Abstract: Provided is a fluorescent lamp electrode, having excellent sputtering resistance and able to retain excellent dark-start characteristics over a long period of time when used as an electrode in a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, and which can be produced inexpensively. A fluorescent lamp of this invention has a prolonged life resulting from the use of said electrode. Said electrode is made by dispersing in a nickel or nickel alloy base one or more rare earth metals selected from among lanthanum, cerium, yttrium, samarium, praseodymium, niobium, europium and gadolinium in the form of a precipitated boride phase.

Abstract: Provided is a fluorescent lamp electrode, having excellent sputtering resistance and able to retain excellent dark-start characteristics over a long period of time when used as an electrode in a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, and which can be produced inexpensively. A fluorescent lamp of this invention has a prolonged life resulting from the use of said electrode. Said electrode is made by dispersing in a nickel or nickel alloy base one or more rare earth metals selected from among lanthanum, cerium, yttrium, samarium, praseodymium, niobium, europium and gadolinium in the form of a precipitated boride phase.

Abstract: A high-frequency integrating circuit 32 detects characteristics of horizontal high-frequency components and vertical high-frequency components of the image formed by a processing-target image signal. Based on the detection result, a CPU 61 obtains the number of bits of the after-compression-coding data of the image signal, and calculates the compression rate dependent upon the number of bits. The CPU 61 controls an image codec 36 so that the processing-target image signal is compression-coded through only one time of compression coding processing by use of the calculated compression rate. This configuration allows the image compression processing (compression coding) to be rapidly executed with high accuracy.

Abstract: There is provided a cold cathode fluorescent lamp that has excellent sputtering resistance and long life, even if high tube current is applied, and can be easily manufactured at low cost. In a cold cathode fluorescent lamp comprising a transparent tube having a fluorescent layer provided on an inner wall surface, containing a rare gas and mercury inside, and having both ends enclosed by sealing members, electrodes provided near both ends inside the transparent tube, and lead wires connected to the electrodes and provided through the sealing members, the electrode contains nickel as a main component and contains cerium metal or cerium oxide.

Abstract: For each pixel read from an imaging device, a horizontal counter value and a vertical counter value corresponding to the pixel are supplied from a signal generator to a distance computation section via an optical-axis-center coordinate setting section and an up-and-down and right-and-left weighting section. In the distance computation section, the distance to the optical-axis center is computed, and correction coefficients for the zoom wide end and for the zoom tele end, which correspond to the distance, are obtained by look-up tables. The two obtained correction coefficients are blended at a mixture ratio determined by a blend ratio setting section. The blended shading correction coefficients are gain adjusted by a gain adjustment section, after which they are supplied to a correction section. As a result, a correction corresponding to the distance to the optical-axis-center position is performed on the signal of each pixel supplied from an imaging section.

Abstract: A camera device and method for performing a shooting operation by converting image light into an electrical signal. The location of a dark distribution is determined, and a dark distribution histogram ratio is calculated. The location of a bright distribution is determined, and a high-brightness slice set value is set. A determination is made as to whether or not a subject is in a backlighted state based on whether a dark_ratio falls within a predetermined range. When the subject is not in a backlighted state, the previously-set high-brightness slice set value is used unchanged. On the other hand, when the subject is in a backlighted state, the dark_ratio is normalized, so that, for example, backlight correction is carried out so that a high-brightness component limiter value of an integration signal of a peak-value-detected output is decreased.

Abstract: For each pixel read from an imaging device, a horizontal counter value and a vertical counter value corresponding to the pixel are supplied from a signal generator to a distance computation section via an optical-axis-center coordinate setting section and an up-and-down and right-and-left weighting section. In the distance computation section, the distance to the optical-axis center is computed, and correction coefficients for the zoom wide end and for the zoom tele end, which correspond to the distance, are obtained by look-up tables. The two obtained correction coefficients are blended at a mixture ratio determined by a blend ratio setting section. The blended shading correction coefficients are gain adjusted by a gain adjustment section, after which they are supplied to a correction section. As a result, a correction corresponding to the distance to the optical-axis-center position is performed on the signal of each pixel supplied from an imaging section.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus and method in which the image recording time is reduced and the memory capacity required for compression is also reduced. A number-of-bytes calculation unit 302 determines the number of bytes after compression based on an integrated value of high-frequency integrated data supplied from a high-frequency integration processor. Based on the determined number of bytes, a Q-scale calculation unit 303 determines a Q-scale based on which the image data can be compressed one time to a predetermined data size. A Q-table generation unit 304 generates a Q-table based on the Q-scale. A DCT unit 321 performs a discrete cosine transform on the input image data. A quantization processor 322 adjusts the compression ratio of the image data based on the up-to-date Q-table supplied from the Q-table generation unit 304.

Abstract: For each pixel read from an imaging device, a horizontal counter value and a vertical counter value corresponding to the pixel are supplied from a signal generator to a distance computation section via an optical-axis-center coordinate setting section and an up-and-down and right-and-left weighting section. In the distance computation section, the distance to the optical-axis center is computed, and correction coefficients for the zoom wide end and for the zoom tele end, which correspond to the distance, are obtained by look-up tables. The two obtained correction coefficients are blended at a mixture ratio determined by a blend ratio setting section. The blended shading correction coefficients are gain adjusted by a gain adjustment section, after which they are supplied to a correction section. As a result, a correction corresponding to the distance to the optical-axis-center position is performed on the signal of each pixel supplied from an imaging section.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus and method in which the image recording time is reduced and the memory capacity required for compression is also reduced. A number-of-bytes calculation unit 302 determines the number of bytes after compression based on an integrated value of high-frequency integrated data supplied from a high-frequency integration processor. Based on the determined number of bytes, a Q-scale calculation unit 303 determines a Q-scale based on which the image data can be compressed one time to a predetermined data size. A Q-table generation unit 304 generates a Q-table based on the Q-scale. A DCT unit 321 performs a discrete cosine transform on the input image data. A quantization processor 322 adjusts the compression ratio of the image data based on the up-to-date Q-table supplied from the Q-table generation unit 304.

Abstract: Backlight correction by the following steps. The location of a dark distribution is determined, and a dark distribution histogram ratio is calculated. Next, the location of a bright distribution is determined, and a high-brightness slice set value is set. A determination is made as to whether or not a subject is in a backlighted state. When the subject is not in a backlighted state, the high-brightness slice set value is used unchanged. On the other hand, when the subject is in a backlighted state, the dark_ratio is normalized so that, for example, backlight correction is carried out so that a high-brightness component limiter value of an integration signal of a peak-value-detected output is decreased.

Abstract: Backlight correction by the following steps. The location of a dark distribution is determined, and a dark distribution histogram ratio is calculated. Next, the location of a bright distribution is determined, and a high-brightness slice set value is set. A determination is made as to whether or not a subject is in a backlighted state. When the subject is not in a backlighted state, the high-brightness slice set value is used unchanged. On the other hand, when the subject is in a backlighted state, the dark_ratio is normalized so that, for example, backlight correction is carried out so that a high-brightness component limiter value of an integration signal of a peak-value-detected output is decreased.

Abstract: Automatic exposure adjustment control that is not affected by smear. An image pick-up device control system of an electronic shutter, a lens aperture and an automatic gain control. Smear amount is calculated precisely even if weak smear phenomenon does not reach a saturation level. When smear is detected, a first electronic shutter speed and a first lens aperture value are measured and first color information integral values of red, green and blue are measured in a predetermined color measurement area of an effective pixel region of an image pick-up unit. The electronic shutter speed is slowed to a predetermined amount to provide the same exposure as the exposure at the first electronic shutter speed and first lens aperture, and the lens aperture is narrowed only to that amount to measure the second color information integral values of the red, green and blue in the color measurement area. The smear amount is calculated from the color integral values of the red, green and blue.

Abstract: A high-frequency integrating circuit 32 detects characteristics of horizontal high-frequency components and vertical high-frequency components of the image formed by a processing-target image signal. Based on the detection result, a CPU 61 obtains the number of bits of the after-compression-coding data of the image signal, and calculates the compression rate dependent upon the number of bits. The CPU 61 controls an image codec 36 so that the processing-target image signal is compression-coded through only one time of compression coding processing by use of the calculated compression rate. This configuration allows the image compression processing (compression coding) to be rapidly executed with high accuracy.

Abstract: The automatic exposure adjustment control that is not affected by the smear is obtained in an image pick-up device control system of an electronic shutter, a lens aperture and an automatic gain control, without performing measures against a change of the dark electric-current of vertical OP, the behavior of the dark noise and defective pixels of vertical OP, and a smear amount is calculated precisely even if the weak smear phenomenon which does not reach a saturation level occurs.

Abstract: Backlight correction by the following steps. The location of a dark distribution is determined, and a dark distribution histogram ratio is calculated. Next, the location of a bright distribution is determined, and a high-brightness slice set value is set. A determination is made as to whether or not a subject is in a backlighted state. When the subject is not in a backlighted state, the high-brightness slice set value is used unchanged. On the other hand, when the subject is in a backlighted state, the dark_ratio is normalized so that, for example, backlight correction is carried out so that a high-brightness component limiter value of an integration signal of a peak-value-detected output is decreased.

Abstract: Backlight correction by the following steps. The location of a dark distribution is determined, and a dark distribution histogram ratio is calculated. Next, the location of a bright distribution is determined, and a high-brightness slice set value is set. A determination is made as to whether or not a subject is in a backlighted state. When the subject is not in a backlighted state, the high-brightness slice set value is used unchanged. On the other hand, when the subject is in a backlighted state, the dark_ratio is normalized so that, for example, backlight correction is carried out so that a high-brightness component limiter value of an integration signal of a peak-value-detected output is decreased.

Abstract: For each pixel read from an imaging device, a horizontal counter value and a vertical counter value corresponding to the pixel are supplied from a signal generator to a distance computation section via an optical-axis-center coordinate setting section and an up-and-down and right-and-left weighting section. In the distance computation section, the distance to the optical-axis center is computed, and correction coefficients for the zoom wide end and for the zoom tele end, which correspond to the distance, are obtained by look-up tables. The two obtained correction coefficients are blended at a mixture ratio determined by a blend ratio setting section. The blended shading correction coefficients are gain adjusted by a gain adjustment section, after which they are supplied to a correction section. As a result, a correction corresponding to the distance to the optical-axis-center position is performed on the signal of each pixel supplied from an imaging section.

Abstract: A camera device in which the location of a dark distribution is determined, and a dark distribution histogram ratio is calculated. The location of a bright distribution is determined, and a high-brightness slice set value is set. A determination is made as to whether or not a subject is in a backlighted state. The subject is determined to be in a backlighted state when a dark_ratio falls within a particular range. When the subject is not in a backlighted state, the high-brightness slice set value is used unchanged. On the other hand, when the subject is in a backlighted state, the dark_ratio is normalized so that, for example, backlight correction is carried out so that a high-brightness component limiter value of an integration signal of a peak-value-detected output is decreased.

Abstract: A method which includes Steps 1 to 5 is provided. In Step 1, the location of a dark distribution is determined, and a dark distribution histogram ratio is calculated. Next, in Step 2, the location of a bright distribution is determined, and a high-brightness slice set value is set. In Step 3, a determination is made as to whether or not a subject is in a backlighted state. Here, backlight determining means determines that the subject is in a backlighted state when a dark_ratio falls within a range of from 0 dB to less than ?6 dB, while it determines that the subject is in a backlighted state when the dark_ratio falls within a range of from ?6 dB to ?30 dB. The dark_ratio is explained in the section describing means for determining the location of the dark distribution and calculating the dark distribution histogram ratio. When the subject is not in a backlighted state, the high-brightness slice set value is used unchanged in Step 4.