Abstract: A vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus is comprised of a camera installed in the front or rear of a vehicle, for picking up images of side view of the vehicle; a feature point detecting section that detects feature points in the side images and calculates the motion vectors of the detected feature points; a moving object detecting section that detects a set of a plurality of feature points approaching the vehicle in the side images as an approaching object based on the calculated motion vectors of the feature points; a feature point tracking section that tracks the feature points of the detected approaching object; and a passage time calculating section that calculates the time at which the approaching object passes the front or rear of the vehicle from the feature points of the approaching object tracked by the feature point tracking section.

Abstract: An image storage system effectively stores image data captured by an image capture device in a plurality of image storage devices. Each of the image storage devices includes a storage unit for storing image data. An image storage device performing as a master among the image storage devices includes an image reception unit for receiving the image data captured by the image capture device. A storage unit provided in each of the image storage devices distributes the image data received by the image reception unit provided in the image storage device performing as the master to the respective image storage devices so as to be stored there.

Abstract: When driven in an all-pixel read mode, a CCD (1) outputs, with each horizontal sync timing signal, captured image signals including signal charges arranged in a different order from that in which the pixels are actually arranged on a photosensitive surface of the CCD. During this time, the respective pixel signals are digitized sequentially by an A/D converter (5) to corresponding image data, which are then temporarily stored in units of a line in a line buffer (7) via a data distributor (6). In this case, an address generator (8) generates, for the respective image data, write addresses to store the respective image data in the line buffer (7) in the same order as the pixels of the photosensitive surface are actually arranged. In accordance with these write addresses, the data distributor (6) distributes the respective image data to appropriate addresses in the line buffer (7), thereby storing the image data there (FIG. 1).

Abstract: An imaging apparatus and a method using column processing circuits arranged in multiple rows for processing pixels in a pixel array.

Abstract: The image capture apparatus changes a time from the commencement of the operation of the accumulation of the electrical charge to the shuttering, by the shutter blade unit, of the pixel within the image capture element by way of the reset operation in a state of retracting the shutter blade unit from the light path of the image capture element.

Abstract: An imaging device including an imaging element having a plurality of pixels for switching a linear conversion mode for linearly converting incident light to an electric signal and a logarithm conversion mode for logarithmically converting incident light to an electric signal on the basis of incident light intensity, a conversion unit for converting and outputting a reference electric signal converted logarithmically and outputted from the imaging element to an electric signal obtained by linearly converting an electric signal before logarithm conversion, a correction unit, when an electric signal converted logarithmically and outputted from the imaging element is varied from the reference electric signal, for correcting it so as to coincide with the reference electric signal, and a circuit for giving the corrected electric signal to the conversion unit.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: multiple pixels making up a slanted grid array inclined to a scanning direction, which include a photoelectric conversion unit configured to convert incident light quantity into an electric signal; and a charge-to-voltage conversion unit configured to convert signal charge read out from the photoelectric conversion unit disposed between two pixels adjacent to each other in the diagonal direction of the pixels of the multiple pixels into voltage; wherein the charge-to-voltage conversion unit is shared with the two pixels; and wherein a set of transistor group are disposed in a sharing block, which is configured of a pixel pair made up of the two pixels adjacent to each other in the diagonal direction, and a pixel pair adjacent to that pixel pair, including wiring to which the charge-to-voltage conversion unit of each pixel pair is connected.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an element-including optical system, a detector, and a converter. The element-including optical system has an optical system and an optical wavefront modulation element which modulates an optical transfer function. The detector picks up an object image that passes through the optical system and the optical wavefront modulation element. The converter generates an image signal with a smaller blur than that of a signal of a blurred image output from the detector by performing a filtering process of the optical transfer function to improve a contrast. A focal position of the element-including optical system is set by moving the element-including optical system to the focal position which is corresponding to a predetermined object distance using a contrast of the object based on the image signal.

Abstract: In an image-capturing apparatus and image-capturing method which can, in electronic image blur correction, correct camera motion-caused blurring occurring in one frame, an image-capturing apparatus (100) includes: a first picture feature amount transforming unit (104) transforming picture feature amount of input picture (117); a blur detecting unit 105 detecting blurring by evaluating input picture feature amount (118) chronologically; a blur synthesizing unit (107) artificially causing blurring in blur-free image-captured picture (129) by using blur model (124), and generating blur-synthesized picture (130); a blur removal picture feature amount replacement table unit (110) for replacing picture feature amount of a blurred picture with picture feature amount of a blur-free picture; and a closest-picture feature amount detecting unit (113) outputting, as blur-removed picture feature vector picture (133), picture feature amount of a blur-free image-captured picture that pairs with picture feature amount closes

Abstract: A measurement line segment projection unit (400) projects, onto a sensed image, a three-dimensional model which is arranged at the position and orientation of a physical object (199). A search range is set for each side of the virtual object projected onto the sensed image, near the side of the virtual object in the sensed image based on a positional relationship between the side and other sides of the virtual object. A side of the physical object (199) on the sensed image is searched for within the search range for each side of the virtual object. The position and orientation relationship between the physical object (199) and an image sensing device (50) is calculated using the correspondence relationship, determined based on the search result, between each side of the three-dimensional model projected onto the sensed image and each side of the physical object (199) located on the sensed image.

Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an image pickup apparatus that has an external sensor for detecting brightness separately from an image sensor for obtaining an image pickup signal and controls the insertion and removal of a filter into and from an image pickup optical system in accordance with the brightness of the subject, using brightness information obtained from the external sensor and the image pickup signal.

Abstract: A notebook information processor includes a lid including an image photographing unit and a display, and a main body, wherein the control unit includes a live view displaying unit that displays a live view obtained by photographing at least a portion of the main body within a photographing area of the image photographing unit on the display, a rectangle detecting unit that detects a rectangle for calculating a projective transformation parameter from the live view, a projective transformation parameter calculating unit that calculates the projective transformation parameter from a coordinate of the rectangle, and a still image obtaining unit that performs a projective transformation on the live view so as to obtain a live view photographed from a front direction, using the projective transformation parameter, obtains a still image from the live view after the projective transformation, and stores the still image in the storage unit.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope has a light source that radiates illuminating light, a movie-image processor, a still-image processor, an image-change processor, and provisional image displayer. The still-image processor that alternately reads odd-line image-pixel signals and even-line image-pixel signals over two field interval to generate a still image on the basis of one frame worth of image-pixel signals generated by a one-time still image exposure. The illuminating light being blocked for a latter filed interval in the two field interval. The image change processor switches between a performance of the movie-image processor for displaying the movie-image and a performance of the still-image processor for displaying the still-image.

Abstract: There is provided an image pickup apparatus having a simple structure that enables reduction of shutter release time lag and shutter control with highly accurate shutter time.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device is provided. The imaging device includes an imaging portion which includes light receiving portions and vertical transfer registers, a horizontal transfer portion, an output part for outputting an electrical signal converted from electric charges transferred from the horizontal transfer portion, a first reference potential applying means, and a second reference potential applying means. The imaging portion, the horizontal transfer portion and the output part are formed in a first conductivity type semiconductor substrate having a second conductivity type region, and a reference potential is applied to the second conductivity type semiconductor region. The first reference potential applying means applies a reference potential to the second conductivity type semiconductor region corresponding to an area where the output part is formed.

Abstract: This invention improves the response characteristic of exposure control while keeping the exposure control precision high in an image capturing apparatus. An image capturing apparatus includes an image sensor which photo-electrically converts an object image to output an image signal, an output interval control unit which controls the output interval of the image signal from the image sensor, a first detection unit which detects object luminance information from the image signal, a second detection unit which detects the object luminance information by directly receiving light from an object, and a control unit which controls the exposure of the image sensor by selectively using a detection signal from the first detection unit and a detection signal from the second detection unit based on the output interval of the image signal controlled by the output interval control unit.

Abstract: An image pickup device and an image recording apparatus are provided, each of which includes: a first selecting unit that selects an operational mode based on at least one of an image size and a frame rate; and a second selecting unit that selects, in accordance with the operational mode, at least one functional unit from a plurality of functional units, each of which is adapted to perform a function to process an image signal, so as to enable the at least one functional unit to actually perform the function.

Abstract: A charge-coupled device image sensor includes (a) a two-dimensional array of pixels having a plurality of rows and columns, the two-dimensional array includes: (i) a plurality of gates arranged as a charge-coupled device; wherein the array further includes a plurality of charge-coupled devices that are arranged to be clocked by one or more common timing signals; (ii) a transition region, electrically connected to the array, having a first and second row of gates in which the second row is electrically mated into a plurality of first and second pairs of gates in which first pairs of gates are clocked by a first common timing signal and second pairs of gates are clocked by a second common timing signal; wherein the first row of gates are all clocked with a third common timing signal; and (b) a horizontal shift register adjacent the second row of gates for receiving charge from the second row of gates.

Abstract: A multicamera system including: a controller having a reset phase transmitting unit for transmitting information showing a reset phase corresponding to a position in a frame synchronized with a sync reference signal to one or each of plural image pickup apparatuses within a frame period of a one-precedent frame of the frame; and the one or plural image pickup apparatuses each having an image pickup unit for photographing light from an object, an image pickup driving unit for driving the image pickup unit so as to start the photographing of one image pickup frame on the basis of the reset phase information transmitted from the controller, and an output unit for outputting image pickup data of the one image pickup frame photographed by the image pickup unit on the basis of the sync reference signal transmitted from the controller.

Abstract: A system of taking images of different sensitivities at the same time uses both an image sensor, and an auxiliary part to the image sensor. The image sensor element can be a photogate, and the auxiliary part can be the floating diffusion associated with the photogate. Both the photogate and the floating diffusion accumulate charge. Both are sampled at different times. The floating diffusion provides a lower sensitivity amount of charge than the photogate itself. The system can have a photogate and floating diffusion in each pixel along with a select transistor, a reset transistor, and a follower transistor. All of this circuitry can be formed of CMOS for example. The system can also operate in a column/parallel mode, where each column of the photo sensor array can have a column signal processor which samples and holds the reset signal, the floating diffusion signal and the photogate signal.