Abstract: A memory card having a liquid crystal display device is reduced in thickness. To this end, the back side of a liquid crystal display panel is provided with a white diffusing plate and the memory card is not provided with a light source for backlighting. A digital electronic still camera, into which the memory card is removably inserted, is provided with a light source for backlighting. When the memory card has been inserted into the digital camera, the transmission-type liquid crystal panel is illuminated using the light source of the camera. Thus an image displayed on the liquid crystal display device of the memory card can be viewed even though the memory card does not have a light source for backlighting.

Abstract: According to a solid-state image pickup device and a driving method thereof in which unit pixels, each comprising a photodiode, a selection MOS transistor and a read-out MOS transistor, are two-dimensionally disposed in a matrix form, and each vertical signal line is connected to a column amplifier. The vertical signal line is first reset by a reset MOS transistor, and then a pixel signal is read out from the photodiode to the vertical signal line to successively output the reset level and the signal level to a horizontal signal line through the same route (the column amplifier, the horizontal selection MOS transistor, etc.), and then the difference between the reset level and the signal level is calculated by a CDS circuit.

Abstract: A single-canister underwater stereocamera system with a distance measurement function. In the camera system, a camera drive unit, holding two cameras on its camera base, is set in a parallel space defined between two support plates, and is operable by a motor unit, thus being movable along with the two cameras to the front or back. A lens drive unit, holding two lenses on two lens bases, is set in the parallel space to be operable by the motor unit so as to laterally move the two lenses to the left or right under the guide of a linear guide bearing. The motor unit controls the focus length of each of the two cameras and the moving distance of the two lenses at the same time. In the camera system, the actual distance of an underwater target object from the system is measured by sensing a rotated position of the encoder of the motor unit, taking advantage of the fact that the actual distance of the target object has a functional relation of 1:1 with the focus length of each of the cameras.

Abstract: A list of the selected and input virtual directory names are displayed on the display screen by operating the album key and a predetermined virtual directory name is selected from the list of the virtual directory names being displayed on the display screen by operating any of the movement keys and the determination key. The image data obtained as a result of an imaging operation are recorded in a directory corresponding to the selected virtual directory name and conforming to the DCF Standard.

Abstract: An active-pixel low-noise imaging system for implementation in CMOS or in other semiconductor fabrication technologies uses three transistors and a single capacitance per pixel. The first transistor serves as a reset and a transimpedance amplifier to facilitate high impedance and suppress reset noise without requiring expensive on-chip or off-chip memory. The second transistor is an access MOSFET used to read the signal from each pixel and multiplex the signal outputs from an array of pixels. The third MOSFET resets the detector after the integrated signal has been read. Since the detector sense node is “pinned” by the feedback amplifier, reset noise is reduced to that generated by the much smaller feedback capacitance. In addition, by using a small but well-defined feedback capacitor, an amplifier with a narrow bandwidth can be used, provided its unity-gain frequency is sufficient.

Abstract: An image acquisition arrangement that acquires at least one image of at least one portion of a scene has a camera and an illumination source controlled by a control module. The camera includes an image recording medium and a shutter controllable to enable the image recording medium to acquire the image. The illumination source is configured to illuminate the scene for a selected time period. The control module controls the camera and illumination source to facilitate acquisition of the image by the camera, the control module enabling the shutter to, in turn, enable the image recording medium to acquire the image and contemporaneously to enable the illumination source to illuminate the scene, the time period during which the shutter enables the image recording medium to record an image being a function of the time period during which the at least one illumination source illuminates the scene.

Abstract: An image sensor that has one or more pixels within a pixel array. The pixel array may be coupled to a control circuit and one or more subtraction circuits. The control circuit may cause each pixel to provide a first reference output signal and a reset output signal. The control circuit may then cause each pixel to provide a light response output signal and a second reference output signal. The light response output signal corresponds to the image that is to be captured by the sensor. The subtraction circuit may provide a difference between the reset output signal and the first reference output signal to create a noise signal that is stored in memory. The subtraction circuit may also provide a difference between the second reference output signal and the light response output signal to create a normalized light response output signal. The noise signal may then be subtracted from the normalized light response output signal to generate the output data of the sensor.

Abstract: A system for managing files stored on a digital camera includes detection of the digital camera, automatic reception of thumbnail image files stored in the camera, and storage of the received thumbnail image files in a memory. The system also includes a user interface for a windowing application for viewing system objects which includes a first area for displaying a hierarchical tree of system objects, a second area for displaying a thumbnail image corresponding to a system object selected in the first area, a third area adjacent to the second area for displaying a second icon indicating that a sound file is associated with the displayed thumbnail image, and a fourth area which surrounds the second area and the third area, wherein the fourth area may be selected and dragged to an icon representing a storage device in order to copy the displayed thumbnail image, a full-resolution image file associated with the displayed thumbnail image, and any associated sound files to the storage device.

Abstract: A white balance compensation method enabling highly accurate image white balance compensation is conducted by a white balance compensation system. Digital image data acquired by a data acquisition unit is sent to a mean value computing unit that effects a computation on color signals B, G and R which are n-th powers of incident light intensity to calculate mean values Bm, Gm and Rm thereof as: Bm=((&Sgr;Bp/n)/M)n/p Gm=((&Sgr;Gp/n)/M)n/p Rm=((&Sgr;Rp/n)/M)n/p where p is a coefficient of the power n falling in the range of 0.5≦p≦1.5, preferably in the range of 1.0≦p≦1.5. The mean values Bm, Gm and Rm are sent to a conversion means that converts the color signals so as to make two of the mean values other than a selected one coincide with the selected mean value, thereby enabling reproduction of a white-balance compensated image free of color failure.

Abstract: A digital still camera includes a DRAM so that the DRAM is stored with pixel data having a Y, U or V component. A memory control circuit reads the pixel data out of the DRAM at a clock rate of 30 MHz, and writes it to SRAM. The memory control circuit then reads out the pixel data, that has been written from the SRAM to a first register, at a clock rate of 15 MHz and at a desired zoom magnification. An H/V interpolating circuit performs vertical interpolation and horizontal interpolation based on the data read out, and creates a zoom pixel. Since two pixels in a vertical direction is required to create one zoom pixel, the SRAM is formed with 2 lines of a memory area. Also, since only 1 line of data can read out of the DRAM at one time, the memory control circuit reads out the pixel data at a clock rate 2 times the value 15 MHz, i.e. 30 MHz.

Abstract: A method and system using a sensor array includes a programmable analog/multi-level memory array for modifying individual outputs from elements in the sensor array in order to obtain a desired sensor array output. The memory array can be programmed with data corresponding to desired modifications, such as low and high offset voltage correction, low gain correction, and gamma correction. Consequently, by utilizing arithmetic circuits, the adverse effects of corrupted elements in a sensor can be corrected by re-programming the memory array with different modification data as the need arises.

Abstract: An adaptor for connecting between a digital still camera and a printer. The adaptor comprises a transfer controller, a memory, and a multi-processing micro-controller. The transfer controller is connected to a data bank. The transfer controller receives and stores image data from the digital still camera into the data bank, then transferring the image data to the printer. The memory has a system program stored therein. The multi-processing micro-controller is connected to the transfer controller and the memory through a data bus and a control bus. The multi-processing micro-controller controls the transfer controller in receiving and transferring the image data concurrently in response to the system program.

Abstract: This electronic imaging apparatus comprises in front of a body an open/close lid for protecting a picture-taking lens, the open/close lid where a strobe flashing unit is incorporated, and a housing, which is a structure of the body, and its exterior (members from a housing to its exterior) that are formed with conductive material, the electronic imaging apparatus wherein a trigger transformer for strobe flashing is also incorporated with the strobe flashing unit in the open/close lid for protecting the picture-taking lens, a part of the housing near to the strobe flashing unit is formed with a non-conductive clear member, and this clear member is constructed with including a flash transmitting surface portion making flash from the strobe flashing unit pass and a part that is a part except this flash transmitting surface portion and faces to a part of the back of a strobe reflector.

Abstract: An SLR digital still camera includes a quick return half mirror which allows object-carrying light, transmitted through a photographing lens, to be partly incident on a finder optical system and partly incident on an image pick-up device; a mirror driving device for driving the half mirror between a viewing position and a photographing position; a controller for calculating a displacement from a provisional focus position, based on an electrical signal obtained by a photo-electric conversion of the object-carrying light made incident on the image pick-up device through the half mirror when said half mirror is in the viewing position, to obtain a focusing position in which the photographing lens is focused on an object to be photographed when the half mirror is retracted from the photographing light path; a memory for storing said focus position; and a drive mechanism that moves one of the photographing lens and the image pick-up device in accordance with the focus position stored in the memory when the half m

Abstract: A vibration correction apparatus has a motion vector detection circuit for detecting a motion vector signal at a predetermined sampling period, a signal processing circuit for calculating a correction target value in accordance with the motion vector signal detected by the motion vector detection circuit, a correction system for correcting a motion in accordance with the correction target value, and a control circuit for generating a new correction target value through interpolation of the correction target value, shortening a correction period of correction by the correction system shorter than a sampling period of the motion vector, and making the period of correction by the correction system variable with each image pickup system.

Abstract: An electronic still camera has a casing in which an image-capturing element is provided. And the casing includes: a body middle portion in which the image-capturing element is provided in close proximity to a rear wall of the body middle portion; a grip unit that is formed continuous to the body middle portion on one side in a left/right direction and projects out further forward relative to a front wall of the body middle portion; and an electrical part housing unit that is formed continuous to the body middle portion on another side in the left/right direction and has a housing space. One or more recording compression circuit parts are provided inside the grip unit; and one or more image display parts are provided inside the electrical part housing unit.

Abstract: A surface mount-video camera includes a video camera body with a lens oriented in a longitudinal direction, and a seat body to be mounted on a personal computer. The seat body includes an upper seat portion with a mounting hole defining a rotating axis transverse to the longitudinal direction. An anchored body has a lower cylindrical portion inserted rotatably and retainingly in the mounting hole about the rotating axis and downwardly beyond an inner annular engaging portion of the seat body, and a flange portion extending outwardly and radially from the lower cylindrical portion to be slidably rotatable relative to an outer annular engaging portion of the seat body. A first knuckle member is disposed on the flange portion with a hinging axis thereof extending in a direction transverse to both the rotating axis and the longitudinal direction of the lens.

Abstract: A brightness threshold value calculation unit figures out a brightness threshold value on the basis of a brightness average value of all blocks and the brightness of a maximum brightness block determined by a maximum brightness block search unit. Block average value calculation units extract blocks corresponding thereto and find average values of representative values of the extracted blocks. At that time, subjects of extraction by the block average value calculation units are limited to blocks having a higher brightness than the brightness threshold value among all the blocks. A white balance gain is then determined from the thus obtained block average values. This configuration achieves a white balance which responds better to light sources since the white balance gain is not affected by values of dark blocks which are considered not to well reflect the color of light from the light sources.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of interfacing an analog video camcorder and a personal computer with each other. A horizontal synchronous signal used for the analog video camcorder is delayed for a desired time in order to prevent a phenomenon in which a picture is displayed on a monitor of the personal computer while having a black portion at the leading portion thereof and being clipped at the trailing portion thereof when using a personal computer interface unit for digital video camcorders. By virtue of the delayed horizontal synchronous signal, the personal computer can receive information from the analog video camcorder without any problem. The apparatus and method are appropriately applied to portable imaging devices.

Abstract: An area image sensor outputs the difference between charges received by light-receiving cells arranged in an array pattern. A system controller generates a timing signal for generating a pulse or modulation signal. A control signal generator generates a control signal for separately controlling the light-receiving timings of the light-receiving cells of the area image sensor on the basis of the timing signal from the system controller. A light emitting controller controls a light source to generate light, the intensity of which changes on the basis of the timing signal from the system controller. A reflected light image processor extracts a reflected image of an object from the difference outputted from the area image sensor.