Abstract: A moving image reproducing device is disclosed which comprises a flash memory for recording a plurality of items of moving image data, a display unit for displaying moving image data recorded in the memory, and a CPU for allowing a plurality of items of moving image data recorded in the memory to be reproduced simultaneously on the display unit. The CPU is adapted to, in order to keep the end of movie playback of each of the plurality of items of moving image data in time coincidence, delay the start time of movie playback of moving image data other than the moving image data which is the longest in playback time.

Abstract: An image viewing system includes at least one television and a docking station capable of communicating with an image capturing device and a television. The docking station controls operation of the television and receives one or more electronic images from the image capturing device. The docking station transmits the electronic images to the television for display and viewing. Alternatively, the image capturing device may directly control the television and may directly transmit electronic images to the television for display and viewing.

Abstract: An optical sensor array includes an array of pixel circuits. Each pixel circuit includes a photo detector and a voltage supply line. The voltage supply line from each pixel circuit is connected to a common node. A voltage supply input configured to be coupled to a voltage supply and to the common node supplies a voltage to each pixel circuit. A sensing circuit coupled to the common node senses signals from the common node and outputs at least one signal representative of an average intensity of light directed onto the array of pixel circuits.

Abstract: A hand-held image capture and communication appliance and method of using same are provided wherein images may be captured and saved in an internal memory. The appliance includes a processor for manipulating and exhibiting the images on a built-in display screen. Program code stored in the internal memory and executed by the processor includes a delete page module for purging the memory of captured images when they are no longer needed. The delete page module includes a code segment for displaying an animation, which, in the preferred embodiment, is designed to convey the concept to the user that a delete operation is irreversible. One implementation of the animation shows the deleted page or group of pages turn into ashes, which is a metaphor for the permanence of the delete operation. A confirmation prompt is provided prior to carrying out the delete operation to inform the user how many pages or images will be deleted and what percentage of memory will be freed.

Abstract: A stable condition for a printing operation regarding an apparatus having a printer unit and a battery unit, eliminating problems related to lack of a battery power during the printing operation performed by the battery, specifically for a portable apparatus using the battery, is obtained by an apparatus having the printer unit in which the printing operation is performed by processing data inputted from outside an embodiment thereof and/or data stored therein, in which the apparatus having the printer unit can be activated by the battery and perform communication with the battery so that, based on received information related to the remaining power of the battery as well as calculating the printing enabling power based on, for example, temperatures outside and/or inside the apparatus and the amount of data to be printed out, the remaining power of the battery is compared with the printing enabling power and, if the remaining power of the battery is lower than the printing enabling power, then a condition of

Abstract: An object of this invention is to easily execute photography in various photography modes. In order to achieve this object, an image pickup apparatus of this invention has a setting device for setting a plurality of chapters, and a control device for controlling photography operation in an order of the set chapters on the basis of settings of the plurality of chapters by the setting device, in which the setting device sets, for each of the plurality of chapters, a photography time and a mode for executing desired photography during the photography time.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus, such as a digital camera, having a movable lens barrier or cover which can easily be opened and closed to operate the image capturing apparatus in various predetermined modes depending on the position of the lens barrier. In one preferred embodiment, the image capturing apparatus has a body having a front face, a back face and a side face, which is between the front face and back face. A lens section is provided on the body and is operable to form an image. A lens barrier is operable to cover the front face, back face and side face of the body and to pivotally move around an axis which is substantially parallel to an optical axis of the lens section.

Abstract: A three-dimensional image-capturing device comprises R, G, and B light sources, a CCD, a light-source control processor, a CCD drive circuit, and a distance-information sensing processor. Each of the RGB light sources radiates pulse modulated R, G, and B distance-measurement light beams to a measurement subject. The R, G, and B color filtered pixels of the CCD senses RGB light beams. The RGB light sources are controlled to emit the B, G, and R distance-measurement light beams successively and continuously. The CCD drive circuit controls the CCD to accumulate electric charges of the reflected light beams in a predetermined accumulation period, so that the at least one of RGB distance-measurement light beams is sensed by the CCD. The distance-information sensing processor calculates distance information of the measurement subject by using electric charges accumulated in RGB pixels which are adjacently arranged.

Abstract: Bayer-pattern pixels captured by an image sensor have only one of the three primary colors (RGB) per pixel location. Rather than interpolate the Bayer-pattern to generate the missing RGB color components for each pixel location, a direct conversion is performed to YUV pixels. A luminance calculator receives a 3×3 block of Bayer-pattern pixels and generates a luminance (Y) pixel for the center pixel location. Different coefficients are multiplied by each of the 9 Bayer-pattern pixels before summing to produce the center Y pixel, depending on the pattern location. A chrominance calculator first receives a 3×3 block of Y pixels generated by the luminance calculator. The 9 Y pixels are averaged to produce an average luminance. Two red or blue pixels in the 3×3 block are averaged and the average luminance subtracted. Then a constant is multiplied to generate the U and V pixels. Intermediate interpolated RGB avoided.

Abstract: An electronic camera utilizing a reflective flat panel display for printing and/or viewing images in disclosed herein. One such electronic camera comprises the following components: (a) an electronic image acquisition assembly for capturing an image and converting it into digital information; (b) a reflective liquid crystal microdisplay for producing a reflection image in response to said digital information; and (c) an optical system for directing the reflection image produced by the reflective liquid crystal microdisplay toward, and thereby imagewise exposing, photosensitive imaging film loaded in the camera. An advantage of employing a reflective flat panel display for exposing film in such an electronic camera is that the reflective flat panel display can be used also as a means for viewing or previewing digitally captured images.

Abstract: A content information manager communicates content information to a digital image capture device. One embodiment comprises a means for storing the content information in a memory, a means for communicating the content information to a digital image capture device, and a means for receiving a request such that the content information is communicated to the digital image capture device when the request is received. Another embodiment comprises a means for communicating a request signal such that the content information manager provides the content information upon receiving the request signal, a means for receiving the content information from the content information manager, and a means for displaying the content information on a display residing on the digital image capture device.

Abstract: A controlling method for a CCD camera in which a photographing area is divided into a number of cell regions, the illumination of each cell regions is detected, and the photographing mode of a camera is switched to a daytime or nighttime mode on the basis of the detected illumination so that an optimum image is photographed, even under conditions where the illumination of a certain position and the total illumination condition of what is photographed changes irregularly.

Abstract: A method for storing image information in a digital pixel sensor is disclosed for reducing the size of the memory needed to facilitate multiple sampling. An image sensor includes a sensor array of pixel elements generating pixel data in k bits and a data memory for storing pixel data of each pixel element. In one embodiment, the data memory in the digital pixel sensor stores an m-bit time index value and the lower k?1 bits of the pixel data for pixel data exceeding the predetermined threshold level in all exposure times except the last. When pixel data in the last exposure time is captured, the data memory stores the time index value in less than m bits and stores the k-bit pixel data. The size of the data memory is minimized while preserving the image quality. The method of the present invention provides the benefits of reducing manufacturing cost and improving production yield.

Abstract: An improved electronic camera is disclosed which enables higher light-detecting efficiency of the electronic image pick-up device and reduces focusing errors in the periphery of the image field. The present invention arranges the detectors of an optical pick-up device on a surface that is non-planar. In this way, the surface of the optical pick-up device can be made to correspond with the actual image surface of the camera optical system. Further, each detecting element of the optical pick-up device is illuminated by light rays that are normal to its surface, thereby increasing the light detecting efficiency of the optical pick-up device in the periphery of the image field while decreasing focusing errors that occur at the periphery of the image field.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup apparatus includes a solid-state image pickup device having a layer of microlenses above a color filter. The solid-state image pickup device is mounted on a side of a flexible printed circuit board by flip-chip bonding, opposite the opening. An adhesive in a gap between the solid-state image pickup device and the flexible printed circuit board strengthens the apparatus. The distance between the edge of the microlens layer and the edge of the flexible printed circuit board defining the opening and nearest to the microlens layer is 2.5 to 10 times wider than the gap between the solid-state image pickup device and the flexible printed circuit board.

Abstract: A method and system for categorizing non-textual subject data, such as digital images, content-based data and meta-data to determine outcomes of classification tasks. The meta-data is indicative of the operational conditions of a recording device during the capturing of the content-based data. For example, the non-textual subject data may be a digital image captured by a digital camera, and the meta-data may include automatic gain setting, film speed, shutter speed, aperture/lens index, focusing distance, date and time, and flash/no flash operation. The subject image is tagged with selected classifiers by subjecting the image to a series of classification tasks utilizing both content-based data and meta data to determine classifiers associated with the subject image.

Abstract: An imaging device may include two channels, for example each with different magnification or fields of view as two examples. The user may select one of the channels and the image captured through that channel may be both viewed through a viewfinder and recorded on an imaging array or other recording media.

Abstract: A focusing method for a moving object that involves using a gray histogram and a histogram projection drawing to analyze the serial images taken by a photographic instrument, taking a pattern from the images of the serial images, comparing every image of the serial images by means of pattern matching, and eventually generating a new pattern. Given the patterns and the updated patterns that are in sequential order, discrepancies between a pattern and an updated pattern can be found by comparison so as to acquire the information about the dynamic movement of the moving object.

Abstract: One horizontal CCD register is provided for a plurality of vertical CCD registers. The horizontal CCD register has horizontal transfer electrodes in such a manner that transfer electrodes that are provided for each pair of vertical CCD registers adjacent to each other are independent of each other electrically. The eight transfer electrodes are supplied with eight kinds of horizontal transfer pulse signals, respectively. An operation that the horizontal CCD register consecutively outputs consecutive signal charges in the same manner as in the conventional two-phase driving method and an operation that the horizontal CCD register outputs consecutive signal charges while mixing desired ones are performed selectively by controlling the eight kinds of horizontal transfer pulse signals properly.

Abstract: A method for improving SNR without reducing dynamic range in a CMOS video sensor system under low illumination is described, wherein the CMOS video sensor system employing self-reset DPS architecture includes pixel level A/D conversion and wherein each DPS pixels is capable of resetting itself whenever a corresponding diode reaches saturation during integration time, the method comprising the steps of eliminating global frame reset for the self-reset DPS pixels, capturing and storing a plurality of frames, extending integration time beyond frame readout time, and generating frame images using one or more previously stored frames.