Abstract: An image capturing apparatus using a limited-rewriteable storage medium is disclosed. The image capturing apparatus writes generated image data in the limited-rewriteable storage medium at the time of shooting processing. On the other hand, an internal memory in the image capturing apparatus holds management information such as a FAT and directory entry. The apparatus writes the management information in the limited-rewriteable storage medium after the contents of the information are determined.

Abstract: A digital camera has a human face dictionary set 151 for storing information defining peculiarities of a human face and a mode selection key 142 for selecting a first mode or a second mode, wherein the first mode is for putting priority to a speed at which the human face is detected and the second mode is for putting priority to accuracy of detecting the human face. When the first mode has been selected with the mode selection key 142, a control unit 7 controls a face detecting unit 15 to read less information from the human face dictionary set 151 than information to be read from the human face dictionary set 151 when the second mode has been selected, and to use the less information to detect a face of a person to be photographed with CCD 2. When the face of the person is detected, the control unit 7 processes a photographed image of the person based on image information of the detected face and records the processed image in an external memory 13.

Abstract: A sequence of images is captured by an imaging device and stored in a digital format. After having captured and stored at least one image, a user is guided to move the device so that an image that can be stitched to the stored image can be captured. Positional information indicating the current orientation of the device is provided; positional information indicating the orientation of the device at the time of capturing each captured image is stored; and the current positional information and the positional information stored for the stored image is utilized for guiding the user to move the device to an orientation where an image that can be stitched to the stored image can be captured.

Abstract: When a digital camera 1 is being swung, the CPU 10 judges whether or not a block group having motion vectors which are varyingly different from the motion vectors of a peripheral area 32 in a field angle photographing area as shown in FIG. 3A exists in a center area 31 as shown in FIG. 3B. When judged that a block group having varyingly different motion vectors exists in the center area 31, the digital camera 1 determines this block group as an observed photographic subject area. Subsequently, when the scalar quantity of the largest motion vector, among the motion vectors of each block in the determined observed photographic subject area, is smaller than a threshold v, the digital camera 1 judges that the user is attempting to perform a follow shot and there is no blurring of the photographic subject, and performs automatic shooting.

Abstract: A pixel having an electronic shutter suitable for use in a pixel array of an imaging device includes a pinned diode and a shutter transistor. The pinned diode is utilized as a storage device while the shutter transistor controls charge transfer from the electronic shutter. The use of a pinned diode as a charge storage device for the electronic shutter permits greater charge transfer efficiency, has lower leakage (or “dark” current), and permits the resulting pixel to have a greater fill factor than pixels utilizing conventional electronic shutter circuits.

Abstract: A vibration compensation method for an image capture device comprising calculating the absolute difference values or the squared difference values between each first block of pixels of a base field and a second block of pixels corresponding thereto as well as other neighboring blocks of pixels in a comparison region in a reference field and choosing the interlace process modules of allowing the first block of pixels to interlace with the second block of pixels to form a image block, allowing the first block of pixels to interlace with the other neighboring block of pixels to form an image block and allowing the first block of pixels to interlace with a duplicated first block of pixels to form an image block, to combine an image depending on whether the absolute difference value or the squared difference values is smaller than a preset value or not thereby compensating the vibration factors as an image capture device is capturing an image to obtain a clear image.

Abstract: A dynamic range enhancement method and apparatus for an imaging device expands a dynamic range of an input image without an associated increase in the amount of image calculations. The dynamic range enhancement method includes producing brightness information and color information from an input image; applying gamma correction and inverse gamma correction to the brightness information to produce a gamma corrected image and an inverse gamma corrected image; comparing variances of the gamma corrected image and the inverse gamma corrected image at identical spots; and expanding a dynamic range of the input image by selecting one of the variances at each spot. The dynamic range of an input image is expanded by applying a post imaging process without increasing calculation amount of the imaging device.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to provide a solid-state imaging apparatus and a method of driving the solid-state imaging apparatus. If the total read out time of all of the pixels is shortened when effective pixels are thinned out to be read out without thinning out OB pixels, then the reset time period of each row is different from each other, and the problem of uneven charge accumulation time periods is caused. An improvement by the present invention is that, if no signals are read out from a part of the rows of the pixels in an effective pixel region to skip the rows, then the time period in which the rows to be skipped are selected is made to be shorter than the time period in which the rows from which signals are read out are selected, and the pixels in the optical black pixel region and the pixels in the effective pixel region are driven by the drive pulses of patterns different from each other.

Abstract: The present invention is an image processing device that certainly restores a non-linearly corrected image. A processing unit 4 restores a non-linearly corrected original image or an original image without being non-linearly corrected from a non-linearly corrected initial image data which has been fluctuated like deterioration and was non-linearly corrected by a predetermined way. The processing unit 4 repeats processing using any of fluctuation-factor information data which becomes a factor of fluctuating an image, the initial image data which is non-linearly corrected and the initial image data without being non-linearly corrected which is not non-linearly corrected and obtained by performing inversely non-linear correction against the non-linearly corrected initial data.

Abstract: In a shape memory alloy actuator driving device, a predetermined constant current is applied to a shape memory alloy member as a retrieval signal to detect a terminal voltage of the shape memory alloy member, and a detection result of the terminal voltage is compared with a target voltage value to be calculated based on a target resistance value of the shape memory alloy member and a value of the constant current to cause a driving circuit to output, to the shape memory alloy member, a drive current that makes the detection result substantially equal to the target voltage value.

Abstract: Still image apparatus and methods that are suitable for compact camera environments are described. In another aspect, image segments are captured during corresponding exposure intervals of a frame exposure period. Respective motion sensor signals are generated during the respective exposure intervals of the image segments. One or more corresponding movement measures are determined from the respective motion sensor signals for each of the exposure intervals. The image segments are combined into an output image based on the one or more corresponding movement measures.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus with an automatic adjustment function, such as a white balance adjustment function, enables a result of such adjustment to be checked easily using a vector display. A waveform generation unit 3 generates a vector signal from a video signal in response to an operation to push a switch unit 6 for automatic adjustment of white balance etc., and outputs the vector signal for a predetermined period. A synthesized signal generation unit 4 combines (superimposes) the video signal with (on) the vector signal and displays the synthesized signal on a display unit 5. A vector display superimposed on a video is performed on the display unit 5 for the predetermined period after the switch is pushed. This enables an adjustment result of white balance etc. to be checked easily without requiring other operations. The vector display is stopped automatically after the predetermined period, and thus does not disturb an imaging operation.

Abstract: A photographing apparatus comprises a plurality of optical image pickup units which converges object light and forming an optical image on a focus plane of an image pickup device and an image forming unit which forms a plurality of photographed images from optical images formed by the optical image pickup units. The optical axes of the optical image pickup units cross at one point near lenses, the optical image pickup units are disposed at an equal distance from the cross point, and the optical axes are set at a predetermined angle in such a manner that photographing fields of adjacent optical image pickup units are made contiguous with each other.

Abstract: In an imaging apparatus, a control unit can operate in one of a first mode which corresponds to an image capturing mode and which controls an image-blur correcting unit, and a second mode corresponding to a playback mode. When the image capturing mode is switched to the playback mode, the control unit operates in the first mode during a predetermined time after switching to the playback mode, and then operates in the second mode after the predetermined time period has elapsed. This makes it possible to immediately obtain an anti-shake effect even if the playback mode is switched to the image capturing mode.

Abstract: A method for operating an image capture device having a sensor with an array of first and second pixels includes capturing an image a plurality of times with the second pixels to produce a corresponding second image signal, the second pixels being white pixels, capturing the image a single time with the first pixels to produce a corresponding first image signal, inputting selecting signals to the sensor via a row driver to obtain the first and second image signals from the first and second pixels, respectively, and converting the first and second image signals to respective digital values via an analog-to-digital converter.

Abstract: An image brightness correction method is described. First, a pre-flash is fired and a pre-flash image is shot. After a main flash duration is estimated according to the pre-flash image and an automatic exposure time of a camera device, a main flash is fired and a raw image is shot. Then, a brightness gain of the raw image is compensated according to a preset gain threshold, and a digital brightness gain of the image is adjusted to enable the image shot each time to achieve the same brightness gain.

Abstract: An imaging device and methods of stabilizing video captured using a rolling shutter operation. Motion estimation is used to determine a row motion vector for individual rows of a current frame of a pixel array. The row motion vectors are used to map the location of pixels in the current frame to a mapped frame representing a single acquisition time for the current frame.

Abstract: An optimum image selection method for a digital photograph device selecting an optimum image by driving a vibration detection sensor mechanism is provided. In continuous photography mode, as soon as capturing an image, it detects and records the vibration amount of the image, and then compares the presently detected vibration amount with the vibration amount of the image which is stored formerly, and if the vibration amount detected presently is smaller, the image captured presently will be stored, so the clearest image will be distinguished and retained immediately by using the vibration amount.

Abstract: An image signal processing device for correcting color difference signals includes a first correcting unit configured to set a correction amount for input color difference signals to “0” and generating output color difference signals when a colorless area containing the original point of a color difference space in which the two color difference signals are set as two intersecting axes, a first boundary line through which the inside and outside of the colorless area are partitioned, a suppression area which is nearer to the original point than the first boundary line and defined by a color difference suppression width, and a second boundary line through which the interior of suppression area and the inside area of the suppression area are partitioned are set in the color difference space and the values of the color difference signals are at the outside of the colorless area.

Abstract: Disclosed are a lens shading compensation apparatus and a lens shading compensation method in an image sensor that compensate the difference in signal amplitude according to the position of pixels to preserve the quality of a primitive image. The lens shading compensation apparatus includes a pixel value analyzing part, an auto exposure value setting part, a central pixel detecting part, a table generating part, a pixel location calculating part, a mask image generating part and a compensation part. The above apparatus and method perform a color interpolation individually for red, green and blue, and then compensate a lens shading image for each color in accordance with its characteristics. Also the above apparatus and method can analyze and compensate a lens shading phenomenon without considering other colors or being interrupted by other colors.