Abstract: On an imaging apparatus according to the present invention, a first operating system (OS) is initially activated, and thereafter a second operating system (OS) is activated. When the second OS is activated, in an event that a first camera function of the first OS is performing imaging preparation, the imaging apparatus according to the present invention executes imaging processing using the first camera function. In an event that the first camera function is not performing imaging preparation, the imaging apparatus activates a second camera function of the second OS.

Abstract: A zooming control device includes a first determination unit configured to determine whether a current state is a specific image capturing state in which a photographer can perform self photographing, a zooming control unit configured to, in a case in which it is determined that an image does not satisfy a predetermined composition condition, perform zooming control so as to satisfy the predetermined composition condition, and a reception unit configured to receive a predetermined operation for instructing an image capturing preparation operation. The zooming control unit performs the zooming control in a first state in which the predetermined operation is not received, and in a case in which the first determination unit determines that the current state is the specific image capturing state, the zooming control unit continues the zooming control even in a second state in which the predetermined operation is received.

Abstract: The accuracy of focus detection of a phase-difference detection type using a signal obtained from a focus detection pixel is improved. A defocus amount of an imaging optical system is computed based on an image signal obtained from an image sensor. Meanwhile, an evaluation value that is based on contrast information of the image signal is computed, and it is determined based on the evaluation value whether or not to consider a defocus amount computed in the past. If it is determined to consider the defocus amount computed in the past, a final defocus amount is computed based on a plurality of defocus amounts including the defocus amount computed in the past.

Abstract: The present technique relates to a solid-state imaging device, a solid-state imaging device manufacturing method, and an electronic apparatus that are capable of providing a solid-state imaging device that can prevent generation of RTS noise due to miniaturization of amplifying transistors, and can achieve a smaller size and a higher degree of integration accordingly. A solid-state imaging device (1-1) includes: a photodiode (PD) as a photoelectric conversion unit; a transfer gate (TG) that reads out charges from the photodiode (PD); a floating diffusion (FD) from which the charges of the photodiode (PD) are read by an operation of the transfer gate (TG); and an amplifying transistor (Tr3) connected to the floating diffusion (FD). More particularly, the amplifying transistor (Tr3) is of a fully-depleted type.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system and a method for determining enabling or disabling electronic image stabilization (EIS) for a video frame. An image sensor of a camera system captures a video stream that comprises a plurality of video frames. An image processor determines availability of a computational resource that may process application of EIS on each video frame. Simultaneously, the image processor receives motion data of the camera system from a gyroscope. Based on the computational resource availability, a motion frequency threshold is determined. Based on the gyroscope motion data, a motion frequency of each video frame is estimated. The estimated motion frequency is compared to the determined motion frequency threshold. If the estimated motion frequency is greater than the determined motion frequency threshold, application of EIS is disabled. If the estimated motion frequency is less than or equal to the determined motion frequency threshold, application of EIS is enabled.

Abstract: An image processing method applied in an image processing device, which includes an image capturing unit, an image processing unit, an image recognition unit and an exposure adjusting unit, is provided. The image processing method includes the following steps: obtaining a first image by the image capturing unit, generating an average brightness of a dark part of the first image by the image processing unit; recognizing the first image by the image recognition unit; generating a first average brightness of a human face by the image processing unit and generating a first exposure value according to the average brightness of the dark part of the first image, the first average brightness of the human face and a weight array, when the human face is recognized from the first image; and adjusting an exposure of the first image according to the first exposure value by the exposure adjusting unit.

Abstract: An attachment optical system detachably mounted between a lens system and an image pickup apparatus, includes: a receiver receiving first information for correcting lateral chromatic aberrations caused by the lens system; a computer deriving, based on the first information and optical characteristics of the attachment optical system, second information for correcting lateral chromatic aberrations; and a transmitter transmitting the second information to the image pickup apparatus, in which the first and second information include information for obtaining lateral chromatic aberration amounts under conditions of zoom, focus and f-number, based on ratio of image height to maximum image height, in which the first and second information indicate shift amounts of blue/red relative to green radially about optical axis, and in which the shift amounts of blue/red in the first information and in the second information are properly set as functions of ratio of image height to maximum image height.

Abstract: A camera module includes a lens assembly, a power device with a first circuit board, a second circuit board and a welding element. The first circuit board is partially bent, and thus an electrical contact of the first circuit board is exposed to a lateral side of the power device. The second circuit board includes a conductive hole corresponding to the electrical contact. The conductive hole is exposed to a lateral side of the second circuit board. The welding element is installed on the lateral side of the power device and the lateral side of the second circuit board. The welding element is contacted with the electrical contact and the conductive hole, so that the first circuit board and the second circuit board are electrically connected with each other.

Abstract: A ramp signal generator and a CMOS image sensor using the same are disclosed. The ramp signal generator includes a reference voltage generation unit that generates a reference voltage, a gain adjustment unit that adjusts a gain in cooperation with the reference voltage generation unit, a ramp bias voltage sampling unit that samples a ramp bias voltage of the gain adjustment unit, and a ramp signal generation unit that generates a ramp signal according to the ramp bias voltage sampled in the ramp bias voltage sampling unit.

Abstract: Particular embodiments described herein provide for an electronic device that can include a main camera, at least one array of cameras, and a display to display an image captured by the main camera, wherein the image includes more than one region of interest and each region of interest is displayed in a separate picture in picture image on the display. A stream synchronization process module can capture the image and each separate picture in picture image as a separate video stream or as a single video stream.

Abstract: A computing device includes one or more camera systems, each camera system including software and/or hardware to provide various different camera-related capabilities. The camera system maintains one or more profiles, each profile identifying different capabilities of the camera system that the computing device is configured to use concurrently. The one or more profiles are provided to a program on the computing device, allowing the program to know which capabilities the computing device is configured to use concurrently. If a profile provided by the camera system indicates that the computing device is configured to use certain capabilities concurrently (e.g., capturing images and recording video at certain resolutions), then the program allows a user to select options for using those capabilities concurrently. However, if no such profile exists, the program does not allow a user to select options for using those capabilities concurrently.

Abstract: As a control signal used for resetting a photodiode, a control signal for selecting an adjacent pixel row is used. Accordingly, the number of kinds of used control signals decreases, and a decrease in the area of the photodiode is prevented. In addition, a period in which all of a plurality of control signals selecting an adjacent pixel row are active is provided by setting an active period of a control signal selecting a pixel row to a period longer than a period in which a signal of one pixel row is read. Therefore, a CDS operation is realized.

Abstract: A controller controls a focus lens driver so as to maintain an in-focus state associated with a magnification variation, based on information on a tracking curve that represents a position of the focus lens corresponding to an object distance and a focal length of an image-pickup optical system. The controller controls the focus lens driver so as to prevent the focus lens from being moved for focusing based on a difference between an actual position of the focus lens and the position of the focus lens indicated by the tracking curve in a case the focus lens driver is driving the focus lens based on information on the tracking curve.

Abstract: Provided are an imaging device and a focusing control method capable of preventing a focusing error even in a case where still image capturing is consecutively performed to enhance imaging quality. A digital camera performs a correlation operation of two images captured by a pixel pair P1 after performing an imaging process of an N-th frame, and determines a reliability of a correlation operation result based on the result of the correlation operation. In a case where the reliability is low, the digital camera performs a focusing control based on a contrast AF method in each time of imaging subsequent to an (N+1)-th frame, and in a case where the reliability is low, the digital camera performs a focusing control based on a phase difference AF method in an imaging process of the (N+1)-th frame.

Abstract: Aspects and embodiments are directed to a digital unit cell comprising an integrator circuit, a dynamic comparator configured to compare an integration voltage of the integrator circuit with a reference voltage, provide a first pulse signal each time the integration voltage is less than the reference voltage, and provide a second pulse signal each time the integration voltage exceeds the reference voltage, a multiplexer configured to receive a count direction control signal, and a counter element configured to increment a count value each time the first pulse signal or the second pulse signal is received, wherein the multiplexer is configured to couple a first output of the dynamic comparator to the counter element when the count direction control signal is in a first state, and to couple a second output of the dynamic comparator to the counter element when the count direction control signal is in a second state.

Abstract: Image enhancement is achieved by separating image signals, e.g. YCbCr image signals, into a series of frequency bands and performing locally-adaptive noise reduction on bands below a given frequency but not on bands above that frequency. The bands are summed to develop the image enhanced signals. The YCbCr, multi-band locally-adaptive approach to denoising is able to operate independently—and in an optimized fashion—on both luma and chroma channels. Noise reduction is done based on models developed for both luma and chroma channels by measurements taken for multiple frequency bands, in multiple patches on the ColorChecker chart, and at multiple gain levels, in order to develop a simple yet robust set of models that may be tuned off-line a single time for each camera and then applied to images taken by such cameras in real-time without excessive processing requirements and with satisfactory results across illuminant types and lighting conditions.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus comprises: a first image sensor configured to photo-electrically convert a subject image and output an image signal; a first image processing unit configured to develop a first image signal generated by the first image sensor; a second image processing unit configured to reduce a number of pixels in the first image signal and develop the image signal whose pixels have been reduced as a second image signal; a recording unit configured to record an image signal; and a display unit having a lower pixel count than the pixel count of the first image sensor, wherein in the case where an instruction to capture a still image has been made, the recording unit records the image signal developed by the first image processing unit and the display unit displays the image signal developed by the second image processing unit.

Abstract: An image sensor capable of boosting a voltage of a floating diffusion node is provided. The image sensor includes a floating diffusion node and a storage element which are in a semiconductor substrate. The image sensor includes a first light-shielding material formed over the floating diffusion node, and a second light-shielding material formed over the storage diode. The second light-shielding material is separated from the first light-shielding material. The image sensor also includes a first voltage supply line configured to apply a first voltage to the first light-shielding material and a second voltage supply line configured to apply a second voltage lower than the first voltage to the second light-shielding material.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are an electronic apparatus and method. The electronic includes a photography lens, an eyeball recognition sensor, and a controller. The photography lens acquires an image signal from a subject. The eyeball recognition sensor senses movement of a user's eyeball. The controller recognizes opening and closing of the user's eyelid based on eyeball monitoring information transmitted from the eyeball recognition sensor, and performs a device driving control operation for a reference time period for which the user's eyelid is in a closed state.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes photoelectric converting sections transfer sections first buffer sections second buffer sections first output sections, and second output sections. The photoelectric converting sections generate electric charges in response to incidence of light. The transfer sections transfer the generated electric charges in a first direction or in a second direction opposite thereto in response to three-phase or four-phase drive signals. The first buffer sections and the second buffer sections acquire the electric charges transferred in the first and second directions, respectively, by the transfer sections and transfer the acquired electric charges in the first and second directions, respectively, in response to two-phase drive signals. The first output sections and the second output sections acquire the electric charges transferred from the first buffer sections and from the second buffer sections respectively, and output signals according to the acquired electric charges.