Abstract: A camera apparatus is described that includes a frame housing and a camera module affixed to the frame housing. The camera module may include a lens and an image sensor. The camera apparatus may include a reflective element and a motor. The reflective element may be disposed within the frame housing, the reflective element being movable relative to the lens to select a direction from which the lens collects light. The motor may be adapted to move the reflective element in response to detecting a magnetic field change generated by at least one magnet disposed within the frame housing.

Abstract: The solid-state image sensor includes image sensing pixels, first and second focus detection pixels configured to respectively detect lights passing through different regions of a pupil of an image sensing lens. The sensor includes a semiconductor substrate including photoelectric converters of the image sensing pixels, a photoelectric converter and a first well contact region of the first focus detection pixel, and a photoelectric converter and a second well contact region of the second focus detection pixel, a first contact plug electrically connected to the first well contact region, and a second contact plug electrically connected to the second well contact region. The relative position of the first well contact region in the first focus detection pixel differs from a relative position of the second well contact region in the second focus detection pixel.

Abstract: An embodiment of a camera module includes a holder configured such that the upper and lower portions of the holder are open and such that a first hole and a second hole, opposite to the first hole, are formed in the side surface of the holder, a first lens unit coupled to the upper portion of the holder, a second lens unit coupled to the lower portion of the holder, and a liquid lens disposed in the first hole and the second hole of the holder between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, the liquid lens protruding outward from the side surface of the holder, wherein at least a portion of the liquid lens may be spaced apart from the inner surface of the holder.

Abstract: The interchangeable lens includes: a shake correction processing unit configured to calculate an amount of shake correction for the correction lens and an imaging device; and a lens driving unit configured to perform image blur correction by moving the correction lens in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis based on an output from the shake correction processing unit. The camera body includes a device driving unit configured to perform image blur correction by moving the imaging device in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. The lens driving unit moves the correction lens to a predetermined center position and the device driving unit shifts the imaging device by an amount corresponding to an amount of the movement of the correction lens to the center position at a beginning of exposure. The lens driving unit drives the correction lens during a period of the exposure.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method to resolve a technical problem of a “ghost”. The method is applied to a terminal that includes a first camera lens and a second camera lens, where the both lenses are located on a same side of the terminal. The method includes: obtaining a first image that is captured by the first camera lens and is about a first area, and a second image that is captured at a same moment by the second camera lens and is about a second area; performing translation compensation on the second image by using the first image as a reference image; and fusing the first image and the second image that is obtained after translation compensation is performed, to generate a third image, where a resolution of the third image is higher than a resolution of the first image and a resolution of the second image.

Abstract: The present invention is provided to maintain a photographable display state so as not to miss a photo opportunity when a photographer performs preparation work before shooting or confirmation work after shooting, and also smoothly switch to a display state in which the photographer can perform the confirmation work after shooting whenever necessary. A live view image is displayed on a first display screen when an eye contact state is detected at the eyepiece viewfinder, and a captured image is displayed on a second display screen when a non-eye-contact state is detected after receiving an image shooting instruction. When the eye contact state is not detected within a first period from detecting the non-eye-contact state, displaying the live view image on the first display screen is stopped. The live view image is displayed on the first display screen during the first period after detecting the non-eye-contact state.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to image a subject, a photometry unit, an exposure compensation unit, an exposure control unit configured to control exposure for a captured image and a display control unit configured to control display of the captured image on a display unit. The photometry unit is configured to perform photometry, based the imaging unit's output, to obtain an exposure value. The exposure compensation unit is configured to compensate the obtained exposure value to an exposure value that would be used for exposure control, if photometry of the photometry unit is not fixed. The exposure control unit is configured to allow exposure control at an exposure value within wider range than a range of available exposure values of the cases where photometry of the photometry unit was not fixed, if photometry of the photometry unit is fixed.

Abstract: Generally, this disclosure describes multiple lenses in a mobile device. A mobile device may include a housing including a first surface, an opposing second surface and third, fourth, fifth and sixth surfaces connecting the first surface and the second surface forming the housing; a plurality of lenses, each lens configured to capture a respective image, each lens positioned relative to the housing so that a respective lens axis associated with each lens is perpendicular within a tolerance to at least a portion of at least one surface and a first lens axis associated with a first lens is perpendicular within the tolerance to a second lens axis associated with a second lens; at least one image sensor coupled to the plurality of lenses, configured to convert each captured image into respective image data; and circuitry configured to receive and process the image data.

Abstract: Systems, methods and devices for automatically cropping images taken by an electronic device in order to determine the identity of a product contained in the image are described herein. A number of different techniques may be applied to perform the automatic cropping, including a focus sweep technique in which a first image is analyzed for the presence of a human being and then a second image is taken in a plane closer to the camera than the first image. The two frames are analyzed and a resultant image is provided that avoids the regions in which the human being is present to focus on the product. In other embodiments, a motion vector calculation is made between two images in which an individual is holding a product. The motion vectors related to the human are removed and a bounding box is calculated to reduce the size of the image to include a higher percentage of the product, such that the product can be more easily identified.

Abstract: A camera module including a PCB mounted with an image sensor; a holder member disposed at the PCB; a lens module coupled to the holder member; an actuator disposed at an upper surface of the lens module; and an electronic circuit pattern extending along an outer surface of the holder member. Further, a first end of the electronic circuit pattern is electrically connected to the PCB, and a second end of the electronic circuit pattern is electrically connected to the actuator.

Abstract: An auto-iris control method, including setting a target luminance value of an auto iris; collecting an image at a current moment and calculating a luminance value of the image collected at the current moment; comparing the target luminance value with the luminance value of the image collected at the current moment; comparing an absolute value of the luminance difference at the current moment with a preset luminance difference threshold, determining a status of the auto iris at the current moment, and using a corresponding proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm to calculate a direct current control voltage at the current moment; and adjusting an action of the auto iris according to the calculated direct current control voltage.

Abstract: Provided is a method for controlling a video lens in an image capture device which uses a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. A vertical sync (Vsync) signal and a horizontal sync (Hsync) signal are separately generated and then synthesized. Thereafter, the resulting signal is synthesized with a DC level mode luminance signal to generate a lens control signal for controlling the video lens.

Abstract: A camera module of the present invention, provided by adhering a glass substrate to the cover body so that the glass substrate covers an opening of a sensor cover for covering an image pickup element mounted on a wiring substrate, which opening is provided above the image pickup element, the camera module includes: an image pickup package having an internal space provided by the glass substrate, the sensor cover, and the glass substrate; and an image pickup lens provided above the glass substrate of the image pickup package, wherein at least one ventilation groove (G) for allowing the internal space to communicate with open air is provided on an adhesive surface of the glass substrate of the sensor cover.

Abstract: Embodiments facilitate in-time registration of temporally separated image acquisition sessions to obtain highly comparable images without physical restraint of the camera and/or subject. For example, while displaying a live view being acquired of a subject in real time in a viewfinder window of an image acquisition system, a live position of the system can be measured, a real-time offset can be computed between the live position and a guide position (corresponding to a position from which a prior image of the subject was acquired at a prior acquisition time), and a guide can be overlaid on the viewfinder window to indicate a real-time positional offset between the live view and the prior image according to the real-time offset. A present image of the subject can be acquired when the guide indicates an in-time registration between the live view and the prior image.

Abstract: A spectrally mosaiced digital image is provided with missing color data imputed for each pixel. Circuitry is provided that is configured to perform at least a portion of the calculations related to demosaicing a high dynamic range image.

Abstract: Lens flare mitigation techniques determine which pixels in images of a sequence of images are likely to be pixels affected by lens flare. Once the lens flare areas of the images are determined, unwanted lens flare effects may be mitigated by various approaches, including reducing border artifacts along a seam between successive images, discarding entire images of the sequence that contain lens flare areas, and using tone-mapping to reduce the visibility of lens flare.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a sensor interface circuit that performs scaling of image data in a Bayer pattern without spreading defective pixels across multiple pixels. The sensor interface circuit may include a register circuit storing operating parameters of the sensor interface circuit. The sensor interface circuit includes a scaling circuit with a first defect pixel detection circuit to detect a first defective pixel in an input image by analyzing pixels in a line of an input image data along a first direction. A first scaling circuit is coupled to the first defect pixel detection circuit and generates a scaled line of pixels representing the line of the input image scaled along the first direction according to the operating parameters.

Abstract: An optical system is provided that uses unwanted light to perform autofocus functions. More particularly, one or more optical elements may be used to reflect unwanted light to one or more secondary image sensors associated with an autofocus function. Such unwanted light may include, for example, IR, UV, or visible light not necessary for creating a resulting image detected by a primary sensor.

Abstract: A high definition (HD) camera and a method for implementing the HD camera is described. A CMOS sensor of high frame rate captures frame images and provides light to N consecutive frame images with an interval of M consecutive frame images in the captured frame images using an auxiliary light source when the auxiliary light source is on. The auxiliary light source turns on and off according to a duty cycle. The M is 0 or a positive integer. The N is a positive integer. The mechanism has good light performances, reduced deformation of moving objects, and reduced costs.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and systems that may reduce pixel noise due to defective sensor elements in optical imaging systems. Namely, a camera may capture a burst of images with an image sensor while adjusting a focus distance setting of an optical element. For example, the image burst may be captured during an autofocus process. The plurality of images may be averaged or otherwise merged to provide a single, aggregate image frame. Such an aggregate image frame may appear blurry. In such a scenario, “hot” pixels, “dead” pixels, or otherwise defective pixels may be more easily recognized and/or corrected. As an example, a defective pixel may be removed from a target image or otherwise corrected by replacing a value of the defective pixel with an average value of neighboring pixels.