Abstract: A lens barrel includes: a motor; an input transmission ring that is rotated by the motor and is rotatable around the optical axis; and a lens drive cylinder connected to the input transmission ring so that rotating force can be transmitted from the input transmission ring, the lens drive cylinder moving a lens in the optical axis direction and being rotatable. The lens drive cylinder is placed on one side of the motor in the optical axis direction, and the input transmission ring is placed on the same side of the motor as the lens drive cylinder.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array with unit pixels each having a photoelectric conversion device arranged in a matrix. Column signal lines are wired with respect to one column in the pixel arrangement and pixels are regularly connected to the column signal lines in accordance with rows in which pixels are positioned. A pixel signal reading unit has a column processing unit that reads pixel signals in units of plural pixels from the pixel array and performs column processing to read signals on a column basis, wherein the pixel signal reading unit includes a column input unit which can connect one or plural column signal lines arranged at a corresponding column to an input of one column processing unit through plural capacitors connected in parallel The column input unit has switches which can change a connection state between capacitors and column signal lines corresponding to the column.

Abstract: An imaging device according to the present disclosure includes: an imaging unit that is housed in an outer case and captures an image of an object; a circuit board that is disposed on a back side in the outer case and includes a semiconductor device mounted thereon for processing a signal from the imaging unit; and a metal plate that is disposed between the imaging unit and the circuit board in the outer case and is fixed to the outer case. The metal plate has a first portion opposite to the circuit board and brought into mechanical contact with the semiconductor device through a contact member, and at least two second portions formed integrally with the first portion and bent in an optical axis direction of the imaging unit.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device including a semiconductor substrate; plural photoelectric conversion units formed side by side on the semiconductor substrate to form a light receiving unit; a peripheral circuit formed in a portion on an outside of the light receiving unit on the semiconductor substrate; a wiring section formed on the light receiving unit and formed for connecting the plural photoelectric conversion units and the peripheral circuit; and a dummy wiring section formed on an opposite side of the wiring section for at least one photoelectric conversion unit among the plural photoelectric conversion units on the light receiving unit and formed for functioning as a non-connected wiring section not connected to the photoelectric conversion units and the peripheral circuit, wherein the dummy wiring section has a predetermined potential.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media to improve image stabilization operations and other image processing operations are described. A novel combination of interleaved image capture and image processing operations, e.g., image registration operations, may be employed on a bracketed capture of still images. Such techniques may result in improved camera performance and processing efficiency, as well as decreased shot-to-shot time intervals. In another embodiment, an image fusion portion of an image post-processing pipeline may also be performed in an interleaved fashion, such that each image in the sequence of obtained bracketed images may be incrementally added to an output composite image after it has been aligned with the preceding image or images from the sequence.

Abstract: Digital imagery is composed or composited within a smartphone or other portable electronic device to merge foreground and background subject matter acquired simultaneously with different cameras or acquired at different times with the same camera. A processor stores the digital imagery along with information derived or used by an operation to differentiate the foreground subject matter from the background scene, which may be a digital matting operation, and/or may involve finding an edge or an outline of the foreground subject matter. The foreground subject matter and the background scene may be stored as different graphical layers in the memory. A user control such as a touchscreen may enable a user to select and resize or reposition the foreground subject matter on a background scene of a separately acquired image. The digital imagery may constitute a still image or a sequence of images representative of motion video.

Abstract: A driving system for an SMA based actuator having SMA wires or rods includes a capture module, a determination module, and four drive modules. The capture module captures current position of a lens module from a position sensor. The displacement difference between the current position and a target position is determined. The first drive module can rapidly or slowly increase the current to the SMA, or rapidly or slowly decrease the current to the SMA, causing fast or slow movement of a lens module in one direction or fast or slow movement in the opposite direction, to achieve the desired auto-focus of a camera module.

Abstract: A plurality of image signals for focus detection are generated from combined signals obtained by combining output signals of a pixel in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion areas obtained by dividing are arranged in a predetermined direction, in units of the photoelectric conversion areas, and the defocus amount is detected based on a correlation amount between the plurality of image signals. The combined signals are generated for each pixel block, for a plurality of pixel block lines in which pixel blocks each having a predetermined size are arranged in the predetermined direction. The pixel data amount for focus detection can be effectively reduced by, in the combining, making combining central points of signals, in the plurality of pixel block lines, shifted relative to each other or phases of positions of the pixel blocks different from each other.

Abstract: The effect of camera shake in digital video is corrected using signal processing techniques. The digital video is a sequence of digital images. When the sequence of digital images are being captured, movement of the imaging device causes the images to shift on the image sensor of the imaging device and affects the quality of the eventual video. Movement of the imaging device is detected while the video is being captured, and a motion information representing the motion is recorded. A processor determines a correcting filter based on the motion information and user input. The processor modifies the sequence of images captured according to the correcting filter and obtains a final corrected video. Corrected video is displayed in a viewfinder.

Abstract: A digital camera is capable of performing wireless communication with an external device. The digital camera includes a camera body and a lens barrel assembly mounted to the camera body and comprising a plurality of barrels for accommodating a plurality of photographing lenses, wherein at least one of the plurality of barrels is used as an antenna barrel configured as an antenna for the wireless communication, wherein the antenna barrel is formed from a metal material and comprises at least one slit filled with a dielectric material, so that the antenna barrel emits radio waves to perform the antenna function, and wherein an outer casing of the camera body, which surrounds an outer surface of the antenna barrel, is formed from a metal material so as to operate as a ground of the antenna barrel.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a power operation switch, a shooting operation switch, an imaging module, a memory, and a control unit. The shooting operation switch is in any one of a plurality of states including a first state and a second state. After the imaging device is activated, a shooting instruction operation is not received in the first state, and is received in the second state. The memory stores first shooting mode information and second shooting mode information. The control unit activates the imaging device in the first shooting mode when the shooting operation switch is in the first state during a power source transitions from the OFF state to the ON state. The control unit activates the imaging device in the second shooting mode when the shooting operation switch is in the second state and the power source transitions from the OFF state to the ON state.

Abstract: A camera assembly may include a printed circuit board (PCB), an image sensor carried by the PCB, and a lens assembly carried by the PCB and having an external, enlarged diameter, threaded upper end, and an external, unthreaded lower end. The camera assembly may further include a camera body having a lens assembly opening aligned between the image sensor and the lens assembly. The lens assembly opening may have an internal, enlarged diameter, threaded upper end, and an internal unthreaded lower end. The external unthreaded lower end of the lens assembly may sealingly engage the internal, unthreaded lower end of the camera body prior to the external, enlarged diameter, threaded upper end of the lens assembly threadingly engaging the internal, enlarged diameter, threaded upper end of the camera body.

Abstract: An image processing device of the present invention comprises a storage section for storing first image data obtained by imaging in front of the imaging device body or using a telephoto lens, and second image data obtained by imaging behind the imaging device body or using a wide-angle lens; a movement pattern detection section for processing the first image data to detect a movement pattern of the first image represented by the first image data; a movement pattern determination section determining whether or not the movement pattern of the first image is unstable movement; and an image processing section for rewriting a part of the first image data, for which it has been determined by the movement pattern determination section that the movement pattern of the first image is unstable, using the second image data.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal and an audio zooming method thereof capable of effectively capturing audio based on an image while capturing and reproducing video. According to the present disclosure, if an event for changing the capture location or range or capture mode of a subject occurs when capturing the subject while capturing the sound of the subject in a predetermined sound capture range, the sound of the subject may be captured by changing a sound capture angle and automatically controlling a sound capture range according to the relevant event, and if an event for changing the capture location or range or capture mode of a subject occurs, the sound of the subject may be captured by automatically controlling a sound capture range according to the event.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for adding a blur to an image in use of depth information corresponding to the image, comprising: a conversion unit configured to convert the depth information into blur size information; a division unit configured to divide the image into a plurality image areas having a same blur size; an image generation unit configured to perform blur processing on each of the plurality of image areas with the blur size to generate blurred images; and a synthesizing unit configured to synthesize the plurality of blurred images generated by the image generation unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of image processing and image stabilization methodologies used on image acquisition and processing systems. A method and apparatus to generate an image sequence output that is stable and free of any sudden jumps from an image sequence input acquired with an imaging system whose line of sight is fixed but may drift in time, and by efficiently updating the reference frames that are used in the image stabilization, the method can be optimized.

Abstract: A method, an electronic apparatus, and a computer readable medium for processing reflection in an image are proposed. In the method, a first image and a second image are obtained. A plurality of objects in the first image and the second image are recognized and a plurality of lighting regions having a brightness higher than a first threshold in the first image and the second image are detected. Then, a plurality of displacements between corresponding objects and corresponding lighting regions in the first image and the second image are calculated. It is determined whether a ratio of the displacement of the object nearby one of the lighting regions to the displacement of the lighting region is over a second threshold. Finally, the lighting region is determined as a reflection if the ratio is over the second threshold.

Abstract: An image processing device may include a control unit. The control unit may be operable, in a first mode, to control display on a display screen of a representative image of a group of images and, in a second mode, to control display on the display screen of an image of the group of images corresponding to a posture of the device. In addition, the control unit may be operable to switch between operation in the first mode and the second mode.

Abstract: An image capturing device and a digital zooming method thereof are proposed in the invention. The method includes the following steps. A scene is captured by a primary lens and a secondary lens to generate a primary image and a secondary image. Image rectification is then performed on the primary and the secondary images to obtain two corresponding rectified images. Feature points detected and matched from the two rectified images are used to determine a corresponding overlapping region, respectively. Pixel displacement and depth map in the two overlapping regions could be calculated and estimated. Image zooming and warping techniques are performed on the two rectified images to obtain corresponding warped images using a recalculated homography matrix according to each specific zooming factor. Finally, the two overlapping regions in the warped image are fused by a weighted blending approach to generate a digital zoomed image.

Abstract: A pixel unit included in a sensor chip includes: a first pixel connected to a first feedback amplifier which is connected to a first column signal line as an input line and a first reset drain line as an output line; and a second pixel connected to a second feedback amplifier which is connected to a second column signal line as an input line and a second reset drain line as an output line. A drain of a reset transistor of the first pixel is connected to the first reset drain line, a drain of a reset transistor of the second pixel is connected to the second reset drain line, a source of an amplifying transistor of the first pixel is connected to the first column signal line, and a source of an amplifying transistor of the second pixel is connected to the second column signal line.