Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for providing special effects for wide-angle video images. The special effects include replacing a selected portion of a wide-angle video image with a predetermined image or an associated portion of a video image captured in a subsequent frame. Other special effects include image intensity scaling for wide-angle video images.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus including: CCD image pickup device; a preprocess circuit for generating image signals based on output of the image pickup device; a CCD driver for controlling charge accumulation time at the image pickup device; a pickup image generating section for generating one pickup image signal by means of addition of a plurality of image signals obtained by rendering a plurality of times of consecutive exposure by controlling the CCD driver; a blur correcting section for, in generation of the pickup image, adding a plurality of image signals after compensated for relative motion among said plurality of image signals; and an image blur detecting section for detecting relative motion information among the plurality of image signals on the basis of said plurality of image signals, wherein compensation processing at the blur correcting section is performed on the detection result at the image blur detecting section.

Abstract: An image-capturing device includes an external monitor which has a touch panel mounted on an image display screen having a backlight, and which has an openable/closeable and rotatable mechanism; an electronic viewfinder which is smaller than the external monitor and which has an eyepiece section; and a display device for displaying a pointer which moves within the screen of the electronic viewfinder in accordance with an operation of the touch panel and for displaying an operation area for inputting an instruction of various operations which are associated with taking a photograph by specifying and selecting the operation area by the pointer. When an image is recorded or replayed by using the electronic viewfinder, the pointer is moved by operating the touch panel in order to select a desired operation area, thereby inputting an instruction of various operations.

Abstract: Signal charges photo-excited and stored in photodiodes are read by two field read operations of interlace drive. At least during a period of reading a first field, a predetermined voltage is applied to the semiconductor substrate to set the potential barrier of a region between each photodiode and a corresponding overflow drain region higher than the channel potential barrier between the photodiode and a corresponding vertical transfer path. It is therefore possible to prevent signal charges to be read during the next field read operation from leaking to the overflow drain during the first field read operation.

Abstract: In an electronic image pickup apparatus, a beam splitter and an image pickup element are incorporated into an optical finder unit together with optical parts used for an optical finder. The optical finder unit includes a finder case for receiving the optical parts used for the optical finder and a holding member for holding the beam splitter and the image pickup element. The image pickup element has an image pickup surface which is inclined to the light beams incident upon the beam splitter. The light beam incident upon the image pickup element is reflected twice in the beam splitter, while the light beam incident upon the optical finder penetrates the beam splitter without being reflected.

Abstract: In the case where an output signal of an image pickup device is compressed and is transmitted through a transmission path with band limitation, when a conventional compression and expansion technique is directly applied, there is a lot of waste and a circuit scale becomes large, so that the cost of the system is raised. In an image processing system or a camera system of the invention in which an output signal of an image pickup device is compressed and is transmitted, the output signal of the image pickup device is made to pass through a luminance signal forming portion and a contour correcting signal forming portion, so that the signal is divided into a luminance signal and a contour correcting signal. These signals are separately compressed by compression processing portions, and multiplexed by a multiplexing portion, and then transmitted through a transmission path with band limitation such as a USB.

Abstract: The invention concerns with an exposure control mechanism for use in an image pickup apparatus in which a diaphragm aperture formed by a plurality of diaphragm blades moving straightforward in opposite directions is covered by an ND filter, and intends to prevent deterioration of image quality caused by diffraction even in an image pickup device having a small picture size and a short pixel pitch. The image pickup apparatus comprises an exposure control mechanism for adjusting the quantity of light flux entering a shooting lens system. The exposure control mechanism comprises a diaphragm made up of diaphragm blades movable on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis in opposite directions to define a diaphragm aperture, and an ND filter made up of at least two ND filter elements having different transmittances.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, and it is applicable to a variety of kinds of image processing apparatus such as television receivers, video tape recorders, television cameras, printers, etc., and it makes it possible to correct the gradation of an image avoiding the lowering of partial contrast effectively. In this case, an excessive emphasis of an outline can be avoided.

Abstract: An optoelectronic camera comprises an objective system formed by a number of optical active structures (L), particularly refractive structures in the form of microlenses or lenslets provided in an array. A detector device (D) is assigned to the lens array and comprises detectors (Dn) formed by sensor elements (E) which define pixels in the optical image. Each detector (Dn) defines a sample of the optical image and optimally all samples are used to generate a digital image. The optoelectronic camera may be realized as a color image camera, particularly for recording images in an RGB system. In a method for digital electronic formatting of an image recorded with the optoelectronic camera, zoom and pan functions are implemented in the camera.

Abstract: A subject selection device comprises a light source and an imaging device, such as a CCD, having a plurality of photo-diodes. The light source radiates a distance measuring light beam toward a plurality of objects. A reflected light beam, generated by the objects due to the distance measuring light beam, is received by the, photo-diodes. A signal charge is integrated in each of the photo-diodes, so that three-dimensional information, which includes distances from the camera to each point on a surface of the objects, is obtained. A histogram indicating a distribution of the distances is generated. Based on a peak value of the histogram, a subject to be photographed is selected from the objects. An in-focus portion indicating device indicates a portion of the subject, which is in focus, based on the peak value.

Abstract: A number of different elements are added together in a staggered way to avoid the total loss of resolution caused by the binning process. The circuit for doing this includes a variable gain. In a second circuit for carrying this out, to fixed pattern noise reduction circuits are used.

Abstract: A universal bracket is disclosed that allows 180 degree of pitch adjustment for a camera. The camera has two brackets that can adapt to various mounting angles on any vehicle surface configuration. In addition, the universal bracket is designed to be rigid and prevent the camera from vibrating in order to prevent a blurred picture on a display unit The system is designed to be installed by a single person.

Abstract: There is provided a method of driving a solid-state image sensor, including the steps of transferring signal charges from photoelectric transfer devices to vertical CCDs constituted of a plurality of pixels, when a pulse is applied to the pixel, the pulse being applied to the pixels in at least two pixel lines so that a trailing edge of a first pulse to be applied in a first pixel line corresponds with a leading edge of a second pulse to be applied in a second pixel line, transferring the signal charges from the vertical CCDs to a horizontal CCD, and outputting the signal charges from horizontal CCD to an external circuit. The method makes it possible to prevent an increase in a substrate voltage at which charges are reversely transferred to photodiodes, which increase is caused by simultaneously applying pulses to all signal readers.

Abstract: Charges in the pixels of a solid state image pickup device, which senses an object via a color filter, are processed by: first selecting a group of pixels in two horizontal lines from a group of at least three lines; adding together the charges in those corresponding pixels of the two horizontal lines which are diagonally adjacent to each other; and adding together the charges in those corresponding pixels of the two horizontal lines which are vertically adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A modular electronic image-capturing system comprises at least two detachable and interchangeable image-forming modules and an electronic image-capturing module. The image-forming modules include a film-scanning module with the lens designed for short conjugate distances and an image-forming lens designed for long conjugate distances for general photography. The film-scanning module has an illumination device for illuminating transparent film. The film-scanning module also includes a film carrier which accepts and places at least one piece of photographic films in correct location. The modular electronic image-capturing system further includes the control circuits and connecting interface in order to manipulate the image-forming modules.

Abstract: An EFP lens device is attached to a mount frame of a lens supporter, and an adapter-type vibration isolator is fixed to the back face of the mount frame. An ENG camera is attached to the back of the vibration isolator. The vibration isolator automatically checks information about the focal length of the attached lens device, information about an extender, etc. and adjusts the amplitude of the correcting lens according to the vibrations of the lens. A lens information setting switch is provided at the vibration isolator so that a user can freely enter and change the lens inherent information through the lens information setting switch. A vibration ON/OFF switch and a sensitivity setting means are provided at a manual control part.

Abstract: The present invention provides a camera which can prevent interruption of the communication operations caused by shortage of battery capacity, during the communication between the camera and an external device such as a personal computer or the like, and which does not require an external power supply during the communication. That is, the present invention relates to a camera which has a built-in power supply, which is capable of making communication with the external device via the communication contact, and which has a body control circuit for detecting whether the external device is connected or not and selecting any one of the built-in power supply and a power supply of the external device in accordance with the result of the detection to supply the power to circuits of the camera.

Abstract: The invention provides an image processing apparatus and an image processing method and can be applied to an image information apparatus such as, for example, a television receiver, a video tape recorder, a television camera and a printer so that the gradation can be corrected while effectively preventing a finally obtained image from partial deterioration of the contrast. An area to which each of image data belongs is discriminated with reference to, for example, a low frequency component of a pixel value, and a correction coefficient is produced for the area. Such correction coefficients are smoothed between successive frames, and the pixel values of the image data are corrected with the smoothed correction coefficients.

Abstract: The invention provides a linear matrix circuit which can control linear conversion of color reproduction with a comparatively small number of parameters, which conform with a feeling of a human being, by means of a circuit of a comparatively small scale using a comparatively simple method. The linear matrix circuit performs linear conversion of color reproduction for use with an image processing apparatus which separates a video signal into three primary color components of red, green and blue, and includes a coefficient conversion section for introducing six coefficients required for the linear conversion of color reproduction from two control parameters.

Abstract: The electronic camera is provided with an image pickup device which picks up an image, an image processing device which outputs the picked up image to a recording medium and at the same time records the image in a memory capable of executing a writing process or reading process with a speed higher than that of the recording medium, and a display device which displays the image. In case of reproducing and displaying the image, the image recorded in the memory is read and displayed on the display device, and therefore it is possible to reproduce and display the image in a short time.