Abstract: A sequential shooting controller includes both high and low load drive modes, and first and second power-voltage detectors. The high/low load drive modes drive a device under high/low loads. The first power-voltage detector detects a power-voltage by connecting a load. The second power-voltage detector detects the voltage across the device. The first power-voltage detector is actuated at the beginning of sequential shooting before a first image capturing operation starts. The high load image capturing operation starts when the voltage detected by the first power-voltage detector is higher than a first threshold. The low load image capturing operation starts when the voltage detected by the first power-voltage detector is lower than the first threshold. The second power-voltage detector is driven during a high load image capturing operation. The second power-voltage detector is disabled during a low load image capturing operation.

Abstract: An image transmitting method is disclosed for reducing the load on a CPU of an image transmission apparatus. An image change monitoring unit provided in the image transmission apparatus monitors the latest image used to generate image data transmitted to an image reception apparatus via a network, and a subsequent image to determine whether or not the latest image has changed. An image capture unit captures the image after the image has changed to acquire the image when the image change monitoring unit determines that the latest image has changed.

Abstract: Provided is a camera module providing EMS shielding, so that electromagnetic waves generated in the camera module are prevented from radiating to the outside and external electromagnetic waves or noise are prevented from flowing into the camera module. The camera module includes: a lens unit comprising at least one lens; an image sensor package including an image sensor chip having an image area where an image is formed in response to light passing through the lens unit; a housing surrounding the lens unit and the image sensor package, wherein the housing is electrically connected to the image sensor package and is formed of a conductive material; and a connection terminal disposed below the image sensor package and electrically connecting the image sensor package and a main board of an electronic device including the camera module.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device of the present invention comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a matrix configuration on the semiconductor substrate; a plurality of color filter segments provided above the light receiving elements; and a light collector provided above the color filter segments for collecting light on the light receiving elements. The color filter segments are mutually separated by interstices. The interstices contain a gas.

Abstract: An image processing system so disclosed has respective image pickup parts and respective viewpoint conversion parts configured to perform viewpoint conversion of original images captured by the respective image pickup parts to generate converted images. The image processing system also includes a display device controllable to display the converted images.

Abstract: An apparatus for digital image stabilization according to the present invention comprises an image signal processing module for receiving image signals generated under first and second exposure value conditions (first exposure value condition>second exposure value condition) from an image sensor, and outputting digital image signals of a first size and a second size (first size<second size) corresponding to the first exposure value condition and the second exposure value condition, respectively; and an applied image processing module for determining adaptively the second exposure value condition from the first exposure value condition, changing an exposure attribute of the image sensor from the first exposure value condition to the second exposure value condition, receiving the image signals of the first size and the second size, and correcting a property of the image signal of the second size based on the image signal of the first size.

Abstract: A camera system in normal mode and hand jitter reduction (hjr) mode may comprise generating a first exposure time-gain product by multiplying the normal mode exposure time with the normal mode gain. It may further comprise modifying the normal mode exposure time and gain and multiplying these modified parameters to generate a second exposure time-gain product for a hjr mode that reduces the difference between the first exposure time-gain product and the second exposure time-gain product. To reduce the difference the normal mode frame rate may also be modified. Operation of a camera in normal mode may be in response to a sensed light level being above a threshold. The hjr mode may be selected by the user while the camera is operating. The hjr mode may be used in response to a sensed light level being lower than the threshold.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and method for stably correcting handshake that occurs during a camera panning situation. In the method, movement information is accumulated by a predetermined unit for a predetermined period of time. A regression model is matched to the accumulated movement information so as to determine a situation as one of a panning mode and a handshake mode. Switching is performed between the handshake mode and the panning mode according to the size of a matching factor generated by the matched regression model. Handshake is corrected on the basis of a handshake correcting amount determined according to one of the handshake mode and the panning mode.

Abstract: A CCD support mechanism includes a CCD holder for holding a CCD, a first printed circuit board having a first printed coil, a second printed circuit board having a second printed coil, a pair of horizontal leaf springs, and a pair of vertical leaf springs. When a camera shake occurs by hand-held shooting, a VCM composed of the first printed coil and a first stationary magnet shifts the CCD, while bending the horizontal leaf springs, to counteract the camera shake in a Y-axis direction. A VCM composed of the second printed coil and a second stationary magnet shifts the CCD, while bending the vertical leaf springs, to counteract the camera shake in an X-axis direction. Current values of the VCMs are determined by feedback control by using an output signal from a shake detector as a target value and a present position from a position detector as a measurement value.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of pixels overlaid with a color filter pattern of at least two colors having the same color on every other pixel in one direction; three or more charge-coupled devices oriented parallel to the every other pixel color filter repeat pattern; a charge sensing amplifier at the output of at least two of the charge couple devices; each charge-coupled device having a first and a second gate; a CCD-to-CCD transfer gate connecting adjacent charge-coupled devices with the first gate being on one side of the CCD-to-CCD transfer gate and the second gate being on the opposite side of the CCD-to-CCD transfer gate; all CCD-to-CCD transfer gates are electrically connected together; all first gates are electrically connected; and all second gates are electrically connected.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of pixels overlaid with a color filter pattern of at least two colors having the same color on every other pixel in one direction; three or more charge-coupled devices oriented parallel to the every other pixel color filter repeat pattern; a charge sensing amplifier at the output of at least two of the charge couple devices; each charge-coupled device having a first and a second gate; a CCD-to-CCD transfer gate connecting adjacent charge-coupled devices with the first gate being on one side of the CCD-to-CCD transfer gate and the second gate being on the opposite side of the CCD-to-CCD transfer gate; all CCD-to-CCD transfer gates are electrically connected together; all first gates are electrically connected; and all second gates are electrically connected.

Abstract: Methods and the corresponding device are presented for the correction of lateral chromatic aberration within a digital camera or other imaging device, using calibration approaches that do not require previously acquired lens data to effect the correction. An in-camera auto-calibration procedure is performed on the attached lens, such as when a lens is exchanged, and extracts parameters required for chromatic aberration correction, respecting zoom and focus, from one or more captured images. Based on image data extracted as a plurality of channels of a chromatic decomposition of the image, the chromatic aberration information for the lens is extracted. From the chromatic aberration information, the correction factors for the lens are determined.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: a feature detection circuit adapted to detect a feature portion of an object from a sensed image; a blur amount detection circuit adapted to detect a blur amount, during image sensing, of a device adapted to obtain the sensed image; a display unit adapted to display the sensed image, and display a frame surrounding the feature portion of the object in the displayed sensed image; and a calculation circuit adapted to set a position, in the sensed image, of the frame surrounding the feature portion of the object, wherein the calculation circuit calculates, on the basis of the blur amount, a moving amount of the frame whose position in the sensed image is set on the basis of the feature portion detected by the feature detection circuit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method enabling to correct for camera shake given in image capturing, a recording medium, and a program. Discrete data pieces indicating shifts are obtained. The discrete data pieces are interpolated to obtain data indicating a shift every line. By the interpolation, a correction is calculated every line on the basis of the corresponding shift. On the basis of the corrections, pixel data read positions are determined. Pixel data is read based on the determined read positions. When a pixel to be read overlaps two pixels, pixel data of the pixel to be read is produced (interpolated) from pixel data pieces. In this manner, the effects of camera shake are corrected. The present invention is applicable to video cameras.

Abstract: A lead frame is buried in mold resin to form a mold structure. A wide blade is used to make an indentation having an alignment step in the mold structure. Then, a narrow blade is used to split the mold structure. At the outer perimeter portion of a base which is a separate part separated from the mold structure, an alignment step is formed. Due to the alignment step, an optical element, such as a mirror tube of an imaging optical system, or the like, is readily and quickly attached.

Abstract: A camera device includes optics to produce a projected image, where the projected image has a projected image area. The camera device also includes a moveable sensor to move to a number of positions within the projected image area and capture a portion of the projected image, as an image portion, in each of the positions, and processing logic to combine the image portions together into a final image.

Abstract: A CMOS solid state imaging device capable of achieving a higher image quality while reducing the size and power consumption and increasing the number of pixels and speeds. The CMOS solid state imaging device includes a light-receiving portion that performs photoelectric conversion according to a quantity of received light, a transfer gate used to read out charges obtained through the photoelectric conversion in the light-receiving portion, and a peripheral transistor in a periphery of the light-receiving portion. A voltage applied to the transfer gate is set higher than a voltage applied to the peripheral transistor.

Abstract: A color imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of photoelectric transducers, and a color filter including a plurality of coloring layers provided to associate with the photoelectric transducers of the semiconductor substrate. Each of the coloring layers of the color filter including a side surface that is erected with respect to a surface of the semiconductor substrate, and an inclined surface that is continuous from an end of the side surface located in the opposite side of the semiconductor substrate toward an end portion of the coloring layer located in the opposite side of the semiconductor substrate. The coloring layers are arranged with their side surfaces being in contact with each other without a gap therebetween, and the end portion of the coloring layer has a curved surface shape protruding toward the opposite side of the corresponding photoelectric transducer.

Abstract: A cradle device on which a camera device is mounted can be mounted on a printer device. There is provided a printing system that includes a camera device having an imaging unit and a memory for storing image data photographed by the imaging unit, a cradle device having a camera mounting section mounted in the state that the camera device is electrically connected and a terminal unit or an operating unit that is provided on the back surface and is electrically connected to other electronic devices, and a printer device that has a cradle mounting section mounted in the state that the cradle device is electrically connected and prints image data inputted from the cradle device, wherein the cradle mounting section has a covering portion that covers the terminal unit or the operating unit provided on the back surface of the cradle device.

Abstract: In a solid-state image sensing device, a second substrate having transparency, including a via is placed on a solid-state image sensor having a pixel region and a logic region formed in a first substrate and in which a passive component electrically connected with the solid-state image sensor through the via is mounted on the second substrate. Thus, highly efficient location of passive components is attained for miniaturization.