Abstract: An imaging device moves a zoom lens, so as to change the magnification of an image of a subject, and obtains a near limit position of a focusing lens to the subject at a zoom lens position. When a target position of the focusing lens, which is required to keep the image in focus after the zoom lens is moved, is located on a near side, i.e., on an imaging plane side, of a threshold position determined based on the obtained near limit position, focus control is performed to move the focusing lens and thereby focus. When the target position of the focusing lens is not located on the near side but is located on a subject side of the threshold position, on the other hand, focus control is performed to move the zoom lens to a wider position and subsequently move the focusing lens to focus the image.

Abstract: A presentation device comprises an image capture portion for capturing an image of a subject and generating a raw image thereof; a detection portion adapted to analyze whether a first marker is present in the raw image, and if the first marker is present in the raw image, to detect an existing position of the first marker within the raw image; a storage portion for storing a positional relationship of a synthesis position at which a mask image for masking at least a portion of the raw image is synthesized with the raw image relative to the existing position of the first marker; a synthesized image generation portion adapted to determine the synthesis position according to the positional relationship with the detected existing position, and to synthesize the mask image at the determined synthesis position within the raw image to generate a synthesized image; and an output portion for outputting the synthesized image.

Abstract: In an information providing system, a transmitter/receiver of an information providing device serves as a relay station to allow wireless data transmission and reception between the information providing device and a tablet and between the information providing device and each of response clickers provided for individual responders in audience. The information providing device wirelessly receives data from the tablet and from each individual response clicker in a specified time interval of data transmission after transmission of a transmission approval. The information providing device transmits the transmission approval to a transmitter/receiver of the tablet at a higher frequency than a frequency of transmitting the transmission approval to a transmitter/receiver of each of the response clickers. This effectively increases accumulation of the time interval of data transmission from the tablet to the information providing device.

Abstract: An information providing system is configured to provide each of students with an image of a material taken with a camera of an information providing device and allow interaction with the student. The teacher operates a tablet to set a plurality of answer options as available response choices for a question, such that the number of answer options is equal to or less than the number of answer buttons provided on each response clicker. The response clicker receives answer options specification data for specifying the answer options set by the teacher and provides initial notification that notifies each of the students of the answer buttons respectively corresponding to the plurality of answer options specified by the received answer options specification data.

Abstract: An imaging device moves a zoom lens, so as to change the magnification of an image of a subject, and obtains a near limit position of a focusing lens to the subject at a zoom lens position. When a target position of the focusing lens, which is required to keep the image in focus after the zoom lens is moved, is located on a near side, i.e., on an imaging plane side, of a threshold position determined based on the obtained near limit position, focus control is performed to move the focusing lens and thereby focus. When the target position of the focusing lens is not located on the near side but is located on a subject side of the threshold position, on the other hand, focus control is performed to move the zoom lens to a wider position and subsequently move the focusing lens to focus the image.

Abstract: The image capture device includes pixel data acquisition unit for acquiring pixel data of a pixel of interest and neighboring pixels from an image capture element; an edge direction determination unit for determining whether a pattern such as an edge is defined by neighboring pixels centered on the pixel of interest; correction unit; and color interpolation unit. When a pixel of interest is determined by a defective pixel determination unit to be a defective pixel, and is moreover determined by the edge direction determination unit not to lie in an edge direction, the correction unit will correct the pixel of interest to a correction value derived from pixel data of neighboring pixels in a symmetrical array centered thereon. For a pixel of interest that has not been corrected, color interpolation according to the direction the edge will be carried out by the color interpolation unit, using the determination outcome of the edge direction determination unit.

Abstract: A camera system includes a camera, a shooting field shifting mechanism, a shift amount acquiring unit, and a masking processor that masks a masking target within a captured image flame. The masking processor includes first and second position computing units, and mask area establishing unit. The first and second position computing units compute, based on the shift settings of the shooting field shifting mechanism, first and second relative positions of the masking target relative to the shooting field. The mask area establishing unit establishes a mask area to mask the masking target on the captured image flame, based on the first and second relative positions.

Abstract: An information providing system includes an information providing device and a tablet terminal. The information providing device wirelessly sends first information including a taken image, to the tablet terminal; wirelessly receives second information including information regarding a user's drawing operation on the table terminal, from the table terminal; and displays a drawn image corresponding to the user's drawing operation to be superimposed on the taken image, as a displayed image on a display, based on the second information. The tablet terminal includes an operation unit having an operating surface, on which the user performs the drawing operation.

Abstract: An information providing apparatus equipped with a camera includes: an imaging unit configured to take an image of a preset area with the camera and obtain the taken image; a display output module configured to display the taken image as a displayed image on an image display device; a receiver configured to wirelessly receive operating information, which regards a user's operation performed via a pointing device and includes at least coordinates-related information, from the pointing device; and an operating information processor configured to perform processing based on the received operating information and display result of the processing to be superimposed on the displayed image, wherein the imaging unit, the display output module, the receiver and the operating information processor are all accommodated in a single housing.

Abstract: An information providing device takes an image of a predetermined area and obtains the taken image in the form of image data, while externally obtaining voice data representing speech. The information providing device obtains text in a preset language corresponding to the speech in the form of text data, based on the obtained voice data, generates a composite image including the taken image and the text in the form of composite image data, based on the image data and the text data, and outputs the composite image data.

Abstract: To determine white balance convergence in a reliable manner, a white balance adjustment device for adjusting white balance of an input image supplied sequentially in time is provided. The white balance adjustment device comprises first and second integrating units. Each of the integrating units corrects a color component of a preceding input image based on mutually different correction parameter values. The integrating units respectively compute first and second integration values by integrating corrected color components. The first and second values to be used to correct the color component of a subsequent input image are determined by a correction parameter determining unit. The correction parameter determining unit changes the first and second values according to magnitude relationship between the first and second integration values and a benchmark value of the integration value.

Abstract: The image capture device includes defect information storage unit in which defective pixel data is stored in advance; signal conversion unit adapted to covert pixel values of an image signal output from image capture unit to pixel values from which defective values are excluded; a defective pixel establishing unit, an image signal storage unit for storing defective values in terms of frame units chronologically and in order of address; and second comparison unit. The first comparison unit acquires defective pixel data in frame units in several increments from the defect information storage unit and compares the data with the image signal; once all of the defective pixel data has been acquired and compared, comparison of the image signal data and the defective pixel data will stop, and a comparison process will be carried out by the second comparison unit.

Abstract: In an imaging device 100, as a base 110 is moved from a certain position on an upper side of an imaging area SA to a different position on a left side of the imaging area SA, a camera head 150 is pivotally rotated together with a head-side arm 160 relative to a second arm 132. Such combination of the movement of the base 110 with the pivotal rotation of the camera head 150 changes the operation mode of the imaging device 100 from a first working mode to a second working mode and enables the imaging device 100 to take images in the second working mode.

Abstract: An imaging device with an enhanced degree of freedom in device settings based on commands, thereby improving the usability of an imaging device. When the user of an imaging device operates a menu switch, a composite image of a top menu image superimposed on a currently set source image, for example, a camera image, as a background image is displayed on a monitor. In response to the user's selection of an advanced settings command icon on the top menu image through the operations of the menu switch and circumferential switches surrounding the menu switch, the display on the monitor is changed from the composite image including the top menu image to a lower-layer menu image. Some of command icons included in the lower-layer menu image are different from command icons included in the top menu image. A top menu return command icon and a menu image deletion command icon may be included.

Abstract: A hill-climbing scheme of an automatic focusing process performed in a digital video camera obtains a moving speed Vj and an AGC gain Gj of a compensator lens every time an AF evaluation value AFj is detected corresponding to the position of the compensator lens. Adjustment factors ? and ? are computed with the moving speed Vj and the AGC gain Gj as parameters, where 0<?<1 and 0<?<1. The adjustment factor ? is set to increase with an increase of the moving speed Vj, while the adjustment factor ? is set to increase with a decrease of the AGC gain Gj. The automatic focusing process determines an in-focus position, based on the result of comparison between each detected AF evaluation value AFj and a threshold value TH. The threshold value TH is computed by multiplying a maximum value AFmax of the AF evaluation value AFj detected in the course of the hill-climbing scheme by the computed adjustment factors ? and ?.

Abstract: In response to a power-on of a main switch, a composite image comprising a menu image including multiple command icons for device settings, and a source image from a currently set image input source as a background image, is displayed on an internal monitor of an imaging device. The user can thus select desired command icons for device settings among the multiple command icons in the menu image, while visually checking the background source image. Only the source image without the menu image is displayed on an external display device, which is used for a presentation given to the audience. This arrangement desirably improves the usability of the imaging device, while preventing the display of the menu image on the external display device from damaging the effect of the presentation given to the audience.

Abstract: An exposure control apparatus does exposure control using an exposure evaluation value EV (pv) and an exposure target value EV (sp) according to brightness signals in an exposure adjustment range ER by a plurality of exposure adjustment units. The deviation EV (err) of the exposure target value EV (sp) and the exposure evaluation value EV (pv) is found, and when the deviation EV (err) is in a steady state of a specified level or less, and exposure control is done in a gain exposure control range ER-g, the gain exposure adjustment unit 62 does exposure control using main control volume Ci-m, and the aperture compensation volume Ci-s of the aperture exposure adjustment unit 61 is also added.

Abstract: To reduce flicker appropriately according to illumination condition of an imaging subject, a video camera is provided. The video camera includes an imaging unit for generating a subject image; a superimposing image generator for generating a superimposing image; an image synthesizer for synthesize the subject image and the superimposing image to generate a synthesized image; a video signal generator for generating a video signal from the synthesized image so as to display the synthesized image. The video camera also includes a flicker reduction unit to reduce flicker caused by luminance fluctuation of a light source. The flicker reduction unit has a plurality flicker reduction modes. The mode setting unit makes the superimposing image generator to generate a settings screen as the superimposing image for assisting selection of one of the flicker reduction modes.

Abstract: In a digital video camera according to one aspect of the invention, a black level of a video signal is specified during an initialization process. An autofocusing process obtains an AF evaluation value and a brightness evaluation value at each current position of a compensator lens and updates a maximum AF evaluation value and a corresponding position of the compensator lens based on the obtained data. The autofocusing process also detects an AGC gain, computes an offset value of the AF evaluation value from the detected AGC gain, the obtained brightness evaluation value, and the specified black level, and calculates a threshold value from the computed offset value and the updated maximum AF evaluation value. When the obtained AF evaluation value is less than the calculated threshold value, the lens position corresponding to the maximum AF evaluation value is specified as the focus position.

Abstract: The presentation device comprises an image capture portion for capturing an image, and a transmission portion for wireless serial transmission of the captured images. The image output device comprises a reception portion for wireless serial reception of the images from the presentation device, an output portion for outputting the received images, and a measurement portion for measuring wireless signal strength. The output portion compares the signal strength with a threshold value established through an operation by the user, and if the signal strength exceeds the threshold value, serially outputs the images serially received by the reception portion so as to outputs a moving image, or if signal strength is equal to or less than the threshold value, continuously outputs a single previously received image so as to outputs a still image.