Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to correct the reduced degree of modulation in a diagonal direction in a four-plate camera having a frame memory and R, G1, G2, and B image pickup elements among which two green image pickup elements (G1, G2) shift pixels diagonally. This image pickup method is provided for an image pickup device having two green image pickup elements, a red image pickup element, and a blue image pickup element among which the two green image pickup elements shift pixels diagonally. The method includes, with respect to a contour correction target pixel, generating a diagonal contour correction signal from respective image signals of two diagonally upper left pixels, two diagonally upper right pixels, two diagonally lower left pixels, and two diagonally lower right pixels, and adding the diagonal contour correction signal to an image signal of the contour correction target pixel.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device and an electronic apparatus capable of reducing a leak current of a PN junction region. In a Si substrate, an N+ region is formed in a P-type Well (P_Well region). A depletion layer is formed in the circumference of a boundary (metallurgic boundary of a PN junction) between the P_Well region and the N+ region. On the surface of the Si substrate, a fixed charge layer having positive fixed charge is formed on the N+ region to be spanned to the depletion layer. The present disclosure is applicable to a CMOS solid-state imaging device used in an imaging apparatus such as a camera.

Abstract: Disclosed are an image processing apparatus that can efficiently suppress the data amount of data indicating a spatial distribution and an angular distribution of light intensity and a control method of the same. The image processing apparatus obtains data indicating the spatial distribution and the angular distribution of the intensity of light beams that have passed through partial pupil areas obtained by dividing the exit pupil of an imaging optical system into a predetermined number. The image processing apparatus then reduces the bit depth or the number of tones of signals constituting the data based on the predetermined number.

Abstract: Example techniques are described for low power mode operation for multi-camera devices. A camera device includes processing circuitry configured to determine what information from the first camera is needed to process image content captured by the second camera or to operate the second camera, and adjust an operation mode of one of the first camera or camera circuitry coupled to the first camera from a first operation mode to a second operation mode based on the determination. An amount of power consumed by the first camera or the camera circuitry coupled to the first camera in the second operation mode is different than an amount of power consumed by the first camera or the camera circuitry in the first operation mode.

Abstract: A camera includes: a ring-like body mount having an inside diameter smaller than about 48 millimeters; and a solid-state image pickup device arranged oppositely to the body mount, the solid-state image pickup device having a rectangle light receiving section with a diagonal line length of about 43 millimeters or more. An apparent shape of the solid-state image pickup device viewed from a front surface side of the body mount is a rectangle in which one or more corners are oblique.

Abstract: A structure of a mobile terminal for visible light communication is disclosed. The mobile terminal, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a light reception unit for receiving visible light; and a control unit for extracting, from the received visible light, data corresponding to the turning on/off of an external lighting, wherein the light reception unit comprises at least one among an illuminance sensor, a first image sensor disposed on the front of the mobile terminal, and a second image sensor disposed on the back of the mobile terminal, and comprises a guide member for guiding the traveling direction of visible light outputted from the lighting.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for improving image recognition by using information from sensor data. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving one or more sensor records, the sensor records representing timestamped sensor data collected by a sensor recording device; selecting an event based on the sensor records; identifying a time associated with the event; retrieving a plurality of timestamped video frames; synchronizing the sensor records and the video frames, wherein synchronizing the sensor records and the video frames comprises synchronizing the timestamped sensor data with individual frames of the timestamped video frames according to a common timeframe; and selecting a subset of video frames from the plurality of timestamped video frames based on the selected event.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a lens unit to form an object image, an imaging unit to convert the formed object image to an image signal, an image processing unit, an insertion/removal unit, a setting unit, and a mode determining unit. The image processing unit performs predetermined image processing on the image signal. The insertion/removal unit inserts and removes optical filters to/from the lens unit. The mode determining unit determines setting of an imaging mode included in a received setting. The optical filters include a first filter having a transmittance of a wavelength component in the infrared region that is relatively smaller than a wavelength component in the visible region, and a second filter having a transmittance of the wavelength component in the infrared region that is relatively larger than the wavelength component in the visible region. The image processing unit performs image processing according to a determination result.

Abstract: A focus adjustment control apparatus is provided which includes: a focus detection unit that calculates an evaluation value with regard to contrast of an image via an optical system to detect a focus adjustment state of the optical system; an acquisition unit that acquires from a lens barrel at least one of a maximum value and a minimum value of an image plane movement coefficient that represents correspondence relationship between a movement amount of a focus adjustment lens included in the optical system and a movement amount of an image plane; and a control unit that uses at least one of the maximum value and the minimum value of the image plane movement coefficient to determine a drive speed for the focus adjustment lens when the focus detection unit detects the focus adjustment state.

Abstract: The invention concerns a C-MOS photoelectric cell with charge transfer, comprising an embedded photodiode (PPD) likely to be exposed to photons, formed by a doped area of a first type in a substrate of an opposite type, and means for transferring the charges generated by exposing the photodiode to photons to a floating diffusion (FD), and means for reading, on the floating diffusion, a voltage representative of the quantity of charges transferred. This cell is remarkable in that the depletion area of the photodiode junction under zero bias voltage extends essentially through the entire thickness of the doped area of a first type, such that the junction capacitance of said photodiode and the capacitive noise are minimized, and in that, during exposure to photons, the reading is carried out under a condition of equilibrium between the charges generated by photo-conversion and the charges lost by evaporation.

Abstract: A digital camera includes an imaging element (5) having an imaging surface (50) where pixels (51) are arranged in two dimensions in a row direction X and in a column direction Y, an AF processing unit (19) that determines whether a focus lens is in a focused state using detection signals obtained from respective pixels (51) of a first pixel group including plural pixels (51) arranged in the row direction X and a second pixel group including pixels (51) arranged at the same distance in one direction that crosses the row direction X with respect to each of the plural pixels (51) of the first pixel group, in a state where the focus lens is at an arbitrary position, and a system control unit (11) that moves the focus lens until the AF processing unit (19) determines that the focus lens is in the focused state.

Abstract: An image pickup system capable of, during flash photography through automatic radiating direction control, quickly starting a next shooting operation when the automatic radiating direction control is suspended. A flash built in or removably mounted on a digital camera has a light-emitting unit that emits light and a drive control unit that changes a radiating direction of light from the light-emitting unit. A preparatory operation for shooting and a shooting operation by the digital camera are disabled while the radiating direction of the light from the light-emitting unit is being changed by the drive control unit. When an instruction to suspend changing the radiating direction of the light is issued, a preparatory operation for shooting and a shooting operation by the digital camera, which have been disabled, are enabled, and the drive control unit is controlled to return the light-emitting unit to an initial position prior to the change.

Abstract: A dual-aperture zoom camera comprising a Wide camera with a respective Wide lens and a Tele camera with a respective Tele lens, the Wide and Tele cameras mounted directly on a single printed circuit board, wherein the Wide and Tele lenses have respective effective focal lengths EFLW and EFLT and respective total track lengths TTLW and TTLT and wherein TTLW/EFLW>1.1 and TTLT/EFLT<1.0. Optionally, the dual-aperture zoom camera may further comprise an optical OIS controller configured to provide a compensation lens movement according to a user-defined zoom factor (ZF) and a camera tilt (CT) through LMV=CT*EFLZF, where EFLZF is a zoom-factor dependent effective focal length.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a camera captures images in a fixed-point format of a certain bit depth, which are then converted into a floating-point texture by a GPU. After processing for image enhancement in floating-point space, according to some embodiments the images are converted back to a fixed-point representation and stored in non-volatile memory.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a technology such as an image pickup control apparatus, by which the user can immediately and intuitively select whether to perform image pickup using an instant-shutter function or to perform image pickup using a self-timer function when taking a selfie. [Solving Means] An image pickup control apparatus according to the present technology includes a control unit.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes imaging techniques and devices having improved autofocus capabilities. The imaging techniques can include actively illuminating a scene and determining distances over the entire scene and so that a respective distance to each object or point in the scene can be determined. Thus, distances to all objects in a scene (within a particular range) at any given instant can be stored. A preview of the image can be displayed so as to allow a user to select a region of the scene of interest. In response to the user's selection, the imager's optical assembly can be adjusted automatically, for example, to a position that corresponds to optimal image capture of objects at the particular distance of the selected region of the scene.

Abstract: An image processing method for improving image quality selects one of a plurality of two-dimensional pixel matrix source images of an imaged target as a reference image. Movement of the target is detected in the source images. The detected movement between the reference image and at least one other image of the source images is compensated differently in at least two different sections of the at least one other source image. The reference image and the movement compensated at least one other image are combined for forming an improved image.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product to obtain a focus point of a current scene. The method includes performing a first focus procedure in a first direction via a main lens of a main camera of an image capturing device having at least two cameras. The method further includes concurrently performing a second autofocus procedure in a second direction that is opposite the first direction via at least one auxiliary lens of at least one auxiliary camera. The method further includes identifying a focus point within autofocus data collected during the first and second focus procedure. The method further includes, in response to determining the focus point was identified by the at least one auxiliary camera: terminating the first focus procedure; and automatically synchronizing a position of the main lens to that of the at least one auxiliary lens.

Abstract: An image capturing module comprises a lens and a body. The body is provided with a circuit board component comprising a main control board, an image sensing board and an image processing board that are electrically connected. The image sensing board is substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of the lens. The main control board is disposed at the back of the image sensing board and located at a side thereof away from the lens. The image processing board is disposed at a side edge of the body.

Abstract: A camera system and an image-providing method are disclosed to overcome that conventional cameras cannot make a decision by themselves as for whether and/or how to capture images. The disclosed camera system includes a camera for capturing images and a computer device used to calculate an estimated camera location and pose for the camera. The camera system also includes a location adjusting device and a pose adjusting device to adjust the camera to the estimated camera location and pose.