Abstract: An interactive TV device is configured to receive and process multiple broadband input streams simultaneously. The device includes functionality to perform as a Web browser, HF, cable and satellite TV receiver, a digital PVR, an interactive TV set-top box, an advanced central processing unit and a videoconferencing device, thanks to an integrated videoconferencing camera. The present interactive TV device is configured to manage all multimedia sources identically, whether the input is a TV channel, a Web page, or a video stream played back from a data carrier such as a DVD, for example. The present interactive TV device is also configured to enable a user to watch and record a plurality of video streams simultaneously and to display them on four independently manageable quarter screen segments.

Abstract: A digital camera 40 transmits to a printer 20 a command for transmitting RAW format compatibility information which is information of a RAW file format directly printable by the printer 20. Upon receipt of the RAW format compatibility information from the printer 20, the digital camera 40 determines, on the basis of the received RAW format compatibility information and the format of a RAW file stored in a flash memory 46 thereof, whether the RAW file can be directly printed by the printer 20. If the RAW file can be directly printed, the digital camera 40 transmits the RAW file to the printer 20. If the RAW file cannot be directly printed, the digital camera 40 transmits to the printer 20 the RAW file and a development enabling parameter which enables analysis of RAW data included in the RAW file as image data. The printer 20 prints the RAW file with the use of the development enabling parameter.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for a fast (low F/number) computational camera that incorporates two arrays of lenses. The arrays include a lenslet array in front of a photosensor and an objective lens array of two or more lenses. Each lens in the objective lens array captures light from a subject. Each lenslet in the lenslet array captures light from each objective lens and separates the captured light to project microimages corresponding to the objective lenses on a region of the photosensor under the lenslet. Thus, a plurality of microimages are projected onto and captured by the photosensor. The captured microimages may be processed in accordance with the geometry of the objective lenses to align the microimages to generate a final image. One or more other algorithms may be applied to the image data in accordance with radiance information captured by the camera, such as automatic refocusing of an out-of-focus image.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus including: a solid-state imaging device having a pixel section formed of a plurality of pixels in a two-dimensional array each containing a photoelectric conversion section for generating a signal corresponding to a quantity of incident light, a read drive section for setting one or more pixels in the pixel section as a read unit group to effect read operation by the unit of the read unit group, and a global shutter function setting section for obtaining an imaging signal where an exposure start timing and an exposure period of all subject pixels in the pixel section are the same; a light quantity distribution detecting means for detecting a distribution of said quantity of incident light to the pixel section of the solid-state imaging device; and a drive control means for setting to the read drive section an order of read sequence of the read unit groups based on a light quantity distribution information of the pixel section detected at the light quantity distribution detectin

Abstract: The image processing device performs image processing using image data generated by an image generating device, and image generation record information associated with the image data where the image generation record information includes at least operating information about the image generating device at the time of generation of the image data. A picture quality adjuster is able, when the image generation record information includes subject brightness information relating to the brightness of a subject at the time of generation of the image data, to adjust the picture quality of the image data using the subject brightness level derived from the subject brightness information.

Abstract: A motion sensor is used to sense the movement of the camera during an exposure period. The camera has an image sensor to form one or more exposures. When the movement is within a certain range, the exposures are used to provide one or more frames so that an image can be constructed based on the frames. In one embodiment, the exposure period is divided into several short intervals in order to capture several image frames and only the image frames captured when the position of the camera is within a predetermined range are used to form the final image. The exposure time for each frame is small in order to reduce the motion blur degradation of the individual frames. If the camera is stable and substantially stationary relative to the scene, then all or many of the shorter frames are used to form the final image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for propagating charge through a sensor and implementation thereof is provided. The method and apparatus may be used to inspect specimens, the sensor operating to advance an accumulated charge between gates of the TDI sensor. The design implementation provides a set of values representing a plurality of out of phase signals, such as sinusoidal or trapezoidal signals. These out of phase signals are converted and transmitted to the sensor. The converted signals cause the sensor to transfer charges in the sensor toward an end of the sensor. Aspects such as feed through correction and correction of nonlinearities are addressed.

Abstract: An image processor is provided, which has the capability of detecting an object such as a human face from an image taken against the sun with high accuracy. An image signal provided from an image pickup unit is adjusted at an analog gain by an image adjuster. An out of the image adjuster is converted into a digital, and store in a memory. A feature of the object is extracted from this digital image data to detect an object area in the image. When the object area is not detected, an analog-gain controller sends that the image signal provided from the image pickup unit is adjusted at a different analog gain. Thus, the treatment of detecting the object area is repeated at different analog gains.

Abstract: An imaging device including: an imaging element which comprises a plurality of pixels capable of switching between a linear conversion operation for linearly converting incident light into an electric signal and a logarithmic conversion operation for logarithmically converting the incident light into an electric signal, according to an incident light quantity; a monitor to display an image obtained by the imaging element; an operation section which is operated for specifying an arbitrary area of the image displayed on the monitor; and an inflection point changing section which evaluates an output signal of the imaging element in the specified area, and changes the inflection point which is a boundary between a linear region and a logarithmic region in the output signal of the imaging element, based on an evaluation result of the output signal.

Abstract: A method of transferring a deferred vertical synchronous signal and an image signal processor executing the method thereof are disclosed. Once the vertical synchronous signal for an mth frame is inputted from an encoding unit, the method monitors whether image data columns in the quantity of n corresponding to a predetermined process block have been stored, using a count value inputted from the encoding unit, and outputs a corresponding vertical synchronous signal to a receiving part in case the image data columns in the quantity of n have been stored. Therefore, it becomes possible to increase the process efficiency of the back-end chip and to reduce the power consumption.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus has a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix-like layout and containing photoelectric conversion devices reads signals in units of one line or a plurality of lines and is provide with an image sensing device 14 adapted to read a signal from a given block area. The apparatus has a flash read mode that, during flash operation, adjusts parameters relating to the readout of the image sensing device 14 so as to produce the same exposure period for all the plurality of lines that comprise a predetermined block area of the image sensing device 14, thus enabling accurate quantity of light detection even when performing strobe photography at high shutter speeds.

Abstract: An image processing system including: an image pickup apparatus for picking up an image of a subject; and an image reproducing apparatus for reproducing the image picked up by the image pickup apparatus; wherein the image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup unit for obtaining an image by image pickup, an image pickup rate controlling unit for controlling an image pickup rate of the image pickup unit, a line reducing unit for removing a plurality of lines from the image obtained by the image pickup, and an image storing unit for storing a reduced image in which the plurality of lines are removed on a storage medium, and the image reproducing apparatus includes an image reading unit for reading the image stored on the storage medium, an up-converter for up-converting the read image, and a reproduction displaying unit for displaying the up-converted image.

Abstract: The image sensor includes an array of pixels, each pixel having a photo-diode, for providing a pixel voltage, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) operable to convert the pixel voltage to a digital value and a memory for storing the digital value. Read circuitry is included for reading out the digital values from the pixels of the array in a predetermined order. The image sensor may be configured such that a counter incorporates the memory, and the counter may be adapted to operate as a shift register. The counters of two or more pixels may be connected to form one or more chains such that digital values can be read out in a bit-serial manner.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus for recording image data picked up by an image pickup unit until a recording medium is presented. In response to an instruction from an instruction operation unit capable of arbitrary instruction, a first image data picked up by the image pickup unit is allocated to the same group as a second image data photographed immediately before the first image data so as to allocate the first image data to the same group as the image data picked up immediately before the first image data. In addition, management information containing group information that shows image data within the group is generated.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image-shake correction apparatus comprising: an image displacement device that displaces on an image forming plane an image formed by an image-capturing optical system; an image-shake correction device that displaces an image by use of the image displacement device in such a way as to cancel an image shake due to a vibration exerted on the image-capturing optical system; and an output device that outputs to a predetermined external apparatus information on image displacement by the image displacement device, in order to prevent the occurrence of defects due to image-shake correction, information on the image-shake correction can be supplied to an external apparatus that obtains capturing conditions of a camera and implements predetermined processing.

Abstract: An image reproducing apparatus includes a selector which selects output of the MPEG decoder in a reproducing mode. A connection detection unit detects whether a video monitor is connected to an output terminal and a result of the detection is sent to a CPU. When a video monitor is connected, the CPU reads out bit map data of an operation icon having an enlarged size from a ROM and sends the data to an OSD control unit. The OSD control unit determines whether a blue background is displayed on a touch panel. If the operation icon is not enlarged, the OSD control unit masks a background portion with a single color (for example, blue background) and displays an enlarged operation icon over the background portion.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method for detecting and correcting a defective pixel in an image output from an image sensor including a plurality of pixels, comprising detection of an edge direction based on the image data, detection of a defective pixel included in the image sensor based on the detected edge direction, and correction of the selected defective pixel.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for row-wise dark level non-uniformity compensation of imaging sensor pixel signals. A column dependent dark reference value is determined as one of a linear and parabolic function of signal values from two areas of dark reference pixels and a column location and then used for dark level non-uniformity compensation of signal values from imaging pixels.

Abstract: According to the present invention, by providing operation members dedicated for an operation of switching on/of the face detection processing, a face image switching operation, and proceeding to the next image taking, operations related to the face detection processing can be simplified. Furthermore, by displaying a taken image and an face image at the same time, the operation of proceeding to the next image taking after confirming the condition of focus and exposure and the face expression of a subject person can be performed easily.

Abstract: A plurality of imaging regions are provided in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of optical systems and are disposed on optical axes of the respective optical systems. Each imaging region has a plurality of pixels. The imaging apparatus further comprises an origin assigning means for assigning an origin of each imaging region, a pixel position specifying means for specifying positions of a plurality of pixels included in each imaging region using the origin as a reference, and a combination means for combining a plurality of images captured by the respective imaging regions. Thereby, it is possible to make a thin imaging apparatus capable of being easily assembled.