Abstract: An image generating apparatus for a vehicle which includes: a camera; a brightness adjusting device which adjusts brightness of pixel data obtained by encoding a video signal from the camera; a rearranging device that rearranges the pixel data; and a control device that controls the brightness adjusting device, wherein the brightness adjusting device is controlled to adjust the brightness of the pixel data based on brightness of the pixel data which have been or to be rearranged by the rearranging device.

Abstract: A lens holder assembly for aligning an optical system over an image sensor is described. The image sensor may be lying on a substrate. The assembly may include a lens holder aperture and at least one centering leg or protrusion which may be detached from the substrate and wherein the centering legs or protrusions may tightly abut or surround the image sensor in order to center the lens holder assembly with respect to the image sensor and to the optical system.

Abstract: A portable information terminal and an image management program are provided. A portable information terminal includes: a display part which has a screen capable of displaying at least an image; an in-focus value computing part which computes an in-focus value from an original image; an image cutting part which cuts a thumbnail image from the original image based on the in-focus value computed at the in-focus value computing part; a data storage part which stores data of the thumbnail image cut at the image cutting part; and a control part which reads the data of the thumbnail image stored in the data storage part as necessary and displays it on a screen of the display part.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a portable terminal provided with a camera to take a picture of a subject comprised of a lens, and an image pickup device. The invention is aimed to provide a portable terminal in which a mirror image or information about photographing status is displayed on a first display which can be seen from the object side when an object is photographed using the portable terminal, and the image is displayed on a second display which can be seen from the to-be-taken subject so that a person to be photographed can easily check his/her image or photographing status. To this end, the first display is provided on the surface on which the lens is provided and the second display is provided on a side different from the side on which the lens is provided. Provision is made of a display unit that displays the image, photographed by directing the lens to the subject, on the first and the second displays.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: a first pixel which receives both visible light and infrared light, and a second pixel which receives infrared light, both pixels being formed on an imaging device; an infrared light component estimation unit which estimates, based on spectral characteristics of light received by the first pixel and spectral characteristics of light received by the second pixel, a magnitude of an infrared light component contained in a signal outputted from the first pixel from a signal outputted from the second pixel; and a subtraction unit which subtracts the estimated infrared light component from the signal outputted from the first pixel.

Abstract: A system and method for capturing and storing digital images. Instead of processing images on the fly or storing images in a raw format, the present invention involves the compression of captured images before the images are stored. When it is desirable to display an image, the particular image can be decoded and processed as necessary. The present invention reduces the amount of storage space necessary for each image. A variety of compression algorithms and systems can be used in conjunction with the present invention.

Abstract: A video noise reducer reduces the noise artifacts in a video signal. The video noise reducer is reconfigurable to provide spatial noise reduction and temporal noise reduction in either a parallel or cascade architecture. The video noise reducer is self-calibrating by providing estimation modules that estimate the amount of noise in the video signal and a noise injector that confirms the measurement against a known quantity of noise. The video noise reducer is adaptive to solutions in hardware or a combination of hardware and firmware. The video noise reducer is also optimized for efficient memory usage in interlaced video signal processing applications.

Abstract: An analog signal chain for a CMOS active pixel sensor imaging system utilizes, for each amplification stage, a plurality of fixed gain amplifiers instead of a single multi-gain amplifier. The fixed gain amplifier corresponding to the desired gain level is selected and powered on and coupled to the input/output signal paths, while the non-selected fixed gain amplifier(s) are powered off and isolated from the input/output signal paths. Each fixed gain amplifier is operated at a gain bandwidth corresponding to the timing requirements of the imaging system and the gain of the amplifier. Thus, each fixed gain amplifier (other than the one corresponding to the maximum gain of a comparable multi-gain amplifier) operates at a lower level of power consumption than the comparable multi-gain amplifier.

Abstract: Indices are detected from a pattern image including a plurality of indices, and first positions of the detected indices on the captured image are calculated. Using parameters associated with an image capturing apparatus, second positions indicating the positions of the indices on the captured image are calculated. While a parameter of a radial distortion of a lens of the image capturing apparatus is fixed, the parameters other than the parameter of the radial distortion of the lens of the image capturing apparatus are corrected using the differences between the first positions and the second positions. Using the corrected parameters, third positions indicating the positions of the indices on the captured image are calculated. Using the differences between the first positions and the third positions, the parameter of the radial distortion is corrected.

Abstract: A method of adjusting exposure of a digital camera based on range information, including a digital camera capturing a first digital image at a selected exposure of a scene having objects; providing range information having two or more range values indicating the distance from the digital camera to objects in the scene; using the range information and pixel values of the captured digital image to determine an exposure adjustment amount for the selected exposure; and applying the exposure adjustment amount to the digital image to produce a second digital image with adjusted exposure.

Abstract: An imaging device outputs video data with an image signal obtained from imaging an object, records video data onto a record medium, reproduces video data therefrom, outputs first time information from a clock section, communicates with another device through a first communication interface according to a predetermined protocol, and exchanges video data with the other device. A video-device automatically obtains second time information as reference from the outside of the video-device, processes a video signal, communicates with the other device through a second communication interface according to the protocol, and exchanges video data with the other device. When connected through the first and second communication interfaces, the video-device transmits the second time information to the imaging device. The imaging device receives the second time information and sets a time for the clock section with the received second time information.

Abstract: A method of operating a handheld camera comprises sensing an image via an image sensor, controlling the sensing of the image via a camera manager, manipulating the image via an image processing manager, and controlling printing of the manipulated image via a print manager. The step of controlling printing of the manipulated image includes causing the print manager to activate a guillotine, which guillotine is adapted to cut a print media, upon receipt of a signal indicative of an attempt to pull the print media from the camera.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus has a first setting unit that sets a charge accumulation period in an image sensor to an integral multiple of ½ a flicker period, a second setting unit that, when a horizontal scan period, which is a period after commencement of reading out a preset line of the image sensor until commencement of reading out a line to be read out next, is changed to be shorter, sets a charge accumulation period of the image sensor immediately after a change in the horizontal scan period to a period that is an integral multiple of ½ the flicker period and is shorter than the charge accumulation period that has been set by the first setting unit, and a timing controller that controls the image sensor to achieve the charge accumulation periods set by the first and second setting units.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of compensating an imager-created image for a distortion.

Abstract: An image processing device includes an initialization module, an optical black detection module, a calculation module, an image capturing module, a gain-value acquiring module, a gain adjusting module, and a pixel value adjusting module. The calculation module is configured for calculating the gain-coefficient. The image capturing module is configured for capturing an image of an object and acquiring the pixel value of each pixel of the image. The gain-value acquiring module is configured for acquiring a gain value according to the pixel values of the image. The gain adjusting module is configured for multiplying the gain value by the gain-coefficient to obtain an adjusted-gain value. The pixel value adjusting module is configured for multiplying the pixel values by the adjusted-gain value to adjust the pixel values.

Abstract: A digital camera is provided with a photographing lens having a aperture mechanism, an imaging section, including an image sensor for capturing a subject image via the photographing lens, a display section capable of displaying image information, an aperture drive section for driving the aperture mechanism to a specified position in response to manual operation of a preview instruction member, and a control section for causing execution of an exposure operation for a specified period in the imaging section, and causing display of a moving image on the display section based on image data acquired by the exposure operation. The control section stops the moving image display during drive of the aperture mechanism by the aperture drive mechanism, to thereby prevent unnatural variation in brightness of an image in live view display when a preview operation is carried out.

Abstract: Each pixel has a photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert light into electrical charges and to store the electrical charges, an amplifying unit configured to amplify a signal based on the electrical charges stored in the photoelectric conversion unit and to output the signal to an output line, and a reset unit configured to reset a input part of the amplifying unit. A clip unit, which is configured to limit an electric voltage of the output line, includes an amplifying circuitry for amplifying a signal based on the electric voltage of the output line and an MOS transistor for limiting the electric voltage of the output line based on the difference in electric potential between the gate and source. The clip unit controls the electric potential of the gate of the MOS transistor by the amplifying circuitry.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention is a method of generating a final exposure setting, including, (a) selecting one of a number of predetermined exposure settings as a current exposure setting for a solid state camera having a camera imager, (b) generating a captured scene by the camera imager using the current exposure setting, (c) selecting according to an automated search methodology another one of the exposure settings to be the current setting in response to the captured scene being underexposed or overexposed, and, (d) repeating (b) and (c) until the captured scene is neither underexposed or overexposed.

Abstract: Unit cells each having a plurality of photodiodes 101a and 101b, a plurality of transfer MOSFETs 102a and 102b provided in correspondence to the plurality of photodiodes, respectively and a common amplifying MOSFET 104 for amplifying and outputting signals read out from the plurality of diodes are arranged two-dimensionally, and, plural photodiodes are disposed around the photodiode 101b and trapping regions 130, 134, 135 and 132 are for trapping excessive carriers from the photodiode 101b are provided between the photodiode 101b and the plural photodiodes, respectively.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device with a multi-pixel sharing structure, wherein the area of each photoelectric conversion element can be secured independent of a reduction in area of each pixel. A solid-state imaging device including photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a two-dimensional array and voltage conversion elements for converting charge produced by photoelectric conversion through the corresponding photoelectric conversion elements into voltage.