image data from the image data by referring to the attribute information. A digital watermark generator and synthesis section embed at least part of the attribute information in the print image data. An image transmitter transmits, to a monitoring server, the print image data with at least part of the attribute information added. A monitoring method selector selectively operates the image transmitter or the digital watermark generator and synthesis section based on the attribute information.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system that registers, in a second information processing apparatus, device information unique to a peripheral device capable of connecting to a first information processing apparatus, wherein the first information processing apparatus includes an addition unit configured to add, to the device information, information indicating whether the device information was manually inputted to the first information processing apparatus in response to operations of a user or was automatically inputted to the first information processing apparatus by the peripheral device, and the second information processing apparatus includes a registration unit configured to register, in the database, device information to which has been added the information indicating the device information was automatically inputted, and device information to which the information indicating the device information was manually inputted has been added and that has been determined to not yet be registered in the data

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus performs predetermined signal processing on an image signal output from an image sensor having a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed in a direction along a row and a direction along a column. The signal processing apparatus comprises: a storage unit that stores characteristic information indicating characteristics of signal component mix in each pixel from adjacent pixels according to the pixel position in the pixel array of the image sensor; and a correction unit that calculates a correction coefficient according to the position of a pixel for correction in the pixel array from the characteristic information, and corrects an output image signal of the pixel for correction based on an output image signal of adjacent pixels of the pixel for correction and the calculated correction coefficient.

Abstract: Video data and audio data corresponding to a predetermined attribute is retrieved from the video data and the audio data, each of which is stored in association with an attribute, and the retrieved items of the video data and the audio data are listed in a form showing a correlation between the video data and the audio data. In a case that items of the video data and audio data are selected, wherein said items of the video data and audio data are displayed and correlated with each other, the selected video data and audio data can be synchronized with each other and played-back.

Abstract: According to this invention, a printing management system which manages a log of a print job includes a creation unit which creates log information for specifying a print job on the basis of issued print job data, a save unit which saves the log information created by the creation unit in a save location corresponding to the log information in a storage unit, a determination unit which determines, in accordance with a request to access the log information saved in the save unit, whether to permit or reject the access request, and an access unit which reads log information subjected to the access request when the determination unit determines to permit the access request.

Abstract: The present invention provides a receiving apparatus including a device key generating unit which generates a device key, a work key generating unit which generates a work key, a device key storing unit which sequentially stores the generated device key, every time the device key is updated, and a recording unit which stores a digital broadcast signal in a transport stream format, wherein in a case where the device key generating unit cannot generate, from the stored transport stream, a device key necessary for descrambling the stored transport stream when the stored transport stream is to be reproduced, the work key generating unit decrypts an encrypted work key that is obtained from the stored transport stream, using the device key stored in the device key storing unit, and generates a work key.

Abstract: The authentication apparatus calculates authenticities based upon similarity between detected face image data and a plurality of items of registered face image data prepared beforehand. In accordance with the calculated authenticities, the apparatus causes a display unit to display, as the result of authentication, either a registered name indicating registered face image data calculated to have a maximum authenticity from among the plurality of items of registered face image data, or any group name to which the registered face image data calculated to have the maximum authenticity and other registered face image data belong.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus detachably connecting to a light emitting device. Still image shooting is performed during moving image recording being paused according to a still image shooting instruction received during the moving image recording being performed and the moving image recording is resumed after performing the still image shooting. Information about charge control of the connected light emitting device is acquired. Light emitting of the connected light emitting device involved with the still image shooting is prohibited based on the acquired information about the charge control.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup device that includes a plurality of focus detection pixels, a phase difference detection type of a first focus detector, a contrast detection type of a second focus detector, and a controller. The controller is configured to allow the second focus detector to continue the focus detection when the shift amount detected by the first focus detector is larger than a threshold even when the second focus detector detects the lens position corresponding to the peak of the contrast value, and to move the image pickup lens to a lens position that provides a peak of a contrast value detected by the second focus detector when the shift amount is the threshold or smaller.

Abstract: A display control apparatus comprises a display unit configured to display a captured image; an acquisition unit configured to acquire image captured direction information indicating a direction in which the image was captured; a conversion unit configured to convert a shape of the image in accordance with the image captured direction information; and a control unit configured to control to display the shape-converted image on the display unit.