Abstract: A video camera includes a liquid-crystal monitor for displaying an image picked up by the camera, a backlight provided behind the liquid-crystal monitor, a switch for turning on/off a power supply of the camera, and a controller for reducing luminance of the backlight when the power supply has been turned on.

Abstract: A panoramic digital image is produced by providing a digital camera having a memory and which is operable in a first mode for producing individual still digital images, and in a second mode for capturing a series of overlapping digital images to be used in constructing the panoramic digital image. The digital camera is mounted on a stand, rotated on the stand through a series of predetermined positions, and operated in the second mode to capture the series of overlapping digital images. The series of overlapping digital images corresponding to the panoramic digital image is stored in a predetermined location in the memory, and processed to stitch such images together to produce the panoramic digital image.

Abstract: A MOS architecture for reading rows of pixels in an area array imager. After initial setup, individual pixels are read one row at a time using one clock pulse per pixel.

Abstract: A drive process for an array of photosensitive points produced on a semiconductor material. Each of the points has a photodiode connected in series with a switch element. The photodiode is reverse-biased and produces charges when it is exposed to a light signal during an imaging phase. Before the imaging phase, the photosensitive points are illuminated with an additional light flux whose intensity causes the photodiode to conduct in the forward direction and then in applying a biasing pulse to the photosensitive points in order to return the photodiode to reverse bias. Thus, a current is produced which has the effect of reducing a remanence effect in the semiconductor material.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating a multimedia presentation from heterogeneous media objects stored in a digital imaging device, wherein each one of the media objects includes one or more media types associated therewith, such as images, video, audio and text. The digital imaging device includes a display screen, a navigation control button, and one or more function keys. In a first aspect of the present invention, a representation of each one of the media objects in the digital imaging device is displayed on the display screen. Thereafter, the user navigates to one of the displayed media objects using the navigation control button and marks the selected media object by pressing a corresponding function key. These steps are repeated to provide an ordered set of marked media objects. A slide show is then presented from the ordered set of marked media objects, whereupon initiation of the slide show presentation, each one of the media objects is automatically displayed on the display in the order marked.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus has the following components: an imaging device provided with a color filter having a regular arrangement formed by repetition of an 8-pixel unit block having two pixels in the line direction and 4 pixels in the column direction; pixel-shifting device operative to shift a light beam impinging upon the imaging surface of the imaging device by an amount corresponding to ⅔ pixel pitch both in plus and minus directions; an image memory capable of storing at least 9 frames of pixel data outputted from imaging device; a memory controller for arranging the pixel data to be written in the image memory in a spatial arrangement equivalent to the pixel data obtained by an imaginary imaging device having pixels of a number three times as large as that of the imaging device in each of line and column directions; an adder circuit which performs a computation for mixing pixel data of a plurality of pixel lines read from the image memory; and a camera process circuit for processing the plural

Abstract: In an image recording apparatus and method, when photographing images and recording the photographed images in a recording medium, by arranging so as to perform a plurality of different kinds of retrieval operations for the images recorded in the recording medium in accordance with respective operational modes of the apparatus, it is possible to promptly retrieve unnecessary recorded data during a photographing operation of recording moving images in a randomly accessible recording medium.

Abstract: A diaphragm structure for digital still camera and arranged within digital still camera comprises a lens set, a first light-blocking plate having a first aperture, and a second light-blocking plate having a second aperture. The two light-blocking plates are movably arranged within the lens set and in abutting relationship. The two light-blocking plates are moved linearly with the lens set such that said two apertures can be aligned or staggered to each other and the operation of the lens set can be controlled. The diaphragm structure of the present invention can overcome the problem of complicated structure, high cost and the difficulty of placing the diaphragm within the lens set.

Abstract: In a photosensitive device wherein signals are read sequentially from a plurality of photosensors onto a video line, an offset control detects a condition in which the photosensors experience a predetermined number of integration periods without reading out signals onto the video line. In response to such a condition, the offset control resets the offset on the video line.

Abstract: An image sensor having a plurality of pixels arranged in a series of row and columns comprising a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of pixels formed in rows and columns with at least two pixels that each have a voltage to charge conversion region that are spatially isolated from each other and electrically connected to the source of a single reset transistor. The pixels that share a reset transistor can also share an amplifier, and a select electrical function. The preferred embodiment envisions adjacent pixels, although, immediate adjacency is not a requirement.

Abstract: A set of CMOS-based amplifiers amplify signals from a set of photosensors within a large photosensitive imaging device. When the imaging device reads out image signals, each amplifier is selected for operation only within a brief time window when the particular photosensor associated therewith is reading out. Incidental to reading out a signal through a particular amplifier, all nodes which are capacitively coupled to the input node of the amplifier are biased to a known magnitude. In this way, residual charges remaining in the amplifier from a previous readout will not distort subsequent signals read through the amplifier.

Abstract: An image pickup device is provided with an optical system for taking the image of an object. A photoelectric converting element photoelectrically converts the object image taken by the optical system and an electric signal outputting board outputs an electrical signal from the photoelectric converting element. A position defining member defines the position of the optical system relative to the photoelectric converting element. The electric signal outputting board is positioned between the photoelectric converting element and the position defining member.

Abstract: A color signal processing circuit comprising an amplification circuit having three gains for amplifying a color signal of red, green and blue color signals and amplifying the red, green and blue color signals, the red, green and blue color signals being generated from an image signal taken by a solid-state imaging device by a color separation; a pull-in determination circuit for judging whether or not the color signal in a two dimensional coordinates for defining the color is positioned within a first pull-in limit region showing a color adjustment region and a second pull-in limit region defined in the first pull-in limit region and contained an origin of the two dimensional coordinates, and determinating the pull-in of a color shown by the color signal into a white color defined as the origin of the two dimensional coordinates; and a gain adjustment circuit for adjusting the gain of the amplification circuit, to thereby pull-in the color shown by the color signal determined the pull-in into the origin of th

Abstract: The present invention provides a high fill factor Photogate Active Pixel Architecture with the capability to perform Correlated Double Sampling, (CDS). The functionality of a 4 transistor pixel is maintained while eliminating the separate row select transistor. This is done by using the same control signal for the photogates and the Row Select signal. The preferred embodiment of the invention employs a floating diffusion as the charge to voltage conversion node and specifically envisions embodiments wherein the source of the reset transistor is a floating diffusion and the drain of the reset transistor is connected to the photogate control bus.

Abstract: Two methods for suppressing the fixed pattern noise effects of a pixel reset switch by ensuring that the reset NMOS device operates in its linear region. The first approach uses a separate reset switch supply voltage, VRES, set to at least one threshold voltage below the sensing switch supply voltage, Vdd. The second approach uses a charge pump and level shifter to push the reset gate voltage at least one threshold voltage higher than a supply voltage common to both the reset and sense transistors.

Abstract: A multi-threshold optical binning method for classifying the image quality of an optical sensor is presented. In accordance with the invention, a sensor tester causes a sensor pixel image to be generated by a sensor under test. The sensor pixel image is comprised of a plurality of pixels, each represented by an associated quantized intensity level. The quantized intensity level of a pixel may fall into one of a first pixel class, a second pixel class, or a third pixel class, for example, a dark pixel class, a dim pixel class, and an acceptable pixel class. An image filter processes the sensor pixel image, filtering but all pixels that fall within the acceptable pixel class, to generate a defective pixel map. The defective pixel map includes those pixels which have a quantized intensity level that falls within the first and/or second pixel class but not the third pixel class.

Abstract: A method for initializing a counter within a corresponding set of A/D converters of N sets of A/D converters of a single-chip CMOS-type image sensor in order to minimize none uniformity across the N sets of A/D converters is provided. The single chip CMOS type image sensor includes an image sense array having N columns of output lines for outputting N analog signals respectively; and a signal process device for generating N sets of digital signal each of which corresponds to one of N analog signals respectively. The signal process device has N input lines and N sets of A/D converter each of which including a counter for generating one of the N sets of digital signal respectively. The method comprises the steps of applying a predetermined reference voltage at each of N input lines of the signal process device such that a compensation value corresponding to each set of A/D converter is obtained.

Abstract: A self-contained camera device (10) and method for capturing and communicating images via a modem (13). The self-contained camera device (10) comprises an image capturing device (15) and a chassis (11) for receiving a storage module or a modem (13). A removable modem (13) is mountable on the chassis (11) and couplable to the image capturing device (15). The removable modem (13) is replaceable with the storage module.

Abstract: In a solid state image device, a group of optical-electrical conversion portions are arranged in a vertical direction. Further, at least one vertical charge transfer portion is arranged adjacent to the optical-electrical conversion portions and transfer the electrical charge signal in the vertical direction. Moreover, at least one parallel charges transfer portion is connected to the vertical charge transfer portion at one end and transfer the electrical charge signal in a parallel direction. On this condition, a plurality of charge transfer electrodes each constitute the vertical charge transfer portion. In this event, the charge transfer electrodes include a final charge transfer electrode coupled to the parallel charge transfer portion at the one end. With such a structure, a first electrode length of the final charge transfer electrode is shorter than the other electrode lengths of the remaining charge transfer electrodes.

Abstract: An invalid frame in 60P images supplied from a 60P camera head is delayed by a single frame by a 1-frame delay circuit. A differential between the delayed invalid frame and the valid frame is computed by a subtracting circuit. Of the differential signal, only a portion over a predetermined value is picked out by a level filter. The picked out signal is attenuated to ½ by a ½ attenuator. By adding that attenuated signal to the valid frame by an adder, the invalid frame is superimposed on that valid frame. As a result, a natural picture is obtained.