Abstract: A portable digital image acquisition device includes multiple lenses and/or multiple flashes. A main digital image and first and second reference images are acquired. The first and second reference images are acquired with different flash-lens combinations that have different flash-lens distances. One or more flash eye defects are detected and corrected in the main image based on analysis of the first and second reference images.

Abstract: An imaging system/camera consisting of multiple nano-sized optical elements arranged in an array format with more than one pixel per optical element will have a higher resolution than each element would be capable of individually, since each element being at a different point gathers slightly different overlapping information. Hence by processing such information one can obtain a clear image. Furthermore multiple information from sectors of an array of sensors can be processed to obtain 3-D, stereotypic and panoramic imaging and may be connected to each other allowing seeing around obstacles as well as enabling full 3-D tracking and/or metric determination of an unknown object. Color/spectroscopic imaging can be achieved by utilizing equally sized lenses and multi-wavelength sensing layers below the lenses. However, color/spectroscopic imaging and/or spectroscopy can be achieved by taking advantage of unique optical properties of nano-scaled lenses accepting various wavelengths below their diffraction limits.

Abstract: An analog signal photo-electrically converted in a pixel of a light receiving area is converted to a digital signal by an ADC. The digital signal is processed by a digital signal processing circuit, and then, successively output as a digital video signal. The digital signal processing circuit has a first signal processing block for detecting and correcting a pixel defect and preventing a noise, and a second signal processing block for restoring apparent resolution lost by the processing by the first signal processing block.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a photoelectric converter, a source-follower transistor, and a selection transistor. The photoelectric converter generates electric charge in response to received light, and the electric charge varies a voltage of a detection node. The source-follower transistor is coupled between the detection node and an output node and has a first threshold voltage. The selection transistor is coupled between the source-follower transistor and a voltage node with a power supply voltage or a boosted voltage applied thereon, and has a second threshold voltage with a magnitude that is less than a magnitude of the first threshold voltage such that the source-follower transistor operates in saturation.

Abstract: A data processing device includes: a face-detecting unit to detect a face region from an input image input from an imaging unit which images a subject including a face; a setting unit to calculate subject distance based on the face size of the face detected by the face-detecting unit, and set limits as a focus lens operation range before and after a focus lens position with the calculated subject distance as focal distance; a detecting unit to move a focus lens within the limits set by the setting unit, and detect a focal point where a detection value corresponding to the contrast intensity obtained from a face frame including the face detected by the face-detecting unit is not smaller than a threshold; and a control unit to determine, in a case wherein a focal point has been detected within predetermined set time, the focal point thereof as a focus position.

Abstract: In fixing prisms for a TV camera and solid-state image pickup element packages, two holding plates are fixed at two sides of each of the prisms, each of the holding plates having a wedge-shaped or semicircular tip surface, and an adhesive is provided in a gap formed by a surface of the solid-state image pickup element package and the wedge-shaped or semicircular tip surface of the holding plate, respectively. Then, relative to light axes, X, Y and Z axes and rotational axes ?x, ?y and ?z for the axes X, Y, and Z of the solid-state image pickup element packages are aligned while inclining the holding plates in a front-rear direction simultaneously. The adhesive is cured by applying light or heat to thereby fix the holding plates, the solid-state image pickup elements and the prisms, respectively.

Abstract: Provided is a method of luminance compensation for a camera lens by performing a multiline interpolation algorithm. Preferably, a plurality of directional lines are radially arranged on a curved surface of the lens. Sampling dots are then designated along the directional lines in equal or variant distances. Steps including a step of determining the location of a target for luminance compensation, a step of obtaining adjacent directional lines by referring to a slope at the target, a step of calculating the correction values and the weights for interpolation are further introduced. The interpolation algorithm is used to restore a correction plane of a whole image. A polynomial equation is preferably used to obtain two correction values of two directional lines with the same radius. Alternatively, a lookup table is introduced to find the two correction values. It's featured that a symmetric or asymmetric compensation for the camera lens is achieved.

Abstract: A battery capacity display device for an electronic apparatus, includes: a nonvolatile storage unit that stores information related to a remaining capacity in a rechargeable battery output from a battery module having the rechargeable battery and an arithmetic operation unit that calculates the information related to the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon a value of an electrical current flowing to the rechargeable battery; a display unit that displays the remaining capacity in the rechargeable battery based upon the information related to the remaining capacity; and a display control unit that controls the display unit so as to display the remaining capacity based upon the information related to the remaining capacity stored at the storage unit at least until the information related to the remaining capacity is output from the battery module following a startup of the electronic apparatus.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus comprises a focusing unit configured to focus an object to be shot by an imaging unit, a first shooting control unit configured to control the imaging unit in order to continuously shooting at first time intervals upon detecting a shooting instruction, a determining unit configured to determine whether the object moves in a distance direction during a control operation of the first shooting control unit, and a second shooting control unit configured to control the imaging unit in order to continuously shoot at second time intervals and to control the focusing unit in order to focus the object when the determining unit determines that the object moves in the distance direction.

Abstract: An image processing device and an image processing method capable of generating a moving image having a high resolution and a high frame rate are provided by suppressing the reduction in the amount of light incident on each camera.

Abstract: The invention relates to a dolly, comprising a running gear and a lighting system, for inspecting pipes. At least two cameras (10, 11) are disposed in a common housing (4) and at least one camera is provided with means for changing the angle of view. The aim of the invention is to provide a dolly which can be used for the most varied applications and a method for inspecting pipe sections using a dolly and/or for representing the result of inspection. For this purpose, the means (7, 9, 2) are configured as a cardanic suspension of the housing (4) having motors for swiveling and/or rotating the housing (4) about at least one axis (5), especially about an axis that is orthogonal in relation to the longitudinal axis (6) of the dolly.

Abstract: A camera system apparatus that includes an image sensor unit and an AFE unit for digitizing an analog output signal output from the image sensor unit into an digital video signal. A front end camera DSP unit, including a camera signal data path for accepting the digital video signal, and a measure unit operably connected to the camera signal data path for measuring picture characteristics or extracting picture parameters. A DSP unit processes the picture characteristics measured by the measure unit as parameters for initial camera control, and a parameter register into which the parameters are set to control the camera signal data path. A back end processor unit to which a video signal output from the camera signal data path is input, the back end processor including a general application process unit for processing the video signal and a scene analyzer operably connected to the general application process unit for precise camera processing.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a shutter drive section, an aperture blade drive section, an ND filter drive section, a light intensity detection section, a memory, and a control section. The shutter drive section opens and closes a shutter for a light receiving surface of a solid state image sensor. The aperture blade drive section drives an aperture blade forming an aperture. The ND filter drive section adjusts the position of an ND filter against the aperture. The control section calculates the exposure control voltage representing an exposure amount from the light intensity signal output from the light intensity detection section, and reads out the F value and the shutter speed corresponding to the exposure control voltage from the exposure control table stored in the memory so as to avoid a partial application state of the ND filter, for controlling respective drive sections.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing system including an image supply unit arranged to transmit image data by wireless communication, an image receiving unit arranged to receive the image data supplied from the image supply unit, a first lighting unit arranged to illuminate an area in which the wireless communication with the image supply unit is possible, a detecting unit arranged to detect whether the image supply unit is in the area, and a controller arranged to control image communication between the image supply unit and the image receiving unit in accordance with an output of the detecting unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image obtaining unit, a color shift detecting unit, a controlling unit, and a correction amount calculating unit. The image obtaining unit obtains image data. The color shift detecting unit detects color shifts of this image data. The controlling unit determines fitting reliability of the color shift detection result and selects a magnification chromatic aberration model suitable for color shift fitting according to the reliability. The correction amount calculating unit fits the magnification chromatic aberration model selected by the controlling unit to the color shift detection result and obtains correction amounts of the magnification chromatic aberration for the image data.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a capturing module with at least one lens for capturing an image from a scene, a driving module for driving the at least one lens to different focusing positions using different driving steps, a flat-scene judging module, and a step-judging module. The flat-scene judging module divides the image into a central area and a plurality of peripheral areas, and determines whether the captured scene is a flat scene according to the divided image. The step-judging module determines whether the driving steps corresponding to a maximum focusing value of the central area of the image are same as driving steps corresponding to respective maximum focusing values of the peripheral areas of image, and changes the driving steps corresponding to the maximum focusing value of the central area to the driving steps corresponding to the greatest one of the maximum focusing values of the peripheral areas.

Abstract: A method and camera for electronic image capture provide an electronic image capture device, a scanning aperture shutter located to control light energy received by the image capture device, a flash unit oriented to illuminate an image scene, a photocell unit adapted for sensing visible spectrum energy and infrared spectrum energy received from the image scene, and an exposure control system responsive to the photocell unit and operatively connected to the scanning aperture shutter and the flash unit. The exposure control system is adapted to control an amount of fill flash energy received from the image scene in relation to visible ambient light energy received from the image scene during image capture by illuminating the flash unit once a predetermined amount of ambient visible spectrum energy is sensed by the photocell unit and by extinguishing the flash unit once a predetermined amount of infrared energy is sensed by the photocell unit.

Abstract: A method for suppression of image blur is applied to an image capturing apparatus in a photography mode whose exposure time is set to be greater than a safe exposure time. The method comprising the following steps: capturing a long exposure image with the present exposure time, and a short exposure image with an exposure time smaller than or equal to the safe exposure time in the same landscape. Besides, obtain a locus signal in the process of long exposure image capture. Afterwards, execute an arithmetic procedure to smooth the short exposure image, and then produce a point scale image using the auxiliary arithmetic of locus signal. Finally, process the long exposure image and the point scale image with multiplication arithmetic to restore the long exposure image, thus forming an output image.

Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus that includes a data path portion for processing a raw image signal and merging and concentrating with non-linear filtering portion. The apparatus also includes a color space transformation portion, geometry transformation portion, linear filtering portion and gain adjustment portion to output a processed signal. The apparatus also includes control and judgment portion for receiving the raw image and the processed signal from the data path portion and generating a plurality of adjustment signals for the non-linear filtering portion.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a CMOS image sensor. According to the present invention, the CMOS image sensor includes a two-dimensional pixel array (110), a row decoder (130), and a column decoder (150). The two-dimensional pixel array (110) includes rectangular unit pixels each having a width to length ratio of 1:2. The row decoder (130) is placed on one side of the pixel array to designate a row address. The column decoder (150) is placed on another side of the pixel array to be perpendicular to the row decoder and is adapted to extract data of respective pixels from a row selected by the row decoder, amplify the extracted data and generate image data including pixel values. As a result, the present invention is advantageous in that it can easily perform interpolation compared to an image sensor having regular quadrilateral unit pixels.