Abstract: A pixel of an imager device includes a photosensitive area configured to integrate a light signal. A first capacitive storage node is configured to receive a signal representative of the number of charges generated by the photosensitive area. A second capacitive storage node is configured to receive a reference signal. A first transfer transistor is coupled between the first capacitive storage node and the photosensitive area. A second transfer transistor is coupled between the second capacitive storage node and a terminal which supplied the reference signal. The first and second two transfer transistors have a common conduction electrode and a common substrate, wherein the common substrate is coupled to the first capacitive storage node.

Abstract: A photographing module includes a metal cover, a base, a lens portion and a leaf spring. The lens portion is displaceably disposed in an inner space. The leaf spring is assembled with the lens portion and includes an inner fixing portion, an outer fixing portion and an elastic portion. The inner fixing portion is assembled with the lens portion. The outer fixing portion contacts and is fixedly disposed with the metal cover. The elastic portion connects the inner fixing portion and the outer fixing portion. The leaf spring further includes a plurality of contact portions and a plurality of auxiliary elastic portions. Each of the auxiliary elastic portions connects the outer fixing portion and one of the contact portions. For the leaf spring, only the contact portions thereof contact side plates of the metal cover.

Abstract: An imaging system comprises one or more optical sensor arrays with separate first and second sensor elements, an objective lens system, a polarization filter system, and associated logic. The objective lens system is configured to direct light received at a given angle onto the first sensor element and onto the second sensor element. The polarization filter system includes a first polarizer portion positioned to filter the light en route to the first sensor element and a second polarizer portion positioned to filter the light en route to the second sensor element, the first and second polarizer portions providing unequal relative attenuance of nonparallel polarization components of the light received at the given angle. The logic is configured to compare intensity of the light directed onto the first sensor element relative to the light directed onto the second sensor element.

Abstract: A dual-aperture zoom digital camera operable in both still and video modes. The camera includes Wide and Tele imaging sections with respective lens/sensor combinations and image signal processors and a camera controller operatively coupled to the Wide and Tele imaging sections. The Wide and Tele imaging sections provide respective image data. The controller is configured to output, in a zoom-in operation between a lower zoom factor (ZF) value and a higher ZF value, a zoom video output image that includes only Wide image data or only Tele image data, depending on whether a no-switching criterion is fulfilled or not.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: a pixel portion where pixels of a plurality of colors are arranged in a first direction and a second direction as repetition of a basic array, and an arbitrary pixel is divided into a plurality of divided pixels in the first direction; a mixing portion configured to generate processed pixel signals from image data generated by all divided pixels existing in the pixel portion by performing pixel reduction of a plurality of divided pixel signals related to a same color and a same division position; and a managing/instructing portion configured to, in a case of prioritizing phase difference detection, control the pixel reduction by the mixing portion so that the processed pixel signals are not arranged at regular intervals in the second direction.

Abstract: A ramp signal generation device includes a sampling circuit suitable for sampling a ramp current, which flows on a plurality of ramp current paths, and storing a voltage corresponding to the sampled ramp current; a current maintaining circuit suitable for maintaining the ramp current; a current maintaining/transferring circuit suitable for maintaining and transferring a current corresponding to the voltage stored by the sampling circuit; a selection circuit suitable for selecting a ramp current path of the sampling block and the current maintaining/transferring circuit; and a current-to-voltage converter suitable for converting the current transferred from the current maintaining/transferring circuit and generating therefrom a ramp voltage.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes an input image acquirer configured to acquire an input image obtained by capturing an object, a normal information acquirer configured to acquire normal information of the object, a first renderer configured to generate a first rendered image about the object based on a light source condition in capturing the input image and the normal information, and an area detector configured to detect a target area corresponding to a portion where an error of the normal information in the object is larger than a predetermined value based on the input image and the first rendered image.

Abstract: A method of determining an exposure ratio for use with a multi-exposure image capture system operable to capture a first image of a scene with a first exposure and a second image of the scene with a second exposure shorter than the first exposure. The exposure ratio is a ratio of the first exposure to the second exposure. The method comprises obtaining image data representative of an image captured using an image sensor of the image capture system and setting the exposure ratio in dependence on a distribution of counts relating to values of a characteristic of respective pixels of the image and a weighting function which varies with the values of the characteristic.

Abstract: A voice coil motor in a camera module with a means of being mounted robustly on a base comprises a casing and the base. The casing is hollow, the casing comprises a top surface and a side wall around the top surface. The base comprises a base portion and projections, the base portion being in contact with the side wall of the casing and engaged with the casing to form a cavity. The side wall is provided with recesses external to the cavity to accept the projections, the projections lending structural reinforcement to the casing.

Abstract: Provided are a fixed-focus photographing module, a manufacturing method thereof, and a focusing device and method thereof. The focusing method includes: pre-assembling an optical lens assembly in a lens assembly holder, wherein the optical lens assembly is exposed at the exterior of the lens assembly holder, and the optical lens assembly is located in a photosensing path of a photosensing component assembled in a circuit board to form a pre-assembled photographing module; performing, by the pre-assembled photographing module, a photographing operation to obtain a testing image; adjusting, according to the testing image, a relative position between the optical lens assembly and lens assembly holder until the pre-assemble photographing module outputs a clear image as required; and fixing the optical lens assembly and the lens assembly holder to complete a focusing operation and obtain an assembled fixed-focus photographing module.

Abstract: A camera system is provided to increase a baseline. The camera system includes a single lens, and an image sensor includes at least one pixel array, each of the at least one pixel array including a plurality of pixels in a two-dimensional arrangement and a single microlens disposed on the plurality of pixels to be shared. Light shielding layers formed with Offset Pixel Apertures (OPAs) are disposed on at least two pixels of the plurality of pixels, and the OPAs are formed on the light shielding layers to maximize a spaced distance between the OPAs.

Abstract: A control apparatus (13) includes a data acquirer (13a) that acquires correction data indicating a relationship between a temperature difference between a temperature detected by a temperature detector (12) and a reference temperature, and a focus movement amount, and a focus controller (13b) that performs focus correction based on the temperature difference and the correction data to perform focus control, and the focus controller (13b) changes the focus correction depending on a drive state of a temperature changer (17) that changes a temperature.

Abstract: A method of stabilising frames of a captured video sequence. First reference patch alignment data is received for each of a plurality of reference patch locations. A first stable frame and a subsequent stable frame are determined from a first plurality of frames based on the first plurality of reference patch locations and reference patch alignment data. A second plurality of reference patch locations is determined using image data from the first stable frame, the second plurality of reference patch locations being determined concurrently with determining the subsequent stable frame from the first plurality of frames. Image data for the determined second plurality of reference patch locations is extracted from the subsequent stable frame. A second plurality of stable frames of the captured video sequence is determined with respect to the reference frame using the second plurality of reference patch locations and the extracted image data.

Abstract: The present invention can provide solutions to many common imaging problems, such as, for example, unevenly distributed illumination, shadows, white balance adjustment, colored ambient light and high dynamic range imaging. Imaging systems and methods can be provided through a computer (e.g., laptop or desktop) such that the system or method can take advantage of the computer's processing power to provide functionality that goes beyond typical camera. Such an imaging system may include an imaging device, a camera, a light source and a user interface.

Abstract: To prevent the resin from oozing out during the lens molding due to the capillary action. A laminated lens structure according to the present disclosure includes: a plurality of lens structures including a substrate provided with an opening part, a lens inserted into the opening part to be fixed to the substrate, and a recessed part provided at an area in which a lateral face of the opening part and a surface of the substrate are intersected, and recessed more than the surface of the substrate. The lenses are arrayed in an optical axis direction by the substrates being joined. This configuration makes it possible to prevent the resin from oozing out during the lens molding due to the capillary action.

Abstract: An imaging array and method for using the same that are adapted for backside illuminated imaging arrays utilizing a global shutter are disclosed. The imaging array includes a plurality of pixel sensors having an ordered array of pixel sensors. Each pixel sensor includes a main photodiode and a correction photodiode. A controller resets all of the main photodiodes at a first time that is the same for all of the pixel sensors, resets all of the correction photodiodes at a second time that is the same for all of the pixel sensors after the first time, and sequentially reads out the pixel sensors. The pixel sensor is read out at a third time that is different for different ones of the pixel sensors. A correction charge is measured that corrects for the different readout times.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a technique for facilitating management of image sensors having a modular structure. A sensor system includes image sensors and an information processing device. The image sensor is a modular image sensor configured by combining modularized components. Each of the components includes a non-volatile memory for storing specific information related to the component. The information processing device includes an information acquisition part for acquiring the information stored in the memory of the component constituting the image sensor from each of the image sensors in an image sensor group installed in a target range via the network, and an information generation part for generating configuration list information indicating a combination of the components for each of the image sensors with respect to the image sensor group installed in the target range based on the information acquired by the information acquisition part.

Abstract: An object of the technique of the present disclosure is to reduce the noise gap that appears at the boundary between light and dark portions in HDR composition of images captured in a time-division manner. The technique of the present disclosure comprises: an obtaining unit configured to obtain a plurality of captured images of an object captured under exposure conditions having different SN ratio characteristics; a combining unit configured to generate a high-dynamic range image by combining the plurality of captured images; a division unit configured to divide the generated high-dynamic range image into a plurality of regions; a derivation unit configured to derive a noise gap amount representing the difference in noise amount between the divided regions obtained by the division; and an updating unit configured to update at least one of the exposure conditions on the basis of the noise gap amount.

Abstract: Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed that use super-resolution (SR) processes to use information from a plurality of low resolution (LR) images captured by an array camera to produce a synthesized higher resolution image. One embodiment includes obtaining input images using the plurality of imagers, using a microprocessor to determine an initial estimate of at least a portion of a high resolution image using a plurality of pixels from the input images, and using a microprocessor to determine a high resolution image that when mapped through the forward imaging transformation matches the input images to within at least one predetermined criterion using the initial estimate of at least a portion of the high resolution image.

Abstract: A photo terminal stand system is provided having a case, a one-way mirror, a computer display for presenting a graphical presentation seen through the one-way mirror, a camera, a touch overlay frame, a computer, configured to receive touch input from the touch overlay frame and responsively to activate the camera to record an image or a video sequence, a camera flash, and at least one of a reflector, a wheel bumper brake, and a service step ladder.