Abstract: This invention provides an image pickup apparatus that performs an image pickup operation that alternately repeats a long exposure LE and a short exposure SE. The image pickup apparatus drives an image pickup device in a first driving mode that makes a first time interval between an exposure end time of a pixel in an SE and an exposure start time of the pixel in an LE immediately thereafter and a second time interval between the exposure end time of the pixel in the LE and the exposure start time of the pixel in the SE immediately thereafter equal.

Abstract: The invention relates to an image pickup apparatus including a pixel section in which plural pixels are arrayed two-dimensionally, an exposure amount control section that determines an exposure amount and controls the pixel section to be continuously exposed plural times, a memory section that can store a pixel signal from the pixel section for plural frames of an output image, a vertical scanning circuit that reads out the pixel signal of the pixel section and stores the pixel signal in the memory section, and a column processing section that reads out the pixel signal stored in the memory section.

Abstract: The invention provides an image pickup apparatus including: an image pickup device including a memory portion for analog storage and a pixel portion; a first read-out control and processing portions that, in a first frame-period, read out a first-image-signal from a first-pixel-region of the pixel portion, and in a second frame-period longer than the first frame-period, read out a second-image-signal from a second-pixel-region of the pixel portion including the first-pixel-region, and store the read-out signals in the memory portion; a second read-out control and processing portions that read out from a memory portion an AF image signal related to the first-image-signal and a display image signal related to the second-image-signal; a focal point detecting portion that carries out contrast focal point detection based on the AF image signal; and an image display portion that displays an image based on the display image signal.

Abstract: A drive unit for an image sensor of the present invention comprises, for horizontal scanning, a drive section performing addition and readout of a first FD (floating diffusion) shared by two pixels of the same color that are adjacent in a diagonal direction by simultaneously transferring electrical charge of the two pixels of the same color, and for a second FD shared by two pixels of different colors that are adjacent in a diagonal direction, transferring and reading out electrical charge of a pixel of one color among the two pixels of different colors.

Abstract: The present invention is an image pickup apparatus provided with a pixel section in which pixels each including a photoelectric conversion section and a signal storage section that temporarily stores a signal charge of the photoelectric conversion section are two-dimensionally arrayed, that resets the signal storage sections before exposing a still image and reads reset data used to remove reset noise of a still image, configured to divide the pixel section into a plurality of pixel groups and sequentially reset the signal storage sections of the respective pixel groups by a transistor, sequentially read reset signals by a selection transistor and cause the selection transistor to read one or more times an LV signal charge generated by exposure of a predetermined pixel group within a time segment during which the signal storage sections are sequentially reset before the signal storage sections of the predetermined pixel group are reset.

Abstract: This invention provides an image pickup apparatus that performs an image pickup operation that alternately repeats a long exposure LE and a short exposure SE. The image pickup apparatus drives an image pickup device in a first driving mode that makes a first time interval between an exposure end time of a pixel in an SE and an exposure start time of the pixel in an LE immediately thereafter and a second time interval between the exposure end time of the pixel in the LE and the exposure start time of the pixel in the SE immediately thereafter equal.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a plurality of color filters arranged in a specific arrangement; a plurality of pixels adjacently arranged in each color filter; an exposure setting section for assigning one of a plurality of exposures to each pixel so as to perform exposure using the plurality of exposures; a readout section for reading out an image signal corresponding to each of the plurality of the exposures from the plurality of the pixels of each color filter; and a synthesizing section for determining an image signal of each color filter, based on the image signals read out by the readout section, and synthesizing the determined image signals of all of the plurality of the color filters, so as to output an image signal for forming an image.

Abstract: A frame rate converting apparatus for converting a frame rate of an input first image signal and outputting the image signal having the converted frame rate as a second image signal. The apparatus includes an input section into which the first image signal is input; a detecting section for detecting a time difference between synchronization timing of each frame of the first image signal and synchronization timing of each frame of the second image signal; a section for determining an output method of outputting the first image signal in conformity with a frame rate of the second image signal, based on a time period of each frame of the first image signal, a time period of each frame of the second image signal, and the above time difference; and an output section for outputting the first image signal as the second image signal in accordance with the determined output method.

Abstract: The present invention is an image pickup apparatus provided with a pixel section in which pixels each including a photoelectric conversion section and a signal storage section that temporarily stores a signal charge of the photoelectric conversion section are two-dimensionally arrayed, that resets the signal storage sections before exposing a still image and reads reset data used to remove reset noise of a still image, configured to divide the pixel section into a plurality of pixel groups and sequentially reset the signal storage sections of the respective pixel groups by a transistor, sequentially read reset signals by a selection transistor and cause the selection transistor to read one or more times an LV signal charge generated by exposure of a predetermined pixel group within a time segment during which the signal storage sections are sequentially reset before the signal storage sections of the predetermined pixel group are reset.

Abstract: The imaging apparatus of the present invention is provided with an image-forming lens that images light from a photographic subject; an imaging part that accumulates a pixel signal that corresponds to an optical image formed by the image-forming lens, reads the pixel signal and outputs the pixel signal as an imaging signal; a lens magnification control part that controls a magnification of the image-forming lens; a read-out region control part that controls the size of a read-out region of the pixel signal; and a frame rate control part that controls a frame rate of the imaging signal. In the imaging apparatus of the present invention, the magnification of the image-forming lens, the size of the read-out region, and the frame rate are controlled so that an angle of view of an image based on the imaging signal is constant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image-pickup device capable of variable-frame rate image-pickup in which a frame rate is modified during image-pickup, and includes a switch 52 that an operator manipulates during image-pickup to input a modification command relating to a frame rate, and a frame rate controller 51 that a signal corresponding to a manipulated variable of the switch 52 is inputted to, the frame rate controller 51 controlling the frame rate based on a frame rate modification command relating indicated by the inputted signal. In this image-pickup device, since the image-pickup frame rate is controlled based on a command inputted by manipulating the switch 52 during image-pickup, the frame rate can be arbitrarily modified in accordance with the movement of a subject during image-pickup.

Abstract: A drive unit for an image sensor of the present invention comprises, for horizontal scanning, a drive section performing addition and readout of a first FD (floating diffusion) shared by two pixels of the same color that are adjacent in a diagonal direction by simultaneously transferring electrical charge of the two pixels of the same color, and for a second FD shared by two pixels of different colors that are adjacent in a diagonal direction, transferring and reading out electrical charge of a pixel of one color among the two pixels of different colors.

Abstract: A camera system includes a synchronization signal generator and a camera device separated from the synchronization signal generator. The synchronization signal generator generates a subframe synchronization signal having a constant period and a variable-frame synchronization signal having a variable period. The camera device further includes an internal synchronization signal generating unit that generates an internal synchronization signal; a phase adjusting unit that adjusts a phase of the internal synchronization signal so as to match a phase the subframe synchronization signal with a phase of the internal synchronization signal; and a synchronization signal selecting unit that selects the variable-frame synchronization signal as a synchronization signal to be used for picking up an image if the subframe synchronization signal corresponds in phase to the internal synchronization signal.

Abstract: A frame rate converting apparatus for converting a frame rate of an input first image signal and outputting the image signal having the converted frame rate as a second image signal. The apparatus includes an input section into which the first image signal is input; a detecting section for detecting a time difference between synchronization timing of each frame of the first image signal and synchronization timing of each frame of the second image signal; a section for determining an output method of outputting the first image signal in conformity with a frame rate of the second image signal, based on a time period of each frame of the first image signal, a time period of each frame of the second image signal, and the above time difference; and an output section for outputting the first image signal as the second image signal in accordance with the determined output method.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a plurality of color filters arranged in a specific arrangement; a plurality of pixels adjacently arranged in each color filter; an exposure setting section for assigning one of a plurality of exposures to each pixel so as to perform exposure using the plurality of exposures; a readout section for reading out an image signal corresponding to each of the plurality of the exposures from the plurality of the pixels of each color filter; and a synthesizing section for determining an image signal of each color filter, based on the image signals read out by the readout section, and synthesizing the determined image signals of all of the plurality of the color filters, so as to output an image signal for forming an image.

Abstract: An image capturing device for capturing an image by an imaging device comprises first compression means for compressing and coding a captured image as a moving image, extracting means for extracting object information relating to a desired object from moving image information obtained in the process of compressing and coding the captured image, image processing means for performing desired image processing on the desired object on the basis of the object information extracted by the extracting means, second compression means for compressing and coding an image including the desired object processed by the image processing means as a still image, and recording means for recording, on a recording medium, at least one of moving image data obtained by the first compression means and still image data obtained by the second compression means.

Abstract: An image capturing device for capturing an image by an imaging device comprises first compression means for compressing and coding a captured image as a moving image, extracting means for extracting object information relating to a desired object from moving image information obtained in the process of compressing and coding the captured image, image processing means for performing desired image processing on the desired object on the basis of the object information extracted by the extracting means, second compression means for compressing and coding an image including the desired object processed by the image processing means as a still image, and recording means for recording, on a recording medium, at least one of moving image data obtained by the first compression means and still image data obtained by the second compression means.

Abstract: An image capturing device for capturing an image by an imaging device comprises first compression means for compressing and coding a captured image as a moving image, extracting means for extracting object information relating to a desired object from moving image information obtained in the process of compressing and coding the captured image, image processing means for performing desired image processing on the desired object on the basis of the object information extracted by the extracting means, second compression means for compressing and coding an image including the desired object processed by the image processing means as a still image, and recording means for recording, on a recording medium, at least one of moving image data obtained by the first compression means and still image data obtained by the second compression means.