Abstract: A method of automatically focusing an object image to be captured, comprising storing temporarily a series of images transmitted through a primary lens system, said primary lens system having a stationary lens member and at least one moving lens member; determining a best focused image in said series of temporarily stored images; and moving said at least one moving lens to a determined focused position.

Abstract: An image acquisition system that is used to acquire digital images of objects or scenes is disclosed. The image acquisition system supports multiple modes of operation. The image acquisition system can be used to acquire and store not only video images but also still images. The image acquisition system is typically part of, or within, a digital camera, but could also itself be a digital camera.

Abstract: A television camera apparatus for surveillance applications has a housing including a ball-shaped camera case which has a transparent front portion. An inlet for an electrical cable is provided at the rear end of the camera case. The housing has a rear holder which can be attached and tightened to a structural body such as a electrical box mounted to a surface of a wall or a ceiling and a front cover which can be also attached and tightening of the front cover to the rear holder. Each of the rear holder and front cover has a circular cutout with a curved rim. A curvature diameter of the curved rims of the cutouts is equal to the diameter of the ball-shaped camera case which can be locked between the circular cutouts of the rear holder and the front cover.

Abstract: An electronic shutter apparatus and light shuttering method for a still image capturing device are provided according to the invention. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a beam splitter positioned in an incoming light beam path and splitting the incoming light beam into a first light beam and a second light beam. The apparatus further includes first and second polarizing shutters respectively positioned in paths of the first and second light beams and capable of being electrically activated to transmit light and to respectively form first and second polarized light beams. A polarization orientation of light from the second polarizing shutter is in non-alignment with a polarization orientation of light from the first polarizing shutter. The apparatus further includes a beam combiner receiving and combining the first and second polarized light beams to form a substantially non-polarized resultant light beam. The resultant light beam is focused onto an image sensor.

Abstract: An object is imaged continuously during a first exposure time and a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time. Weights, one of which decreases monotonously and the other of which increases monotonously, are applied to first and second resultant image signals under the condition that the sum of the weights is 1. The first and second image signals that have been weighted are added up, thus producing a synthetic picture signal. When a luminance level is low, the ratio of the first image signal, which has been produced during the longer exposure time, to the second image signal is increased. This results in an image demonstrating a high signal-to-noise ratio. When the luminance level is high, the ratio of the second image signal, which has been produced during the shorter exposure time, to the first image signal is increased.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes an imaging area including a plurality of pixels arranged in columns and rows, and peripheral circuitry for selecting at least one of the pixels. Each said pixel includes: a photoelectric transducer for creating electric charges by photoelectric conversion and storing the charges therein; means for storing the charges read out from the photoelectric transducer; a transfer electrode, provided between the photoelectric transducer and the storage means, for reading out the charges from the photoelectric transducer to the storage means; an amplifier for sensing a variation in potential in the storage means; and a reset electrode for discharging the charges, stored in the storage means, to a power supply, thereby resetting the potential in the storage means.

Abstract: In a television camera apparatus, while a high luminance level range is detected from a picture signal which is acquired by imaging a moving photographing object by using an image pick-up element or acquired by imaging a subject almost in a static state that enters into a visual field of the image pick-up element by remotely rotating or elevating the image pick-up element, such a range which becomes a high luminance level is predicted based upon a temporal change and the like of this detected range, and such a transmission light amount control is carried out in such a manner that a light amount of imaging light of the predicted range, which is received by a light receiving plane of the image pick-up element, is extincted.

Abstract: A digital camera includes a memory configured to store image data including thumbnail image data and a display configured to display the thumbnail image data. Further, a controller is configured to control the display of the thumbnail image data and to display page data with the thumbnail image data. The page data can include data of a currently displayed page and data of a total number of pages, and further an operator can set and reset the number of thumbnail images which form one page. Further, the operator can change this setting of the number of thumbnail images in one page while selecting a specific thumbnail image of a currently displayed page of thumbnail image data. The controller can calculate the total number of pages in a currently displayed page, and can recalculate this data if the number of thumbnail images in a page is reset by an operator. Further, each of the pages can be accessed sequentially and the first and last pages can be viewed as sequential pages.

Abstract: Apparatus for the orthogonal (X,Y) movement which allows high-resolution color photography in both the X and Y directions, by micro-movement of the CCD sensor within a digital camera body is provided which can be used together with a rotatable mount for rotating the CCD sensor from portrait mode to landscape mode, without needing to rotate the camera base.

Abstract: In order to provide a noise removal method for removing noise signals mixed into an image signal without deteriorating picture quality of the overall image, such zigzag noise signals that the difference between the output levels of two pixels adjacent to each other along a noise generation direction alternately takes positive and negative vales at least three times are detected from noise signals mixed into an image signal. Then, a specific pixel is noted among a plurality of pixels corresponding to the noise signals, for calculating a mean value of the output levels of the noise signals with reference to the specific pixel and correcting the output level of a noise signal corresponding to the said specific pixel with the said mean value.

Abstract: A time-integrating pixel sensor having a photo-detector, a capacitor, a comparator and a pixel data buffer. In operation, the photo-current from the photo-detector charges the capacitor and produces a photo-voltage. The photo-voltage sensed by the capacitor and a reference voltage is compared with the comparator. If the photo-voltage exceeds the reference voltage, a global code value is latched into the pixel data buffer. The optical power falling on the photo-detector is determined from the latched code value. An array of sensors is incorporated into a semiconductor device together with circuitry to read and decode the pixel data buffers. The reference voltage may be varied in time to increase the dynamic range of the sensor.

Abstract: An electronic image pickup apparatus comprises a shutter having a shielding member which can be inserted into or removed from an optical path of an optical system for forming an image of an object on a light receiving surface of an image pickup element, an inserting/removing mechanism for inserting or removing the shielding member into or from the optical path, a driver for driving the inserting/removing mechanism, and a manipulator for operating the inserting/removing mechanism by a driving system other than the driver.

Abstract: It is difficult to simplify the structure of a video camera system having various adjusting functions. Therefore, the video camera system has an information-obtaining-region setting function for setting an information-obtaining region in a screen according to the output of an image pickup device, an information-obtaining-region moving function for moving an information-obtaining region in the screen every predetermined cycle of the output of the image pickup device, an information-obtaining function for obtaining predetermined information-obtaining-region information based on the output of the image pickup device in the information-obtaining region every predetermined cycle, and control information generating function for generating control information in accordance with the obtained-region information obtained by an information-obtaining means.

Abstract: A digital camera includes an interface via which the digital signals of a photographed image are transferred to an external data processing device, an internal power supply for the digital camera, and a power supply circuit that receives power from the data processing device. Connecting the data processing device to an interface of the camera via an interface in order to transfer image data from the camera to the device causes a control interface circuit to detect a connection detection signal which is turned on when the camera is connected to the device. Then, the power of an output of a DC/DC converter of the camera is switched from the internal battery to the power supply circuit of the device. The camera is started and put in a communication wait state. In response to a control signal from the device, the camera starts operation to transfer an image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for displaying an image generated by at least one detector of an imaging unit are disclosed herein. The method includes creating a pixel map identifying locations of bad pixels in an array of pixels in the image detected by the at least one detector, linking the pixel map to the image, and providing for selective display of the pixel map. Bad pixels behave from a group including pixels which do not respond electrically and pixels which are statistically different from surrounding pixels in the array of pixels. The apparatus includes an imaging unit for generating x-rays which pass through a body of interest, at least one detector unit for detecting the x-rays, and a processing unit for identifying bad pixels within the detected image.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device is provided with plural blocks, each comprising at least two pixels, allowing reading of signals of pixel blocks at high speed without signal loss. The output signals of the blocks are connected in common, respectively through block buffers, thereby providing the maximum or minimum value of the pixels. Each block buffer has an input at the base of a self-biased transistor and an output in an emitter follower circuit. There also are provided first photoelectric conversion elements for reading out the photoelectric conversion charges of respective pixels and second photoelectric conversion elements for reading out the photoelectric conversion charges respectively in blocks, each composed of plural pixels, and the outputs of the second photoelectric conversion elements are connected in common to a common line through maximum output circuits.

Abstract: An editing apparatus for editing video signals recorded on an optical disk. The editing apparatus comprises: a video signal reproducing unit for reproducing a first and a second video signal from the optical disk; a video signal merging unit for merging the first and the second video signal to generate a combined video signal for a transition from the first video signal to the second video signal in accordance with a predetermined transition period and a predetermined transition mode; and a video signal recording unit for recording the combined video signal to the optical disk. The combined video signal is recorded to the optical disk only with respect to the transition period.

Abstract: In a method of compensating an image signal (10) having a field frequency of substantially N times a mains frequency, in which N≧2, for AC light source induced fluctuations, the image signal (10) and an average signal representing an average image signal content over a given time period are arithmetically processed (14,16-20,8) to obtain a corrected signal (9), in which at least N−1 differences between at least N−1 respective phases of the corrected signal (9) on the one hand, and a selected phase (ph2) other than the N−1 phases of the corrected signal (9), or an average over N fields of the image signal (10), on the other hand, are integrated (14,16), and in which at least N−1 integrated differences are processed (20) to obtain a correction factor for the image signal (10).

Abstract: An electronic camera comprises a flash unit. When the electric camera takes a picture using the flash unit, the electronic camera determines a first optimum flash exposure for a central area of the object to be taken and a second optimum flash exposure for a background area of the object to be taken. Further, the camera produces first image data corresponding to a picture taken under the first optimum flash exposure and second image data corresponding to a picture taken under the second optimum flash exposure. The central area of the first image data is cut out from the first image data and written over the second image data.

Abstract: Geometric configurations for photosites found on photosensitive chips for creating electrical signals from an original image, as would be found, for example, in a digital scanner, copier, facsimile machine, or other document generating or reproducing device. The photosensitive chips are mounted on a substrate to form a photosensitive array in a full width scanner or other photosensitive device. The geometric configurations reduce the Moiré patterns to provide a higher quality image.