Abstract: A solid-state imaging element contains a plurality of photoelectric converting regions, vertical transfer portions, a horizontal transfer portion, and an output portion. These photoelectric converting regions are arranged on a surface of a semiconductor substrate along a row direction, and a column direction perpendicular to the row direction. The photoelectric converting regions are subdivided into main regions “m” having relatively wide light-receiving areas, and sub-regions “s” having relatively narrow light-receiving areas. These main areas “m” and sub-areas “s” produce signal electron charges corresponding to light having predetermined spectral sensitivities, and then store the produced signal electron charges. A partial photoelectric converting region within the photoelectric converting regions corresponds to different color light with respect to the main region “m” and the subregion “s.

Abstract: A photographic image is divided into a central area and a surrounding area, and video signals for the central and surrounding areas are integrated by an area integrator circuit. When an operator of video camera attached to a notebook personal computer is to photograph himself/herself with an imager of the video camera pointing toward the operator, a control microcomputer causes the integration result for the former to be multiplied by a larger weighting before both are summed. The control microcomputer generates exposure information according to the result, and compares the exposure level indicated by this information with the reference level to control an electronic shutter of an imaging device and the gain of an amplifier circuit so that the exposure level matches the reference level. Thus, the exposure of the video camera can be adjusted to an appropriate level. If the imager points towards an object on the opposite side of the operator, exposure control is performed as usual.

Abstract: An image pick-up device and a chromatic aberration correcting method are provided in which a satisfactory correction processing can be performed even when the image pickup device, such as a camera, simultaneously performs shake correction. An output signal from a camera-signal processing circuit is selected by a selector switch and is supplied to a chromatic aberration correcting unit. An angular velocity due to the camera shake is detected using sensors and the detected signal is supplied to a camera shake correcting vector calculating unit. A driving state of a camera lens is supplied to a conversion-ratio calculating unit. An optical axis centered shift vector of camera lens is obtained from the camera shake correcting vector and is supplied to the correcting unit.

Abstract: When making a potential of a floating node 0V at the time of nonselection, electrons leak from the floating node to a photodiode and noise is generated. A MOS type solid-state imaging device comprised of unit pixels 10, each having a photodiode 11, a transfer transistor 12 for transferring a signal of this photodiode 11 to a floating node N11, an amplifier transistor 13 for outputting a signal of the floating node N11 to a vertical signal line 22, and a reset transistor 14 for resetting the floating node N11, arranged in a matrix, wherein, as a buffer final stage 29 for driving a drain line 23, a buffer final stage having an inverter configuration formed by arranging a P-type MOS transistor on a ground side is used, thereby making the potential of the floating node N11 for example 0.5V at the time of nonselection and preventing electrons from leaking to the photodiode 11 through the transfer transistor 12.

Abstract: A VI conversion circuit 40n inputs a voltage output from a hold circuit 30n, converts this input voltage to a current based on the resistance value of a resistor R40, and outputs this current from a drain terminal of a MOS transistor T40. An amp A40 has an adequate open loop gain and MOS transistor T40 operates in the saturated region. Here, if the resistance value of resistor R40 is R, the current value I that is output from VI conversion circuit 40n is in the proportional relationship expressed by the equation, “I=V/R,” with respect to the voltage V input into VI conversion circuit 40n.

Abstract: An image pickup control unit specifies a scan area of a frame based on a scaling factor for electronic zooming. An image sensor converts incoming light signals into electric signals by performing reset scanning on each line of the specified scan area of the frame, and accumulates each of the electric signals, and reads the electric signals accumulated thereby by performing read scanning to output them as image data. In response to an instruction for changing a horizontal scanning period and a vertical scanning period of an Nth frame and later frames in a series of frames from the image pickup control unit, the image sensor performs reset scanning and read scanning on the Nth frame based on the changed horizontal scanning and vertical scanning periods even when a reset scanning period of the Nth frame partially overlaps a read scanning period of an immediately preceding (N?1)th frame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for repairing damage to a vidicon camera where the damage is indicated on a video display. The damaged photosensitive target of the video camera is illuminated by light from a light source, the light being of a wavelength and intensity to cause a reduction of the damage to the vidicon camera upon exposure over a period of time of the photosensitive target of the camera to the light from the light source.

Abstract: A camera which can obtain an image without image blur is disclosed. The camera which obtains a synthesized image whose exposure has been corrected by synthesizing a plurality of images obtained through successive image-taking, comprising: a detection unit which detects, with respect to a reference image, amounts of displacement on other images; a coordinate conversion unit which applies coordinate conversion to the other images based on the results of detection of the detection unit; and a synthesis unit which synthesizes the other images subjected to coordinate conversion and the reference image.