Abstract: A camera is provided with: a detector for detecting a shake amount of the apparatus with respect to an object at an interval; a calculator for calculating a shake speed and a shake acceleration rate based on detected shake amounts, and calculates an estimative shake amount based on a calculated shake speed, a calculated shake acceleration rate, and a coefficient k (0<k<1) on an assumption that a shake is uniformly accelerated motion, the coefficient k being a multiplier for the calculated shake acceleration rate; and a corrector for executing a shake correction in accordance with a calculated estimative shake amount.

Abstract: A digital camera comprises a camera body and an image sensing unit. The image sensing unit is provided with a taking lens and an image sensing device for taking images and with an optical viewfinder. The camera body is provided with a controller for controlling the camera, signal processing circuits for processing signals from the image sensing device, a display device for displaying images taken and an interface for recording images taken onto a memory card. The display device serves as a viewfinder. In taking a image, the controller performs an AF control of the taking lens. When power supply to the camera is started, and when the display device is activated, the controller sets the taking lens at a predetermined focus position where in-focus condition is obtained for distant to close-range views, so that blurred images are not displayed on the display device.

Abstract: Flash emission is required when image data have a low luminance value and when it is determined that flash emission is not prohibited, the built-in flash is used for autofocus (AF). An AF evaluation value is obtained under the flash emission, and the lens is driven based on this value. This operation is repeated until it is determined that the lens is focused, and accurate AF is executed even in dark conditions.

Abstract: A camera is provided with: a detector for detecting a shake amount of the apparatus with respect to an object at an interval; a calculator for calculating a shake speed and a shake acceleration rate based on detected shake amounts, and calculates an estimative shake amount based on a calculated shake speed, a calculated shake acceleration rate, and a coefficient k (0<k<1) on an assumption that a shake is uniformly accelerated motion, the coefficient k being a multiplier for the calculated shake acceleration rate; and a corrector for executing a shake correction in accordance with a calculated estimative shake amount.

Abstract: At power-on, a digital camera starts to operate with a display unit off (state S1). At a subsequent half shutter press of a shutter button, a quick return mirror is flipped down and phase difference AF is performed with live view display off (state S3). At a subsequent full press of the shutter button, the digital camera enters an image capture operation. With a quick return mirror in the up position, a focusing lens is moved to its in-focus, front focus and rear focus positions, at each of which contrast in an AF area of predetermined partial portion of an image is obtained for comparison to select a position of the focusing lens with maximum contrast (state S4). Then, image data is obtained and recorded on a memory card (state S5). With the above processing, the digital camera can perform autofocusing, as circumstances demand, by a contrast AF method.

Abstract: An AF control portion of a digital camera has therein a histogram generating circuit for generating a histogram of widths of edges in an AF area, a noise eliminating portion for eliminating noise components from the histogram, a histogram evaluating portion for calculating an evaluation value indicative of the degree of achieving focus from the histogram, and a contrast calculating circuit for calculating contrast in the AF area. Further, a driving amount determining portion for determining an amount of driving a focusing lens, and a driving direction determining portion for determining a direction of driving the focusing lens are provided. The driving direction determining portion determines the direction of driving the focusing lens by using contrast. The driving amount determining portion positions the focusing lens to an in-focus position promptly with high precision while changing the driving amount by using the evaluation value of the histogram and the contrast.

Abstract: In an image detection system having within one-chip IC an area sensor, an area sensor driver for driving the area sensor and an area sensor output processing circuit for processing an output of the area sensor, the charges accumulated in necessary pixel areas of the area sensor are transferred at a transfer clock of a speed at which A/D conversion may be performed by an A/D converter incorporated in a microcomputer and are read out in image blur detection, and the charges accumulated in unnecessary pixel areas are transferred at a high-speed transfer clock and dumped.

Abstract: Flash emission is required when image data have a low luminance value and when it is determined that flash emission is not prohibited, the built-in flash is used for autofocus (AF). An AF evaluation value is obtained under the flash emission, and the lens is driven based on this value. This operation is repeated until it is determined that the lens is focused, and accurate AF is executed even in dark conditions.

Abstract: A taking lens is driven in steps each producing movement of the taking lens through a distance greater than a depth of field, and an evaluation value is determined based on a captured image obtained from a CCD imaging device in each position to which the lens is driven. Then, a predetermined interpolation process is performed on a plurality of evaluation values obtained in respective positions to which the lens is driven to derive an in-focus position of the taking lens for bringing an in-focus plane into coincidence with an imaging plane. The taking lens is driven to the in-focus position to achieve an in-focus condition. This allows efficient determination of the in-focus position in a digital camera.

Abstract: At power-on, a digital camera starts to operate with a display unit off (state S1). At a subsequent half shutter press of a shutter button, a quick return mirror is flipped down and phase difference AF is performed with live view display off (state S3). At a subsequent full press of the shutter button, the digital camera enters an image capture operation. With a quick return mirror in the up position, a focusing lens is moved to its in-focus, front focus and rear focus positions, at each of which contrast in an AF area of predetermined partial portion of an image is obtained for comparison to select a position of the focusing lens with maximum contrast (state S4). Then, image data is obtained and recorded on a memory card (state S5). With the above processing, the digital camera can perform autofocusing, as circumstances demand, by a contrast AF method.

Abstract: An elastic surface wave gyroscope includes two transducers attached on a piezoelectric substrate to generate elastic surface waves having different frequencies on the piezoelectric substrate, and two pair of reflectors for reflecting the different elastic surface waves toward the generators to produce two different standing waves, and another pair of reflectors for reflecting an elastic surface wave caused by a Coriolis force to produce a third standing wave, and a detector for detecting an electric signal corresponding to the third standing wave. This gyroscope has a high detection sensitivity.

Abstract: An apparatus has a member to be driven, an actuator for driving the member, a position detector and a controller. The actuator drives the member to move by an amount proportional to a given number of pulses. The position detector detects a position of the member in predetermined detection steps. The controller determines in steps smaller than the predetermined detection steps a target position up to which the member is to be moved. Then, it controls the actuator up to a detection-step position before the target position by closed-loop control in accordance with a detection result from the detector. Further, it controls the actuator from the detection step position to the target position by open-loop control.

Abstract: In an image detection system having within one-chip IC an area sensor, an area sensor driver for driving the area sensor and an area sensor output processing circuit for processing an output of the area sensor, the charges accumulated in necessary pixel areas of the area sensor are transferred at a transfer clock of a speed at which A/D conversion may be performed by an A/D converter incorporated in a microcomputer and are read out in image blur detection, and the charges accumulated in unnecessary pixel areas are transferred at a high-speed transfer clock and dumped.

Abstract: A shake correcting device of a camera is provided with: a detector for detecting a shake of the camera relative to an object cyclically; a calculator for calculating a degree of variation of a plurality of detection results of the detector, and calculating a detection precision based on a calculated degree of variation; and a corrector for executing a shake correction of the camera based on a detection precision calculated by the calculator.

Abstract: An apparatus has a member to be driven, an actuator for driving the member, a position detector and a controller. The actuator drives the member to move by an amount proportional to a given number of pulses. The position detector detects a position of the member in predetermined detection steps. The controller determines in steps smaller than the predetermined detection steps a target position up to which the member is to be moved. Then, it controls the actuator up to a detection-step position before the target position by closed-loop control in accordance with a detection result from the detector. Further, it controls the actuator from the detection step position to the target position by open-loop control.

Abstract: In a flash light amount control device capable of operating according to multiple methods, the flash light control method alternates according to the detected AF mode setting, the camera panning status, or the reliability of the detected object distance. For example, if AF lock is on, control is performed by flash light adjustment, but if AF lock is not on, control is performed by flashmatic. If panning is performed after AF lock, the method of control alternates between flash light adjustment and flashmatic in response to the amount of panning movement.

Abstract: An elastic surface wave gyroscope includes two transducers attached on a piezoelectric substrate to generate elastic surface waves having different frequencies on the piezoelectric substrate, and two pair of reflectors for reflecting the different elastic surface waves toward the generators to produce two different standing waves, and another pair of reflectors for reflecting an elastic surface wave caused by a Coriolis force to produce a third standing wave, and a detector for detecting an electric signal corresponding to the third standing wave. This gyroscope has a high detection sensitivity.

Abstract: A focus detector amplifies a plurality of sets of output signals from a plurality of photoelectric transfer element arrays by the most preferable amplifying mode and focuses a focus of an optical lens system on a desired object among a plurality of objects corresponding to the photoelectric transfer element arrays by selecting a method for deciding a defocus among a nearest position priority method, a lateral direction priority method and a reliability priority method responding to a condition of the objects.

Abstract: A single-lens reflex camera comprises a taking lens having a zooming optical system, a finder whose angle of view is determined according to a focal length of the taking lens, and an operation member which is manually operated. In the single-lens reflex camera, the focal length of the taking lens is changed by driving the zooming optical system, and the zooming operation is controlled in response to an operation of the operation member so that the focal length of the taking lens is changed in the wide-angle direction by a predetermined amount. An angle of view corresponding to that which is seen before the focal length is changed is displayed within the finder.

Abstract: An apparatus has a member to be driven, an actuator for driving the member, a position detector and a controller. The actuator drives the member to move by an amount proportional to a given number of pulses. The position detector detects a position of the member in predetermined detection steps. The controller determines in steps smaller than the predetermined detection steps a target position up to which the member is to be moved. Then, it controls the actuator up to a detection-step position before the target position by closed-loop control in accordance with a detection result from the detector. Further, it controls the actuator from the detection step position to the target position by open-loop control.