Abstract: The focus controlling system of the present invention can include a calibration paper, an image capturing device, an input interface, and a processing and controlling device. The image capturing device is employed for scanning the calibration paper. The image capturing device has a focus point adjusting mechanism. The input interface is utilized for receiving a location data of a scanning point. The processing and controlling device is responsive to the input interface and the image capturing device to control the focus point adjusting mechanism. The focus controlling method of the present invention includes the following steps. First, a scanning point is set or detected and a compensated magnification ratio for the scanning point is then calculated. A focus point of a image capturing device is adjusted and a calibration paper is scanned. The adjusting step and the scanning step are then repeated until a magnification ratio of the calibration paper is about the value of the compensated magnification ratio.

Abstract: The focus controlling system of the present invention can include a calibration paper, an image capturing device, an input interface, and a processing and controlling device. One or more calibration papers can be employed in the focus controlling system. The image capturing device is employed for scanning the calibration paper. The image capturing device has a focus point adjusting mechanism. The input interface is utilized for receiving a location data of a scanning point. The processing and controlling device is responsive to the input interface and the image capturing device to control the focus point adjusting mechanism by evaluating a resolution index. As an example, the image capturing system can be a flatbed scanning system. One of the focus controlling method of the present invention includes the steps as follows. At first, a scanning point is set or detected and the position of an image capturing device is adjusted to scan a selected calibration paper of two or more calibration papers.

Abstract: A charge transfer device of the present invention includes: a floating diffusion amplifier type charge detecting portion containing a reset gate and a reset drain; and a source follower circuit including a detecting transistor having substantially the same potential profile as a potential profile of the reset gate of the charge detecting portion and a load transistor connected to the detecting transistor, wherein an output from the source follower circuit is supplied to the reset drain of the charge detecting portion, a first voltage, which is generated by resistance-dividing a power-supply voltage to be supplied to a drain of the source follower circuit, is commonly applied to each gate of the detecting transistor and the load transistor, a second voltage, which is generated by resistance-dividing the power-supply voltage, is applied to the reset gate of the charge detecting portion via a clamp circuit, whereby the charge transfer device is controlled in such a manner that a reset operation is always perform

Abstract: A method of reading out a CCD interline image sensor having M lines×N columns of photosites, N vertical shift registers corresponding to the N columns of photosites, and a horizontal shift register, comprising the steps of: exposing the sensor to a first exposure such that all the M lines of photosites are exposed; transferring a subset of the M lines of photosites from the exposed lines of photosites to the N vertical shift registers; serially shifting each line of data from the N vertical shift registers to the horizontal shift register and reading out the horizontal shift register until all of the lines of data have been read out except for a second subset of the M lines; exposing the sensor to a second exposure such that the second subset of the M lines of photosites have remained in the sensor; and transferring the data from the exposed lines of photosites of the second exposure to the N vertical shift registers, except for the second subset of the M lines, thereby increasing the frame rate of the

Abstract: A digital camera having a camera body and a lens assembly within an imaging unit which is rotatably connected to the camera body. Rotation of the imaging unit containing the lens assembly with respect to the position of the camera body causes the flash within the camera body to follow the direction at which the lens assembly is aimed. If the camera has a self-portrait mode in which the lens assembly can be aimed backwards at the user of the camera but the flash cannot be aimed backwards due to constraints of the camera body or if the flash cannot cover the complete angular range of the lens, a mechanism is utilized to couple the movement of the lens and the flash over a limited range of movement of the lens. Springs, concentric gears attached by springs, or a clutch mechanism may be utilized to selectively couple the flash with the lens rotation. By separating the flash from the lens, the red-eye phenomena will be reduced.

Abstract: When the reset gate electrode of the charge detecting section is driven with the reset pulse of three levels, it is difficult to realize the timing control when high speed operation is required. In the charge detecting section of the CCD solid-state image sensing apparatus having wide dynamic range, two reset gate electrodes, for example, are arranged in vertical between the FD area and RD area, and different reset pulses &phgr;RG1, &phgr;RG2 are applied to these reset gate electrodes to realize the reset operation, clipping operation and adding operation through the driving by the 2-level pulse.

Abstract: An electronic camera includes a menu switch for displaying, on a display, the first print mode of printing only image data and the second print mode of superimposing and printing attendant data on image data, increment and decrement switches for moving menu items, and an execution switch for determining and executing a target item, wherein when an image file recorded on a recording medium is to be displayed on the display, if the electronic camera is in the first print mode, attendant data is superimposed and displayed on image data after the start of display, and display is switched to display of only the image data after a predetermined period, or if the electronic camera is in the second print mode, attendant data is always superimposed and displayed on image data during display.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for inserting virtual objects into a video sequence including a camera position sensing system which uses LED's to provide perspective information for the camera sensing system thereby allowing natural scenery to be used.

Abstract: In an output section (11d) of an image sensor (11), information charges are discharged from a capacitance at a reset clock &phgr;r1, which is twice the period of a horizontal clock &phgr;h, and the information charges for two pixels are accumulated in the capacitance. In two steps, a sample-and-hold circuit (14) inputs an image signal Y0(t) that is output from the output section (11d) and outputs an image signal Y1(t) in which a period representing the information charge for one pixel and a period representing the information charges for two pixels alternately repeat. By taking the difference between the value of the period representing the information charges of two pixels and the value of the period representing the information charge of one pixel in the image signal Y1(t), the information charge of each pixel can be individually determined.

Abstract: A real-image finder includes an objective optical system which forms an image of an object onto a primary image forming surface; an ocular optical system through which the object image formed on the primary image forming surface can be viewed; and an image erecting optical system which inverts the object image formed by the objective optical system, in the vertical and horizontal directions.

Abstract: This invention corrects of white spot noise in an imager. If the brightness value of a pixel is greater than the maximum brightness value of eight surrounding pixels, then the compensated output is this maximum brightness value. If the brightness value of the pixel is less than the maximum brightness value, then no compensation is applied. Alternatively the brightness value of the pixel may be compared with the maximum brightness value plus a threshold value. The invention stores correction values for a few pixels. If a particular pixel has a stored correction value, then this is subtracted from the brightness value of the particular pixel and the maximum brightness correction is applied to this difference. The stored correction value is replaced with the difference between the brightness value of the particular pixel and the maximum brightness value if this difference is greater than the stored correction value.