Abstract: An amplification signal of a difference signal between a sensor signal and an offset signal to be variably set is converted into a digital signal. The sensor signal is in accordance with shake of an imaging device and outputted from a sensor. The first digital signal is obtained while a conversion ratio between the difference signal and the digital signal is set to a first conversion ratio. The second digital signal is obtained while the conversion ratio is set to a second conversion ratio. In relation to a certain difference signal, the value of the second digital signal is smaller than that of the first signal. The offset signal is updated based on the second digital signal. The shake information is generated based on the first digital signal.

Abstract: In an imaging device that generates a correction image by performing, on the basis of shake information on a target image, shake correction processing on the target image when a correction instruction is issued by a user while the target image is displayed on a display unit, and that displays the corrected image on the display unit, preceding correction performs the shake correction processing before the issuing of the correction instruction. To suppress an increase in power consumption, due to the preceding correction, however, the preceding correction is not performed when the amount of camera shake of a target image is determined to be too small by referring to the amount of shake of a target image. Moreover, the frequency of the issuing of correction instructions for a target image in the past is referenced, and in a case where the frequency is low, the preceding correction is not performed.

Abstract: Movement of an imaging device is detected using a camera shake detection sensor or a motion vector obtained from an image signal, and camera shake correction is performed by shifting an extraction frame (valid photographing region) within a photographable maximum region based on the motion detection result. When movement of the imaging device is causing a face region located at the edge of the extraction frame to move towards out of the frame, it is determined that the movement is due to camera shake, and the extraction frame is moved so that the face region can stay within the frame. Meanwhile, when movement of the imaging device is causing the face region to move inward within the frame, it is determined that the movement is due to a pan or tilt operation, and position control is performed so that the deliberate movement is not inhibited.

Abstract: A plurality of divided exposure images (first to fourth images) are obtained by dividing a normal exposure time. By an image matching method, a motion detection circuit calculates a plurality of cumulative total correlation values between different divided exposure images, and searches the plurality of cumulative total correlation values for the smallest cumulative total correlation value, thereby calculating a motion vector between the different divided exposure images. In addition, based on the level of the smallest cumulative total correlation value, the level of reliability B[i] indicating the accuracy of the motion vector is calculated. An image combining circuit uses the level of reliability B[i] as a mixture proportion. The image combining circuit positions the divided exposure images based on the motion vector, and combines the divided exposure images together one on top of another in mixture proportions (B[i]), so as to form one still image that suffers less from camera shake.

Abstract: An imaging device is provided that predicts before still image photographing, whether alignment of a plurality of images obtained by the still image photographing mode should be performed based on the divided exposures and automatically switches photographing modes depending on the predicted result. The imaging device has a first movement computation unit that calculates image movement from input images when still image photograph is not performed, and a photographing mode switching unit that switches between a first still image photographing mode and a second still image photographing mode when starting photographing, based on image movement calculated by the first movement computation unit right before the photographing begins.

Abstract: In an image stitcher for arranging a plurality of images to be stitched in m rows and n columns (both m and n are natural numbers) on a monitor screen such that their respective arrangement positions conform to an actual relative positional relationship, to stitch all the images utilizing information related to the arrangement position of each of the images, the image stitcher comprises means for displaying on the monitor screen an image arrangement pattern selection screen including a plurality of types of image arrangement patterns for arranging the plurality of images to be stitched in m rows and n columns on the monitor screen, means for causing a user to select one of the plurality of types of image arrangement patterns on the image arrangement pattern selection screen, and means for arranging the plurality of images to be stitched in m rows and n columns on the monitor screen in accordance with the image arrangement pattern selected by the user.

Abstract: A hand shake blur signal reduction means for reducing the hand shake blur signal using given reduction ratio in the horizontal direction and reduction ratio in the vertical direction; an image restoration filter generating means for generating the image restoration filter based on the hand shake blur signal reduced by the hand shake blur signal reduction means; an image reduction means for reducing the hand shake blur image at the reduction ratio same as the reduction ratios in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction used in reducing the hand shake blur signal in the hand shake blur signal reduction means; an image restoration means for performing image restoration on the hand shake blur image reduced by the image reduction means using the image restoration filter generated by the image restoration filter generating means; and an image enlargement means for generating the restored image for the hand shake blur image by enlarging the restored image restored by the image restoration means are arrang

Abstract: A hand shake blur detecting apparatus for detecting hand shake blur of an imaging device based on an output signal of a hand shake blur sensor for detecting the hand shake blur of the imaging device is provided, the hand shake blur detecting apparatus including a high pass filter calculating means for removing low frequency component from the output signal of the hand shake blur sensor; an inverse high pass filter calculating means for performing on the output signal of the high pass filter calculating means, a filter calculation of an inverse transfer function of the high pass filter; an offset value calculating means for calculating the offset value based on the output data of the inverse high pass filter calculating means; and an offset value subtracting means for subtracting the offset value calculated by the offset calculating means from the output data of the inverse high pass filter calculating means.

Abstract: An image stabilizing device has an image restoration processor configured to perform image restoration process for stabilizing hand movement included in an input image by using an image restoration filter created based on hand movement information, and an edge emphasizing processor configured to perform edge emphasizing process for emphasizing an edge of the input image. The image stabilizing device has a stabilization mode determiner configured to determine an image stabilization mode for stabilizing the input image based on a size of the hand movement created by the hand movement information. The image stabilization mode includes a first mode for performing the image restoration process, a second mode for performing the edge emphasizing process, and a third mode for performing none of the image restoration process and the edge emphasizing process.

Abstract: Provided is an unintentional hand movement canceling device including: a zoom detection means detecting a value corresponding to a zoom magnification; a swing detection means detecting a swing of an image; and a correction quantity generating means generating a correction quantity to correct the swing of an image based on a swing quantity detected by the swing detection means and a value corresponding to a zoom magnification detected by the zoom detection means, the correction quantity having a variable characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a frequency of the swing, wherein the correction quantity generating means varies a characteristic of the non-corrected residue percent at the frequency of the swing depending on a value corresponding to a zoom magnification detected by the zoom detection means.

Abstract: Provided is an unintentional hand movement canceling device, comprising: swing detecting means detecting a swing of an image; and a correction quantity generating means generating a correction quantity to calculate a correction position based on a swing quantity detected by the swing detection means, a damping coefficient of a swing quantity for controlling a characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a swing frequency and a damping center for controlling a centering velocity at which a correction position is caused to move to an initial position before correction, the correction quantity having a variable characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a frequency of the swing and a variable centering velocity at which a correction position is caused to move to an initial position before correction, wherein the correction quantity generating means includes means updating the damping center based on a preset damping coefficient of the damping center.

Abstract: In an automatic stabilization control apparatus that makes automatic stabilization control of data representing a moving image within a range from a reference frame to a frame which is an arbitrary number of frames succeeding the reference frame, an automatic stabilization control apparatus comprises first means for calculating a geometric conversion coefficient between an input frame and a frame which is one frame preceding the input frame for converting coordinates on the input frame into coordinates on the frame which is one frame preceding the input frame as a geometric conversion coefficient between the adjacent frames; second means for accumulating the geometric conversion coefficients between the adjacent frames from the reference frame to the input frame, to calculate an indirect geometric conversion coefficient between the input frame and the reference frame; third means for calculating a direct geometric conversion coefficient between the input frame and the reference frame utilizing the indirect ge

Abstract: In an image stitcher for arranging a plurality of images to be stitched in m rows and n columns (both m and n are natural numbers) on a monitor screen such that their respective arrangement positions conform to an actual relative positional relationship, to stitch all the images utilizing information related to the arrangement position of each of the images, the image stitcher comprises means for displaying on the monitor screen an image arrangement pattern selection screen including a plurality of types of image arrangement patterns for arranging the plurality of images to be stitched in m rows and n columns on the monitor screen, means for causing a user to select one of the plurality of types of image arrangement patterns on the image arrangement pattern selection screen, and means for arranging the plurality of images to be stitched in m rows and n columns on the monitor screen in accordance with the image arrangement pattern selected by the user.