Abstract: A digital camera which can change gradation properties comprises a CCD image pickup element 105 for photographing a subject, an exposure control mechanism 103 for controlling an exposure on the image pickup element 105, a digital processing circuit 108 including a gradation converting circuit for being capable of generating image signals having different gradation properties (gamma properties) based on the output signal from the image pickup element 105, and a system controller 112 including a selecting circuit for selecting one of the different gradation properties, which is used in the gradation converting circuit. In the digital camera, to suppress the change of a sensitivity (output level) due to the a change of the gradation property, the exposure control mechanism 103 changes a control target value to control the exposure in accordance with the selected gamma value so that the output level is maintained at constant in the average exposure.

Abstract: A digital camera that can change gradation properties is provided which includes a CCD image pickup element for photographing a subject, an exposure control mechanism for controlling an exposure on the image pickup element, a digital processing circuit including a gradation converting circuit for generating image signals having different gradation properties (gamma properties) based on the output signal from the image pickup element, and a system controller including a selecting circuit for selecting one of the different gradation properties, which is used in the gradation converting circuit. In the digital camera, to suppress change of sensitivity (output level) due to a change of the gradation property, the exposure control mechanism changes a control target value to control the exposure in accordance with the selected gamma value so that the output level is maintained at a constant in the average exposure.

Abstract: An image capture device comprises an imaging unit which includes a plurality of output terminals and a light receiving unit composed of a plurality of pixels arranged in the form of an array of columns and rows and each having a photoelectric conversion element which, upon receiving light, produces a photoelectric conversion output signal, and wherein the imaging unit is configured to output photoelectric conversion output signals from the pixels onto the output terminals, signal amplifiers each of which is connected to a corresponding respective one of the output terminals, a detection unit which, after the photoelectric conversion output signals have reached a saturation level, detects the magnitude of saturation output signals from the output terminals, and a setting unit which sets the gains of the respective signal amplifiers so that the saturation output signals detected by the detection unit become equal in magnitude to one another.

Abstract: An optical device formed on a substrate comprises: plural fiber channels formed in the top surface of the substrate; a mirror to be pushed into and pulled out of an optical path between optical fibers disposed in the fiber channels; a movable rod carrying at one end the mirror; a comb-type electrostatic actuator disposed in association with the intermediate portion of the movable rod, for moving the movable rod lengthwise thereof; and plural support beams disposed near the one and the other end of the movable rod on both sides of the point of application of driving force by the comb-type electrostatic actuator, for movably supporting the movable rod. The support beams support the movable rod at positions having line symmetry with respect to a center line parallel to the lengthwise direction of the movable rod, and points of supporting the movable rod by the plural support beams are symmetrical with respect to the point of application of the driving force by the comb-type electrostatic actuator.

Abstract: A movable part formed on a substrate and adapted to be displaced in a direction parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate, a fixing part formed and fixedly mounted on the substrate, and springy hinges extending parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate and having their opposite ends connected to the movable part and the fixing part for supporting the movable part in a displaceable manner are provided. As viewed in cross section in a plane perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the hinges, the hinge has a width which is diminishing as the top surface of the substrate is approached, thus having a trapezoidal or triangular cross section. A width as measured on the top surface of the hinge which is required to provide an equivalent spring constant can be chosen to be greater than the width of a hinge having a rectangular cross section (constant width), and this facilitates the implementation of the photolithography during the manufacture.

Abstract: An optical device formed on a substrate comprises: plural fiber channels formed in the top surface of the substrate; a mirror to be pushed into and pulled out of an optical path between optical fibers disposed in the fiber channels; a movable rod carrying at one end the mirror; a comb-type electrostatic actuator disposed in association with the intermediate portion of the movable rod, for moving the movable rod lengthwise thereof; and plural support beams disposed near the one and the other end of the movable rod on both sides of the point of application of driving force by the comb-type electrostatic actuator, for movably supporting the movable rod. The support beams support the movable rod at positions having line symmetry with respect to a center line parallel to the lengthwise direction of the movable rod, and points of supporting the movable rod by the plural support beams are symmetrical with respect to the point of application of the driving force by the comb-type electrostatic actuator.

Abstract: In a microminiature moving device that has disposed, on a single-crystal silicon substrate, movable elements (a movable rod 46, a movable comb electrode 49, etc.) displaceable in parallel to the substrate surface and stationary parts (a stationary part 40a, etc.), the stationary parts are fixedly secured to the single-crystal silicon substrate 61 with an insulating layer 62 sandwiched therebetween, and depressions 64 are formed in those surface regions of the single-crystal silicon substrate 61 where no stationary parts are present, and the movable parts are positioned above the depressions 64. The depressions 64 form gaps 50 large enough to prevent foreign bodies from causing troubles such as malfunction of the movable parts and shoring.

Abstract: In an XY address type solid-state imager apparatus comprising a solid-state imager having a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arranged, and horizontal and vertical scanning circuits to read signals of the pixels, the scanning circuits each have a progressive scanning circuit to progressively read pixel signals by a first scanning control signal, and an interlace scanning circuit to read pixel signals with an interlaced manner by a second scanning control signal different from the first scanning control signal, and arbitrarily carries out combining of progressive reading and interlace reading in one frame in accordance with a combination of the respective scanning control signals, and reads pixel signals.

Abstract: In a solid-state image sensing apparatus according to one mode of the present invention, a vertical scanning circuit and a horizontal scanning circuit are controlled to thereby alternately read a middle portion continuous signal and a whole region decimation signal of pixels for each frame in accordance with a use application. Moreover, a pixel row selected in reading the middle portion continuous signal is common to that selected in reading the whole region decimation signal, and further as to each selected pixel row, a pixel signal of a middle portion is read as the middle portion continuous signal, and a pixel signal obtained by decimation every predetermined pixels is read as the whole region decimation signal.

Abstract: A miniature movable device comprises a movable part (a mirror, a movable rod, support arms, and a movable comb tooth electrode) formed on a substrate and adapted to be displaced in a direction parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate, a fixing part formed and fixedly mounted on the substrate, and hinges, each having its opposite ends connected to the movable part and the fixing part and assuming two flexural conditions which are reversed in flexural, the hinges being effective to maintain the movable part at two positions by a self-holding action when it assumes either flexural condition. The substrate is formed with wall surfaces which are disposed oppositely to the opposite surfaces of the hinges over a movable range of the hinges.

Abstract: A movable part formed on a substrate and adapted to be displaced in a direction parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate, a fixing part formed and fixedly mounted on the substrate, and springy hinges extending parallel to the sheet surface of the substrate and having their opposite ends connected to the movable part and the fixing part for supporting the movable part in a displaceable manner are provided. As viewed in cross section in a plane perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the hinges, the hinge has a width which is diminishing as the top surface of the substrate is approached, thus having a trapezoidal or triangular cross section. A width as measured on the top surface of the hinge which is required to provide an equivalent spring constant can be chosen to be greater than the width of a hinge having a rectangular cross section (constant width), and this facilitates the implementation of the photolithography during the manufacture.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensing apparatus having output channels CH1 and CH2 has first and second driving modes in which pixel signals of pixels in the same image sensing area are read out. The number of output channels to be used is changed between the first driving mode and the second driving mode. In at least one of the two modes, the phase of the read timing of pixel signals of pixels adjacent in the horizontal direction is shifted by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: A micro-optic device including a complicate structure and a movable mirror is made to be manufactured in a reduced length of time. A silicon substrate and a single crystal silicon device layer with an intermediate layer of silicon dioxide interposed therebetween defines a substrate on which a layer of mask material is formed and is patterned to form a mask having the same pattern as the configuration of the intended optical device as viewed in plan view. A surface which is to be constructed as a mirror surface is chosen to be in a plane of the silicon crystal. Using the mask, the device layer is vertically etched by a reactive ion dry etching until the intermediate layer is exposed. Subsequently, using KOH solution, a wet etching which is anisotropic to the crystallographic orientation is performed with an etching rate which is on the order of 0.1 ?m/min for a time interval on the order of ten minutes is performed to convert the sidewall surface of the mirror into a smooth crystallographic surface.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus comprises an image pickup unit including a light receiving pixel area including plural pixels each configured to accumulate photoelectric charge and to output signal and a comparative pixel area configured to output always, for example, dark signal in a state free of photoelectric charge, a first storing unit configured to store FPN component values of the light receiving pixel area, a second storing unit configured to store preliminarily FPN component value of the comparative pixel area, a first correction unit configured to perform predetermined comparison processing between the signal from the comparative pixel area and the FPN component value stored in the second storing unit, and to correct the FPN component values stored in the first storing unit, and a second correction unit configured to correct the signal from the light receiving pixel area by the FPN component values after correction by the first correction unit.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensing apparatus of an aspect of this invention can appropriately correct the black level of a video signal even when a high-luminance state or spotlight exists. The apparatus includes an effective pixel unit to receive object light, and a light-shielded light-shielded pixel unit to output an optical black level equivalent signal. In addition to the output from the effective pixel unit, one of the output from the light-shielded pixel unit and a predetermined reference voltage is selectively output.

Abstract: In one half portion of one surface of a substrate there are formed in parallel V-grooves of the same depth, in which optical fibers and are disposed and positioned with their axes held at a height H1 with respect to the surface. The optical fibers and have lens portions formed integrally therewith at one end, and the end faces of the lens portions are tilted at an angle &thgr;′ from their axes. A beam splitter is mounted on the substrate on a center line between elongations of the optical fibers, and light emitted from the lens portion propagates through space and is launched in focused form into the beam splitter, and a portion of the incident light is reflected, which propagates space and is launched in focused form into the lens portion and propagates through the optical fiber. The light having passed through the beam splitter is launched into a light receiving element.

Abstract: In a substrate carrying optical devices housed in a case, there are formed positioning parts for defining the positions of optical axes of the optical devices. Flexible optical waveguides are provided which are fixedly held at one end in the positioning parts and connected at the other end to an optical connector ferrule mounted in the case, and deviations from proper alignment between the optical axes of the optical devices and the axes of optical fiber receiving holes of the optical connector ferrule are accommodated by deformation of the flexible optical waveguides.

Abstract: Briefly, a camera according to the present invention includes a first signal processing system having a first gamma conversion processing unit for subjecting an output from an image pick-up device to gamma conversion processing and a luminance signal generating unit for generating a luminance-system signal based on an output from the first gamma conversion processing unit, and a second signal processing system having a color signal generating unit for generating a color-system signal based on an output which is the output from the image pick-up device and which is not subjected to the gamma conversion processing.

Abstract: A periodic pattern of thin-film metal (gold) island regions 25 is formed over the entire surface area of a (111) single-crystal silicon layer overlying a layer of a material (silicon dioxide) 22 different in refractive index from silicon, and silicon monocrystalline rods 26 are grown beneath the thin-film metal island regions in a silicon tetrachloride gas atmosphere at high temperatures to form columnar crystallites, thereby manufacturing a photonic crystal of a structure having the columnar crystallites arranged at periodic intervals. It is possible to obtain columnar crystallites whose surface roughness is as small as 10 nm or less in terms of the center-line average roughness Ra, for instance.

Abstract: An electromagnetic relay apparatus, which is improved in miniaturization, performance, assembly accuracy, cost reduction, productivity, and reliability. A plurality of electromagnetic relays, each having an NO contact that is closed by applying exciting current to a coil and an NC contact that is closed when the excitation current is not passed through the coil, are arranged in line, one diagonally opposite to the next, on a base so that the respective NO/NC contacts of adjacent electromagnetic relays are located in diagonally opposed positions in substantially point symmetrical relation. The electromagnetic relay includes an electromagnetic block having a couple of moving contacts, a first stationary contact and a second stationary contact both being connectable to external wiring, which are composed of uniform parts or components.