Abstract: A projection optical system includes an eyepiece optical system configured to refract and reflect a light emitted from an image forming unit for forming image information to display a virtual image, wherein the eyepiece optical system includes at least a concave lens, a folding mirror, and a concave mirror which are successively placed in order from the image forming unit including a liquid crystal display panel. The projection optical system configured as above is provided on a head-up display.

Abstract: Provided is a head-up display device which has a virtual image plane shape becoming a part of a concave shape as viewed from the driver side. This head-up display device (30) includes: an image forming unit (10) that displays image information; and a projection optical system including an ocular optical system (5) that displays a virtual image by reflecting light emitted from the image forming unit (10). The ocular optical system (5) includes spherical lenses (51), (52), (53), and a free-form curved surface mirror (56), and is configured by arranging the spherical lenses (51), (52), (53) and the free-form curved surface mirror (56) in this order along the light emission direction.

Abstract: A projection video display apparatus includes: a video projection screen, having a front and a rear surface, arranged in an indoor space. The video projection screen transmits video light from behind the rear surface or in front of the front surface to display video on the front surface. The front surface functions as a video display surface. A video projecting apparatus, arranged in a side of the rear surface or the front surface, enlarges and projects the video light from the rear or front surface. The video projecting apparatus is configured by an optical scanning video projecting apparatus that forms the video by scanning video light composed of coherent light on the video projection screen. The video projection screen guides the video light from the video projecting apparatus toward a direction to the front surface, and causes part of the light in the indoor space to be transmitted therethrough.

Abstract: A head-up display device includes: an image formation unit which emits light including image information; and a projection optical system including an ocular optical system which displays a virtual image by reflecting the light emitted from the image formation unit. The ocular optical system includes spherical lenses, a free-form curved surface lens, a reflection mirror, and a free-form curved surface mirror, and is configured by arranging, in a space on the side of the ocular optical system of a plane conjugate with the virtual image plane with respect to the ocular optical system, a first small lens system which achieves first focus position movement and on which separated light from the image formation unit is made to be incident, and a second small lens system which achieves second focus position movement and on which separated light from the image formation unit is made to be incident.

Abstract: Provided is a small-sized information display device displaying video image information as a virtual image by use of an eyepiece optical system including a concave mirror having desired reflection characteristics in a specific polarization direction, where a liquid crystal display panel is used as a video image light source. The information display device has a liquid crystal display panel as a flat display forming video image information disposed therein, and includes a virtual image optical system including a member to be projected for displaying virtual images in front of a vehicle by making a video image displayed on the liquid crystal display panel reflect on the member to be projected. The virtual image optical system includes a concave mirror, and a reflective film of the concave mirror has desired reflection characteristics in a specific polarization direction, so that virtual images having uniform brightness and chromaticity can be obtained.

Abstract: A projection video display apparatus includes: a video projection screen, having a front and a rear surface, arranged in an indoor space. The video projection screen transmits video light from behind the rear surface or in front of the front surface to display video on the front surface. The front surface functions as a video display surface. A video projecting apparatus, arranged in a side of the rear surface or the front surface, enlarges and projects the video light from the rear or front surface. The video projecting apparatus is configured by an optical scanning video projecting apparatus that forms the video by scanning video light composed of coherent light on the video projection screen. The video projection screen guides the video light from the video projecting apparatus toward a direction to the front surface, and causes part of the light in the indoor space to be transmitted therethrough.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a compact head-up display device. The head-up display device of the present invention includes an image forming unit that emits image light containing image information, and an eyepiece optical system that displays a virtual image by reflecting the image light, in which the eyepiece optical system includes a concave lens, a free curved surface lens, and a free curved surface concave mirror disposed in order from the image forming unit side along the emission direction of the image light.

Abstract: A projection video display apparatus includes: a video projection screen, having a front and a rear surface, arranged in an indoor space. The video projection screen transmits video light from behind the rear surface or in front of the front surface to display video on the front surface. The front surface functions as a video display surface. A video projecting apparatus, arranged in a side of the rear surface or the front surface, enlarges and projects the video light from the rear or front surface. The video projecting apparatus is configured by an optical scanning video projecting apparatus that forms the video by scanning video light composed of coherent light on the video projection screen. The video projection screen guides the video light from the video projecting apparatus toward a direction to the front surface, and causes part of the light in the indoor space to be transmitted therethrough.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a projection optical system having a minimal optical configuration while ensuring necessary capabilities and a head-up display device having a tilted virtual image plane. The head-up display device according to the present invention includes an image forming unit to emit image light containing image information and an eyepiece optical system to display a virtual image by reflecting the image light. While a virtual image plane is tilted to display a virtual image in a range from a far distance to a near distance, a point on the image forming unit conjugating to a far point on the virtual image plane is optically farther from a light flux entering the image forming unit than a point on the image forming unit conjugating to a near point on the virtual image plane.

Abstract: A monitoring system includes an imaging unit that captures an image including a monitoring target person in an interior compartment of a vehicle, a monitoring unit that detects a monitoring target part of the monitoring target person based on the image captured by the imaging unit and monitors a state of the monitoring target person based on a detected target part position serving as a position of the detected monitoring target part, and a display unit that is provided in the interior compartment of the vehicle and displays visual information representing a relative position of the detected target part position with respect to a preset appropriate monitoring position.

Abstract: Provided is an image-capturing device including: a visible light signal generating unit that extracts a visible light signal from a pixel signal from an image-capturing element; a light source color estimating unit that estimates a color temperature of a light source from the visible light signal; a white-balance adjusting unit that performs white balance correction on the visible light signal according to an estimation result; a non-visible light signal generating unit that extracts a non-visible light signal from the signals from the image-capturing element; and an image composing unit that combines and outputs the visible light signal on which the white balance correction was performed and the non-visible light signal.

Abstract: A biometric authentication device collates pre-registered biometric data for authentication with biometric data acquired during authentication. An imaging section images biometric data acquired by penetration through the finger by near-infrared light from a near-infrared light irradiating section. A control section acquires the biometric data acquired by the imaging section. A visible light irradiating section irradiates a finger inserting section where the finger is inserted with visible light. The visible light irradiating section starts irradiation of the visible light before the imaging section acquires the biometric data.

Abstract: In order to perform an autofocus operation, a controller of a focus control device selects subject information relating to the current magnification from subject information including previous focus states stored in a storage unit in advance, and determines a focus lens driving range on the basis of a focal length associated with the selected subject information. After the focus lens driving range is determined, a contrast-based autofocus operation is performed within that driving range. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time taken to obtain the focus state and improve reliability of the focusing.

Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus includes an image signal input unit for inputting an image signal, a noise correcting unit for executing noise correction processing for the input image signal to output a noise-corrected image signal; an image signal correcting unit for executing signal level correction processing for the noise-corrected image signal to output a signal level-corrected image signal; an image signal correction intensity control unit for determining correction intensity of the signal level correction processing in the image signal correcting unit; a signal extension estimating unit for estimating a signal extension degree of signal extension based on the determined correction intensity; and a noise correction intensity control unit for calculating and controlling correction intensity of the noise correction processing in the noise correcting unit.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit; an image signal correcting unit that executes a signal level correction process on an image signal output by the imaging unit and outputs the level corrected image signal; and a gradation collapse suppression control unit that evaluates a degree of gradation collapse of a predetermined brightness range in the image signal output by the imaging unit and switches control of an exposure amount of the imaging unit and an input/output characteristic of the signal level correction process of the image signal correcting unit, when it is determined that the gradation collapse exists according to an evaluation result and when it is determined that the gradation collapse does not exist according to the evaluation result.

Abstract: A change in a subject is quickly sensed and a focusing lens is driven with degradation in durability and out-of-focus states of output video images due to driving of the focusing lens more than necessary avoided. To achieve the object described above, the invention relates to an imaging apparatus that controls a focusing lens based on a contrast signal provided from a video signal and includes a controller that performs first evaluation based on comparison between the value of the contrast signal and the value of a main threshold, performs second evaluation after the first evaluation based on comparison between the value of the contrast signal and a sub-threshold that is greater or smaller than the main threshold and is set to decrease or increase with the lapse of time, and performs focus control on the focusing lens based on a result of the second evaluation.

Abstract: Enhancing the image quality by suitable color noise correction is realized without depending on a subject, a photographing scene, and photographing conditions by determining and correcting a color noise component according to photographing conditions of a camera. The present invention is configured of an imaging device that has: an imaging unit; a signal processing unit that performs signal processing on an image signal inputted from the imaging unit and outputs a luminance signal and a chrominance signal; a camera controlling unit that controls at least one of photographing conditions of optical conditions and exposure of the photographing unit and a signal processing condition of the signal processing unit; and a color noise correction unit that extracts and corrects a color noise component from the chrominance signal inputted from the signal processing unit. The camera control unit controls the color noise correction unit using information of the photographing conditions.

Abstract: A focus control apparatus that achieves a focused state even when a subject is a point light source includes a contrast signal generator that divides a captured image screen into a plurality of areas, extracts a frequency component based on a video signal for each of the divided areas, and generates a first contrast signal based on the frequency component. A controller extracts a luminance intensity based on the video signal for each of the divided areas, determines, for each of the divided areas, a second contrast signal generated by increasing or decreasing the magnitude of the first contrast signal from the divided area based on the magnitude of the luminance intensity, determines a lens position evaluation value that is the sum of the second contrast signals, and performs the focus control based on the lens position evaluation value.

Abstract: A focus control apparatus reduces the degree of out-of-focus of an image of an intense point light source during zooming in contrast-based autofocus control. A zooming lens moves in an optical axis direction to perform magnification change and a focusing lens moves in the optical axis direction to perform focus adjustment and is driven in accordance with a trace curve corresponding to the distance to a subject. A controller evaluates, during the magnification change operation, based on the rate of change in the number of high-luminance pixels at which the number of high-luminance pixels in an output image from the imaging apparatus changes with the zoom magnification, whether or not the focusing lens is driven in accordance with a trace curve corresponding to the distance to the subject before the magnification change operation is performed or a trace curve corresponding to a distance to the subject of infinity.

Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus includes an image signal input unit, a local information acquisition unit for calculating a statistical quantity of pixel values in a local area including a noted pixel from an image signal as local information, a noise correction unit for conducting noise correction on the image signal by using the local information and outputting a noise-corrected image signal, an image signal correction unit for conducting signal level correction on the image signal from the noise correction unit and outputting a level-corrected image signal, an image signal correction intensity control unit for determining correction intensity in the level correction and changing input-output characteristics in the level correction, a signal correction characteristic estimation unit for estimating level correction characteristics based on the correction intensity, and a noise correction intensity control unit for controlling correction intensity in the noise correction in conjunction with the level cor