Abstract: A stage apparatus includes a stationary support plate; an X-direction moving member supported on the stationary support plate by an X-direction guide device; and a Y-direction moving member supported on the X-direction moving member by a Y-direction guide device. The X-direction guide device has an X-direction elongated hole extending in the X-direction and formed in one of the X-direction moving member and the stationary support plate, and an X-direction engagement projection provided on the other of the X-direction moving member and the stationary support plate and is engaged in the X-direction elongated hole. The Y-direction guide device has a Y-direction elongated hole extending in the Y-direction and formed in one of the X-direction and Y-direction moving members, and a Y-direction engagement projection which is provided on the other of the X-direction and Y-direction moving members and is engaged in the Y-direction elongated hole.

Abstract: A stage apparatus includes an X-direction movable member provided parallel to a reference plane and relatively movable thereto only in a specific X-direction via an X-direction guide device; a Y-direction movable member supported by the X-direction movable member thereon to be movable only in a Y-direction orthogonal to the X-direction of the reference plane via a Y-direction guide device, wherein the X-direction movable member is provided in between a stationary support plate, which is parallel with the reference plane, and the Y-direction movable member; three ball retaining through-holes formed in the X-direction movable member at three vertices of an imaginary triangle; and three balls installed in respective the three ball retaining through-holes so as to contact the stationary support plate and the Y-direction movable member, wherein the three ball retaining through-holes allow each of the three balls to rotate in any rotational direction therein.

Abstract: If a request of handle information to identify data existing in a recording medium is made to a digital camera by a PC, the digital camera collects the data existing in the recording medium by accessing a file system, generates unique handle information independent of the file system on the basis of a file path of the file system, and transmits it to the PC. When the request accompanied by the handle information is received from the PC, the digital camera executes a file path restoring process to the handle information, thereby restoring the file path which depends on the file system in the digital camera, retrieves the requested file by using the obtained file path, and transmits the data to the PC. According to this arrangement, installation costs can be suppressed by making an identification information management table unnecessary even while identification information which is independent of a logical data management system is used.

Abstract: A CMOS image pixel array formed on a chip is used for storing programmed information within the pixel array. Manufacturing lot and other data is written to the array during manufacturing and testing by applying a laser to pixels to render the photodiode defective. The programmed data is read from the pixel array using existing circuitry.

Abstract: A camera comprising: a photosurface comprising light sensitive pixels that generate signals responsive to light incident thereon and optics that focus an image of a scene onto the photosurface; and an illumination system for illuminating the scene, the illumination system comprising: an illuminator having a plurality of substantially contiguous, independently controllable light providing regions; optics that focuses an image or the illuminator on the scene so that light from the illuminator illuminates substantially all of and substantially only the field of view of the camera; and a controller that controls light provided by each light providing region.

Abstract: An intelligent block controller for a model train is connected to receive detect signals from adjacent blocks of model railway track assemblies indicating that a model train is present on a respective block track assemblies. The controller provides one or more control outputs to automatically and independently control power to selected blocks of track, to operate one or more switches, or to operate other accessories. The detect signal may be provided by grounding an isolated portion of a rail to a ground rail or other voltage reference. The controller may also be configured to accept user input to select a preferred operating mode, or to deactivate automatic control.

Abstract: A mobile surveillance apparatus including a trailer and mast pivotally connected to the trailer and movable between a vertical position and horizontal position. A plurality of surveillance cameras are mounted on the mast along with a light, the latter being positioned within a space behind the cameras.

Abstract: A camera-equipped recording/reproducing apparatus is equipped with a lens assembly having a lens group and a body having a first side face and a second side face opposite to the first side face when viewed from an object to be photographed. The body is provided in series with and behind the lens assembly in a direction of an optical axis of the lens group when viewed from the object. A monitor screen is provided on the first side face of the body. A grip is provided on the second side face of the body. The grip houses a recording/reproducing unit. The grip is rotatable about an axis almost orthogonal to the optical axis.

Abstract: The image acquiring method and image acquiring apparatus photograph an image of a subject using stroboscopic light as external illumination. The method and apparatus compare, in terms of color change, an image acquired without using the stroboscopic light and images acquired by using a plurality of different kinds of stroboscopic light and select one kind of stroboscopic light which has the least color change to thereby finally acquire the image from among the plurality of different kinds of stroboscopic light. There is no color change due to the use of the stroboscopic light and the image having natural color reproduction can be obtained.

Abstract: An integrated controller system for use with existing railroad model accessories and operating cars comprises a miniaturized receiving device having a pulse recovery circuit, a micro-controller decoder circuit, an output driver circuit, and a specialized power distribution circuit. The integrated controller system is adapted for remote programming and control by an existing remote control. Features include remote assignment of programmable voltage and pulse duration, specialized power distribution to sustain brief power interruptions, an integrated antenna for ease of installation, remote programmability for ID and class assignment, Soft Set Technology™, field upgradeable firmware, and very small size.

Abstract: Auto white balance (AWB) processing is performed immediately after an electronic camera is turned on in a motion-picture-capturing mode, and an image being captured (a through image) is displayed on a liquid crystal monitor. When an image-capturing switch is pressed and an instruction to prepare for image-capturing is entered, white balance is fixed by performing AWB processing, and a motion picture is captured in response to an instruction to start the image-capturing. During the capturing of the motion picture, periodical AWB processing is not performed, an evaluation value for AE is obtained on a regular basis, and when the evaluation value changes by more than a predetermined value, the AWB processing is performed again. Thus, a load of processing is reduced for a control unit (CPU) included in the electronic camera, which can capture a motion picture, and the cost is also reduced.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus comprises an image sensor that performs image sensing in response to an inputted image sensing instruction, a recording medium that stores a sensed image, and a controller that controls to record on the recording medium the sensed image in a first format instead of a second format, different from the first format, which is designated in advance when a format change instruction is designated by a user within a predetermined period after sensing the image.

Abstract: A false-color reducing device comprises a first interpolation processor, a color difference data calculation processor, a second interpolation processor, and a third interpolation processor. The first correlation value calculating processor obtains R plane data in which all the pixels have R data, G plane data in which all the pixels have G data, and B plane data in which all the pixels have B data. The color difference data calculation processor calculates U data and V data (or color difference data) regarding first (R), second (G), and third (B) pixels. The second interpolation processor calculates a mean value of the V data of four pixels adjacent to the first pixel in oblique directions, and sets this mean value as replaced V data for the first pixel. The third interpolation processor calculates a mean value of the U data of four pixels adjacent to the third pixel in oblique directions, and sets this mean value as replacement U data for the third pixel.

Abstract: Provided is a method of controlling the operation of a digital camera to order to take an identification photograph in a natural setting by displaying a frame and a reference outline of the identification photograph, performing photographing according to a photographing signal by a user, displaying a detection area to detect an outline of a figure around the reference outline on a photographed image, detecting the outline of the figure in the detection area, and forming a background image for the identification photograph in a set background area with respect to the detected outline.

Abstract: A focusing apparatus includes a filter unit for performing frequency filtering processing on an image pickup signal, and a focus position detecting unit for detecting a focus position based on the contrast value of the image pickup signal having undergone the frequency filtering processing by the filter unit. The filter unit has a first filter for normal position detection, and a second filter for infinity position detection having a frequency characteristic different from that of the first filter, and selects the first filter or the second filter.

Abstract: A solid-state video camera is equipped with pixel addition logic such that, if the measured object brightness falls below a certain threshold value, a brightening of the image is effected without increasing the noise component accepting a loss in real-time representation. The pixel addition by way of the pixel addition logic is coupled to the gain control of the camera in a manner such that, in each case, the gain control compensates for jumps in brightness which arise by way of the pixel addition and creates for the user a flowing transition without noticeable jumps in brightness.

Abstract: In a solid-state imaging apparatus provided with a solid-state imaging element having a plurality of pixels for subdividing incident light from a photographic subject into a plurality of color signals so as to image the photographic subject; and signal processing means for performing a white balance correcting operation based upon a gain amount corresponding to a sort of a light source with respect to photographed image data outputted from the solid-state image element; two sorts (G1, G2) of pixels whose spectral sensitivities are different from each other are provided on the solid-state imaging element as the pixel for detecting at least one color among the plurality of color signals; the signal processing means is comprised of: a mixing ratio predicting means 52 operated in such a manner that when there are plural sorts of light sources as to the incident light, a mixing ratio of illumination light emitted from the plural sorts of light sources is predicted every pixel from photographed image data acquired

Abstract: The present invention provides an imaging element that can prevent misappropriation by a third party, an imaging device disposed with the imaging element, and a method of deterring misappropriation of the imaging element. In a CCD (imaging element) disposed with plural photodiodes for breaking down an image into plural pixels to generate image information representing the image and an OB portion (optical black portion) that shields a partial region of a light-receiving region corresponding to the plural photodiodes in order to determine an output level when the image is black, an opening for guiding light to the photodiodes is disposed at a predetermined position in the OB portion.

Abstract: A robust camera motion analysis method is described. In an implementation, a method includes analyzing video having sequential frames to determine one or more camera motions that occurred when sequential frames of the video were captured. The one or more camera motions for each frame are described by a set of displacement curves, a mean absolute difference (MAD) curve, and a major motion (MAJ) curve. The set of displacement curves describe the one or more camera motions in respective horizontal (H), vertical (V), and radial (R) directions. The MAD curve relates a minimum MAD value from the set of displacement curves. The MAJ curve is generated from the minimum MAD value and provides one or more qualitative descriptions that describe the one or more camera motions as at least one of still, vertical, horizontal and radial.

Abstract: An operational state of C-AF processing is judged. If the operational state is judged to not be a focused state, when the operational state is a state of fine adjustment, only a range in a vicinity of a current position of a focus lens is searched, and a focused state is set. When the operational state is a state where the focus lens is being driven to a focus position, only a range in a vicinity of a focus position already been detected is searched, and the focused state is set. When the operational state is a state during searching for a peak, searching is carried out in a current driving direction from a current position of the focus lens, and the focused state is set. When the operational state is none of above states, an entire region is searched, and the focused state is set.